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The Ordnance BL 60-pounder Mk.I was one of the most effective British field guns of the First World War, despite being rather heavy and cumbersome to move. It remained in service early in the Second World War and saw combat in North Africa.
During the Boer War a number of 4.7in naval guns had been given carriages and used in the field, where they had impressed the Royal Artillery. As a result after the war the Royal Artillery asked for a long range gun capable of firing a 27.2kg shell, for use with the heavy artillery batteries of the infantry divisions. A Heavy Battery Committee was appointed in 1902, and looked at the QF 4.7in shell, an existing 30-pounder and a 60-pounder designed by Armstrong, and selected the 60-pounder.
The 60-pounder was designed by the Elswick Ordnance Company (part of Armstrongs). It had a heavy box trail, with a gap below the barrel to allow for a greater range of elevation. It had a long barrel, with two recoil cylinders mounted side-by-side above it. The wheels were based on those used on traction engines, with diagonal treads running across their width to allow them to be used on soft ground.
The 60-pounder was used with three different carriages during the First World War.
The carriage Mk.I allowed the barrel to be pulled back over the carriage to make it easier to tow. This was an effective system, but the carriage was slow to manufacture.
The carriage Mk.II was introduced in an attempt to speed up production. The ability to move back the barrel was removed, but other changes made the carriage heavier. The changes did speed up production, but the modified weapon couldn’t easily be moved by horses. As a result Holt tractors had to be used, making the 60-pounder Mk.I with carriage Mk.II the first British gun of its size to use powered traction.
The carriage Mk.III reintroduced the ability to pull the barrel back, using a simpler system in which the barrel was simply disconnected from the recoil system and moved back, leaving the recoil system in place. This made the gun easier to move.
As with most British guns of the period, the majority of ammunition produced before the First World War was shrapnel. This changed to HE after the outbreak of trench warfare, where shrapnel shells weren’t terribly effective. During the war improved streamlines shells were produced, which increased the weapons range. However as longer and longer ranges were required, a significantly modified 60-pounder Mk II was developed, although this didn’t enter service until after the armistice.
The 60-pounder was mainly used for counter battery fire, taking advantage of its long range. It was also used to attack German strong points, and sometimes for harassing fire, when they were moved close to the British front lines to fire more deeply into the German rear areas.
The 60-pounder remained in service into the Second World War. Some saw action in North Africa, but they were retired after the end of that campaign. The remaining guns were used as training weapons, before being declared obsolete on 8 June 1944.
Only forty one 60-pounder Mk Is had been built by the outbreak of the First World War, of which 24 went to Canada and India. Production greatly increased in scale during the war, and eventually 1,756 were built, of which 571 were still in service in 1918. Another 52 went to Russia in 1917.
The 60-pounder Mk II was developed late in the First World War to improve the range of the weapon. It was given a longer barrel, a new carriage and a new recoil system, and a box trail which increased maximum elevation to 35 degrees. The entire gun and recoil system could be pulled back on its cradle to make it shorter and improve its balance for towing. It was strong, steady and easier to maintain than the Mk I. The Gun Mk II on Carriage Mk IV was in production by the end of the First World War, and the first four had been completed. The Mk II also saw service in the Western Desert, before being replaced by 4.5in and 5.5in guns.
In 1922 it was suggested that the 60-pounder could be converted into a longer range 4.5in Gun by replacing the barrel. A lack of money meant that this idea was later changed to simply re-lining the barrel to 4.5in. Work on this was very slow and the first prototype wasn’t tested until 1937! Range increased to 20,000 yards, well up on the 60-pounder Mk II. However only seventy-six 60-pounders were still intact to be converted into the 4.5in gun Mark 1. As a result the Director of Artillery authorised the development of a new 4.5in gun, which entered service during the Second World War as the 4.5in gun Mark 2.
Mk I
| Name | Ordnance BL 60-pdr Mk I on Carriage Mk I to III |
Calibre |
127mm (5in) |
Barrel Length |
4,268m (168.05in) |
Weight for transport |
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Weight in action |
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Elevation |
-5 to +21.5 degrees |
Traverse |
8 degrees |
Shell Weight |
27.2kg (60lb) |
Muzzle Velocity |
634m (2,080ft) |
Maximum Range |
10,300 yards with original shell |
Rate of Fire |
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The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War I, general editor Chris Bishop. A useful collection of articles on the main weapons of the First World War, based on Orbis's War Machine of the 1980s. Still accurate despite its relative age, well illustrated and supported by some informative general articles, and provides a good overview of the military technology of the Great War. [read full review]
