I’ve been studying the New Guinea campaign which has held a long interest for me then I came across the battle of Wau Jan - Feb 1943 and I’m interested in how 2 disassembled 25Pdr guns were flown in by C-47’s and re-assembled whilst under fire on the airfield. In the video attached there is a photo (20:50 minutes) of one of these guns being unloaded by hand from a C-47.
My question is how far could one of these guns be striped, any photos or drawings of this?
I intend to build a diorama in 1/72 with a C-47 being unloaded, using the ESCI/Italeri 25Pdr and an Airfix C-47. My main interest is in the air war but this one caught my interest.
According to this article, that was an early test of an Australian designed lightweight version designed for the jungle war and capable of being broken down for easier transport.
Thanks Frenchy I’ll investigate that document and get in touch with the IWM
Thanks Danie, although I treat most thinks on Wiki with a pinch of salt until I can confirm somewhere else the article on the QF 25Pdr short states it wasn’t used by front line units until August 43 where as the battle for Wau took place in Jan-Feb 43.
Thanks Darren, that was my thinking but I just wanted to make sure. I the photo in the video it looks like they are man handling the carriage out of the C-47 in a photo slightly later in the video it states they are re-assembling one of the two guns.
I was going to ask if they would of used them without the gun shield then I found this photo which answers my question.
often when moving a cannon by air, you will strip them of anything that can be removed. Say shields, spades and maybe even the wheels (I doubt the wheels here). Removing the trails would be quite a task to reassemble, but it could be done. I doubt they pulled the barrel and breech, but also is easier to than the trails. That would take about four men and a fifth with the wrench to put it back together. The barrel and breech assembly will probably be getting close to 1000lb. and maybe even 1500lb.
Michael, thanks for bringing this book to my attention I’ll have to look into it further.
Donald, thank you for the info on the short, but going from the photo above purportedly taken at Wau to my eye that looks like a standard QF 25pdr, you can make out the ground plate and the shield has the semi-circle cut out along the top edge which the ‘short’ doesn’t appear to have.
