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Austin K5/Bedford QL 6-Pounder Gun Portee*

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Great Britain
First Produced/Service Dates:	1942
Manufactured by:	Austin Motor Company and Bedford Vehicles
Crew:	5?
Armament:	(1) 6-Pounder (57mm) QF Cannon
Engine:	6 Cylinder Gasoline
Miscellaneous Info:	The Austin and Bedford 6-pounder Gun Portees*, were built to provide a more lethal anti-tank gun available to the British and Commonwealth Forces fighting in the deserts of North Africa. A similar Portee was also based upon the Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) Chevrolet C60L Truck chassis.  Prior to the appearance of new the 6-Pounder carriers, Portees mounted 37mm and 2-pounder (40mm) anti-tank guns. The two vehicle types covered in this index were based on the Austin K5 and Bedford QL 3-ton 4x4 Truck series, respectively. These anti-tank variants were purpose-built by their manufacturers, not converted from general stock. Although their performance was satisfactory, they and their crews were very vulnerable because they were not fitted with armor; although some had improvised protection added.  As a result, the British Army decided to replace them with the armored AEC Deacon Mark 1 6-Pounder Gun Carrier, although they didn't see much service because the North African campaign ended in 1943. Reportedly, some of these 6-Pounder Portees MAY have participated in the later Sicilian and Italian campaigns, although this is unconfirmed.  What is known is that these vehicles were all converted to General Service Cargo trucks sometime later. *A "Portee" was a truck that carried a gun/cannon on its rear cargo bed so that it could move and fire more quickly than a vehicle with a towed gun.  The guns could be fired forward, backwards or dismounted as normal. Not surprisingly, Portees could also tow guns in the traditional manner.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

Reference	Source/Provider
Austin K5 3-Ton Truck Photo	"Zandcee" via Wikimedia Commons
Austin K5 Gun Portee Photo	The Dave Haugh Collection
Austin K5 Gun Portee Photos	Ian Young- UK
Bedford QL 3-ton Truck Photo	The Imperial War Museum

References Available

Online

Printed

Reference	Author
British Military Trucks of World War Two (Tankograd Publishing)	Les Freathy
"Packing a Punch" (November 2011 Issue of Military Machines International Magazine)	Ian Young
"Portee-ble Firepower" (March 2024 Issue of Classic Military Vehicle Magazine)	Craig Moore

Hobby Modeling

For a Full List of Model Kits and Accessories related to the Austin K5 & Bedford QL Truck Series, you can check out Scalemates.

Model Photos