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Thornycroft 13-Pounder

Anti-Aircraft Truck

(Mounting the 6 cwt Cannon)

Specifications

Country of Origin/Used by:	Great Britain
First Produced/Service Dates:	1915
Manufactured by:	John Thornycroft, Ltd.
Crew:	1+11
Armament:	(1) QF 13-Pounder (6 cwt) or QF 13-Pounder (9 cwt) Cannon*
Engine:	4 Cylinder Gasoline
Miscellaneous Info:	At the beginning of World War One, the British had no mobile anti-aircraft guns, so they started mounting a number of their field pieces on available trucks or modified vehicle chassis.  The guns included the QF 13-Pounder (6 cwt & 9 cwt) and the QF 3-Inch (20 cwt) and the vehicles included the Daimler CC Truck, LGOC (Type B) Bus, Peerless TC4 4-ton Truck and Thornycroft J 3-ton Lorry.  Some of the vehicles were better suited to the stresses of the mounting and firing of cannon, of which the Peerless and Thornycroft were most capable.  Thusly, they were produced in much larger numbers than the others.  The Thornycroft J Truck was modified with a strengthened chassis as well as attaching the cannon directly to the frame vs. mounting it to the rear cargo bed.  Approximately 183 Thornycroft anti-aircraft trucks were built, using both the original 6 cwt 13-pounder or the improved 9 cwt gun*. * The QF 13-Pounder (9 cwt) cannon was created by using a 18-Pounder gun that was fitted with a 13-pounder barrel sleeve. The result was increased muzzle velocity/range due to the 13-pdr projectile being propelled by the increased explosives used in the 18-pdr shell.
Data Sheet Available:	None Available

Photos

Reference	Source/Provider
Thornycroft 13-Pounder (6 cwt) AA Truck Photo	British War Office
Thornycroft 13-Pounder (6 cwt) AA Truck Photo	Imperial War Museum
Thornycroft 13-Pounder (Early 6 cwt) AA Truck Photo	"Rock-Doc" via Wikimedia Commons
Thornycroft 13-Pounder (9 cwt) AA Truck Photos (Taken at the Imperial War Museum-Duxford)	Patrick Keenan- Editor

References Available

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