These came across my bow today...

[Robert Reid]

I think these may be in the collection at Bovington? But not sure. The captions were a bit cryptic.



17 pdr armor tests during WW2. Almost got through that plate!



Another angle



Just some interesting photos for the 17 pounder crew.

Cheers,

RPR

[Stephen White]

Great photos Pierce and yes, the exhibit is in the Tank Museum. It's interesting but also amusing because it attracts all the nutters online, who claim that the armour is from a Tiger (it isn't, it's a piece of test armour which is thought to have come from a naval source) and that the round isn't the original "because the original would have broken up". I love the way the Internet attracts opinions based on zero knowledge but great conviction. Some of the threads relating to this photo make amusing reading if you've nothing better to do.

The exhibit is interesting for a number of reasons. It was part of the trials conducted to assess the choice of gun to equip what became the A34 Comet. The guns tested were the 17 pounder (with APC, APCBC and Composite Rigid rounds), the US 75mm HV gun with APCBC and composite rigid) and the M1 76mm with APCBC). The round shown is probably the 17pdr composite rigid, which on test was able to penetrate 5.45" of RHA (Rolled Homogenous Armour). I think from memory that the exhibit is a 6" armour, so the result is as expected.

Thanks for posting.

Stephen