The men were taught to fight their guns from behind whatever cover, in the form of ridges Should be reduced by exposing the gun and its crew to enemy observation for the shortest possible This shield could ward off small-arms fire onlyįrom the direct front, so that against crossfire, explosive shells, mortar bombs, and armour-piercing projectiles both gun and crew were vulnerable. Portée tactics had to be based on the fact that the gun was high off the ground, with the gun-shield the only protection for crew and weapon. Pits or when a formation on the move had to be defended against attack. Oakes therefore made provision in training for those occasions when there was no time to dig Of pits took time and, once dug in, the gun could not be moved at a moment’s notice. It was obvious that theīest place from which to fight an anti-tank gun was from a properly dug gunpit but the digging Oakes, * insisted that great attention should be paid to training the gun crews inįighting the two-pounders from the decks of the portées: that is, en portée. Special fittings on the lorry enabled the trail and spade to beĬlamped firmly to the deck so that the gun, pointing over the rear of the portée, was ready forĭuring the training in preparation for the campaign, the regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel T. The two-pounders were carried on the decks of speciallyĬonstructed lorries, termed portées, which were fitted with ramps and winches to enable the guns Troops were armed with two-pounders and one with the old 18-pounder field gun modified for useĪgainst armoured fighting vehicles. IN November 1941, when the second British offensive in Libya began, the 33rd Battery of theħth New Zealand Anti-Tank Regiment consisted of four troops, each of four guns.
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