Alan McNeilly brings us the first of this year's walkabouts from the Military Vehicle Open Day at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Hi folks,

Any indication of a new kit for this one? I've been waiting for the Bronco early, late and airborne versions but no sign so far!

Al

Im sure the news will be all over the place when available, as it will be a popular release. With the amount of trucks being released, they will need more items to be towed.

AFV club have got one coming haven't they ? Even though it appears to be being loaded by US Airborne I'm hoping it will be US/ Brit options....AFV club summer release image.

Hi Frank & Jason,

My money was on Bronco, but who ever does a decent one it should sell well. I was going to convert the old Tamiya kit but thought this time I'd wait for a new gun.

Cheers

Al

Don't wait! Do your conversion right now! You know as soon as you make a scratch-build, or conversion, a company is certain to release the model!

So true

Al

thanks for the pics this is great reference material for me to use.
But didn't all ab versions also have trail legs that would break down in two parts to make it easier to load in gliders?
Al reference pics I can find show the joints half way down the legs.
I'm looking for detail pictures on those joints and can't find any.

Al, yes me too...but I am too scared to attempt to cut the trails so I thought I'd wait also for the kit/s. I have attempted a muzzle brake but just does'nt look right.
Eric, you are right I can't see the trails/ hinge point on Als walk around...

hoping to build a diorama one day showing John Baskeyfield of the 2nd South Staffords in action. Again great pictures and a big help. Is it possible that there where two versions of the 6pdr in action at this stage in the war? I know they did start to drop some mods on the jeeps because after D day a newer type glider became available.

Hi folks,

This gun belongs to a re-en actors group. I don't know it's origin. Your correct that there doesn't seem to be any joints in the legs but I don't know if this was common to all British Airborne 6pdr or not and if so when it was introduced? The Museum example in Duxford looks all wrong or is a much later version of the airborne gun so not much help there.

The main differences as I understand it were a shortened axle,otherwise they wouldn't fit in the Horsa, no fixed lower shield and the joint in the trail legs.

Here's a couple of pics of guns being loaded up.





and one in action at Arnhem



It could also be that the legs were changed at some point during the restoration/salvage of the gun or that it's an American 57mm? There was little difference in the to. Without measuring the axle width or knowing the guns history I can't say either way.

Al

There is an original airborne 6ib a/t gun in the Royal Armouries Collection at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth. It's up on the parade ground in one of the big tents.

sk

Thanks Simon,

AL

Thanks for the info. I have in mind a diorama of American Airborne unit with this weapon employed during Operation Overlord. I can't recall the actual unit details, but it was deployed in a French village and IRC took out some German armor.

Hi Wayne,

These might be of interest.





Al