Italeri - Morris Quad Tractor with 25 Pdr. Gun - sealed

The Ordnance QF 25 pounder, or more simply, 25-pounder or 25-pdr, was introduced into service just before World War II, during which it served as the major British field gun/howitzer. It was considered by many to be the best field artillery piece of the war, combining high rates of fire with a reasonably lethal shell in a highly mobile piece. It was the British Army's primary artillery field piece well into the 1960s, with smaller numbers served in training units until the 1980s. Many Commonwealth of Nations countries used theirs in active or reserve service until about the 1970s and ammunition for the weapon is currently being produced by Pakistan Ordnance Factories.

British Service

An Australian 25 Pounder at El Alamein in July 1942

The 25 pounder was the main field artillery gun used by British Commonwealth and colonial infantry and armoured divisions of all types during the Second World War. Throughout the war each British-pattern infantry division was established with seventy two 25 pounders. After mid 1940 each of the division's three field Regiments being issued with 24 guns organised into three 8 gun batteries, before mid 1940 each regiment had two batteries of 12 guns. Armoured divisions had two regiments, from 1944 one of these was equipped with the self-propelled 25-pdr nicknamed Sexton. In the late 1950's UK reverted to batteries of 6 guns, field regiments had 2 batteries on 25 pounder and one of 5.5 inch.

Normally the gun was towed, with its limber, usually behind a Morris C8 4x4 Field Artillery Tractor called a "Quad". The early 18/25 pdrs had been towed in the field by the Dragon Medium Mark IV a tracked vehicle derived from a light tank. After seeing the utility of the M7 Priest, the British introduced the similar Canadian-designed and -built Sexton, mounting the 25 pdr on a Ram tank chassis (itself based on the M3 Lee). Before Sexton the Bishop had been introduced using the Valentine tank chassis. In the 1950s UK replaced the various "Quads" with a new Bedford 3-ton gun tower fitted with a special to purpose body.

Even by WWII standards, the 25 pdr was at the smaller-end of the scale although it had longer range than most other field equipments. However, it was designed to support the proven British doctrine of suppressive (neutralising) fire, not the concept of destructive fire that had proved illusory in the early years of World War I. Most forces had entered the war with even smaller 75 mm designs, but had quickly moved to 105 mm and larger weapons. Nevertheless the 25 pdr was considered by all to be one of the best artillery pieces in use. The devastation caused by the gun (and the speed at which the British artillery control system could respond) in Normandy and the rest of North-West Europe made many German soldiers believe that the British had secretly deployed an automatic 25 pounder. The introduction of NATO standardization led to the replacement of the gun with the 105 mm. The last British military unit to fire the gun in its field role (as opposed to in a ceremonial role) was the Gun Troop of the Honourable Artillery Company on Salisbury Plain in 1992.