The QF 6-pdr was the highly successful replacement for the 2-pdr, being copied by the Americans as the 57mm gun, M1. Its useful lifespan was extended by new developments in ammunition that improved its armour penetration capabilities allowing it to knock out heavy tanks from the flank.
Although the terrain prevented constant artillery support, in some key battles the Australian Field Regiment’s 25pdrs could be dragged into position to soften up a Japanese defensive position.
At the outbreak of war, the QF 2-pdr was the standard anti-tank gun of the British Army. It was an adequate weapon for the time, being slightly more effective in terms of armour penetration then the contemporary German 37mm PaK 36.
The ubiquitous 25pdr was the standard artillery piece of the Australian Army in the Pacific theatre, as it had been in the desert.
In the Pacific theatre, the Japanese often deliberately targeted medics, so the Australians stopped wearing the Red Cross and some went into action armed.
Although obsolete in the European theatre, the A12 Matilda II infantry tank’s heavy armour and proven weaponry were ideal against the lightly equipped Japanese forces in the Far East.
