Bishop (artillery)
| Ordnance QF 25-pdr on Carrier Valentine 25-pdr Mk 1 "Bishop" | |
|---|---|
QF 25 pounder gun-howitzer with 32 rounds | |
Secondary armament | 0.303 inch Bren light machine gun |
| Engine | AEC A190 diesel 131 hp (98 kW) |
| Power/weight | 7.4 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | coil sprung three-wheel bogies |
Operational range | 90 mi (145 km) |
| Maximum speed | 15 mph (24 km/h) |
The Bishop, formal designation Ordnance QF 25-pdr on Carrier Valentine 25-pdr Mk 1, was a British
Design and development
The rapid manoeuvre warfare practiced in the
The vehicle was based on the Valentine II hull, with the turret replaced by a fixed boxy superstructure with large rear doors. It was nicknamed the Bishop for its high mitre-like superstructure.[2]
The 25-pounder gun-howitzer was fitted in this superstructure. As a consequence of the gun mounting, the resulting vehicle had a very high silhouette, which is a disadvantage in desert warfare.[1] The maximum elevation for the gun was limited to 15 degrees, reducing the range to 6,400 yards (5,900 m), about half that of the same gun on a wheeled carriage. To increase range, crews would build large earthen ramps and run the Bishop onto them, tilting the vehicle back to increase the elevation. The maximum depression was 5 degrees, traverse was 8 degrees, and the vehicle could also carry a Bren light machine gun. By July 1942, 80 Bishops had been built; as the last 20 were being built, an order for a further 50 was placed, with an option for a further 200 but the tender was abandoned in favour of the American 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7.[1] Turkey received 48 Bishops in 1943.[3]
Combat history
The Bishop first saw action during the
British self-propelled guns with ecclesiastical names
The US 105 Millimeter Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 which replaced the Bishop, was given the service name "Priest" by the British, as part of its superstructure was said to resemble a priest's pulpit. Following this line of names, a 1942 self-propelled gun armed with the 57 mm QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun was the Deacon, and a 1943 vehicle with the QF 25-pounder on a chassis derived from the M3 Medium tank was the Sexton. This practice was continued after the war with FV433 Abbot and ended in 1993 when they were replaced with the AS-90.
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84681-110-4.
- ^ "QF 25-pdr Bishop". Tanks-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ISSN 1765-0828.
- ^ Trewhitt 1999, p. 114.
Sources
- Henry, Chris (2002). The 25-pounder Field Gun 1939-72. New Vanguard 48. illustrated by Mike Fuller. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-350-0..
- Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armored Fighting Vehicles. New York, NY: Amber Books. p. 114. ISBN 0-7607-1260-3.
External links
