The more you look at it the more bizarre it becomes.
The gun looks like a 75mm Type 95 field gun - fairly standard gun. The original split trail looks as if the arms have been shortened and a box and spacer beam welded to fix them. The track, roadwheels and suspension look like they came off a Bren carrier - the double wheel unit minus the idler wheel on the top of the suspension unit.
May as well go for "idiot of the week".... Type 95 gun captured by Australians found they couldn't tow it with a Bren carrier in the slush of the New Guinea jungle - gave it tracks. The thing is in Australia now - the trees in the background of the image are unmistakable.
Hi, I would agree the tracks are universal carrier, at first I thought it may be part of a universal carrier trailer?.... the carriage looks very improvised to me as does the gunshield, I havent yet been able to identify the gun but I suspect an old 3" or 12pdr naval gun, universal carriers were manufactured in Australia and New Zealand and it would perhaps not be going to far to imagine that some older guns had been remounted on improvised carriages for use by the local defence forces... Again the bracket with bolt over the barrels suggest that this has been modified also.. Wild guess... QF 15pdr MKI with modified recuperator etc on improvised carriage produced early WW2..
Of course the thought does occur that this is actually a leg pull.... and the gun is not a gun at all but the product of a local Sculpturs workshop
The barrel is a steel electric light pole off a bridge with the base modified with a piece of tractor axlesspline machined out and welded into the barrel.
The chassis is the front half from on old Chev truck.
The bogeys and tracks are from a wrecked Bren Gun carrier.
The shield is half of on old grab bucket, modified to fit.
The elevating gear is from a Massey Tractor planetary driven by an old steering box with the hand wheel from on old post drill, attached.
The ejector is the lever from an old Caterpillar crawler starting engine as is the breach block lever.
The sight and range finder is o bot reel slide from on old hay binder.
The ammo box is on old riveted World War 1 Bullet box.
The recoil box cap is from the top of a steel electric light pole.
All square nuts were used.
Naughty naughty.......
Cheers
-- Edited by Ironsides on Wednesday 16th of December 2009 12:33:35 PM
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Quote: Of course the thought does occur that this is actually a leg pull.... and the gun is not a gun at all but the product of a local Sculpturs workshop
I should have really posted this one on 1 Apr 2010.