The 17 pounder Anti-Tank Guns at Operation Market-Garden - 1944

It’s full nomenclature is Ordnance, Quick Firing, 17 pounder Anti-Tank Gun, Mk I (Carriage Mk I or II). The gun has been commonly adjudged to be one of, if not the best, Allied anti-tank artillery pieces of World War II. Even though the II SS Panzer Corps (9^th and 10^th Waffen-SS Panzer Divisions) was largely ignored or written off by the staffs of British 21^st Army Group and the 1^st Allied Airborne Army during the planning for Operation Market-Garden, the potential threat of German armor, overall, was not.

A important factor which is often overlooked is that anti-tank artillery, including the 17 pdr, is by its very purpose and resultant design, defensive in nature. Although having more than adequate traverse the elevation (-6 to +16 1/2 deg) inherently restricts its flexibility, and precludes its use in any significant offensive capacity. The ballistics of the weapon's projectiles are intended for flat high velocity trajectories in direct fire mode. An indirect fire mission is a virtual impossibility. The weight of the 17 Pdr at 4,624 lbs further restricted its mobility. But properly sited the gun was more than capable of destroying the newest and most heavily armored tanks the Germans had in operational inventory. With the Armored Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) round, at a muzzle velocity of 3950 fps, it could penetrate 200 mm of armored plate at 1,000 m. The Pz.Kpfw Tiger Aust.B ('Konigstiger'), aka Tiger II, had maximum frontal armor of 180mm (7.1in). Effective range was nominally 4,000 yds, with maximum range being 10,000 yds.

 

 

A rare series of stills from a AFPU film of personnel from 2nd
(Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, RA at Arnhem in a C.8/AT
Mk III towing a 17 pdr Mk I

The vintage film footage from which the above still frames were taken can be seen on this video from the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum, Airborne Assault ParaData web site; http://www.paradata.org.uk/media/857?mediaSection=videos,  (See page 2 of the videos) which shows both the Morris C.8/AT Mk III and the 17 pdr Mk I AT Gun in tow. Full acknowledgement and gratitude is extended to the museum.

Attached to the British 1^st Airborne Division were two batteries of anti-tank artillery. These were the 1^st Airlanding Ant-Tank Battery, RA and the 2^nd (Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, RA. Each battery was organized in 6 Troops, four of which were each equipped with 4 of the Ordnance, Quick Firing 6 pounder Anti-Tank Gun, Mk  IV (L/50), mounted on the Mk III (Airborne) Carriage. A total of 16 guns. The remaining 2 Troops were equipped with the newer and more formidable 17 Pdrs, each with 4 guns per Troop, for a total of 8 guns (‘D’, ‘P’, ‘F’ and ‘X’ Troops). In summary 1^st AB Division had a total of 32 of the 6 pdr AT Guns and 16 of the 17 pdr AT Guns. All guns were supplied with the newly introduced, and highly effective, ‘Sabot’ round.

As described on another page of this blog, two Hamilcar gliders, each carrying a 17 Pdr and its tractor were lost in route to their landing zone. Two more of the 17 pdrs in the 1^st Lift were effectively lost on landing at LZ ‘Z’ when their Hamilcar gliders overturned. One gun being a total loss the other sustained a damaged buffer system (or the system was previously damaged prior to flight). So upon completion of the 1^st Lift, four out of an intended eight 17 Pdrs were on the ground.in operable condition. Two of these guns were assigned by the CRA to accompany and protect the 75mm Pack Howitzers M1A1 of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, RA.

The following photographs are believed to be of one of the 17 pdrs close to the church on Benedendorpsweg which were protecting the gun positions of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, RA.

This rough map shows the two 17 Pdrs sited
in positions along Benedendorpsweg pointing
 east towards Arnhem on the primary threat axis

One of the remaining 17 pdrs of ‘Z’ Troop, under the command of Lt G. Ryall, had been moved into position next to a house providing protection down a main road (probably Utrechtseweg). A message was received that infantry elements were withdrawing back along that same road into Oosterbeek, and that the gun should do the same. Unfortunately in great haste the gun’s tractor bogged down in heavy sand, and even with the assistance of a Universal Carrier, the weapon could not be extracted in a timely manner and was ordered to be abandoned. The author has not yet been able to determine the fate of the final gun.

The following is an image of a German Fallschirmjager (from Fallschirmjager Regt 6 under command of LtCol von der Heydte) examining the breech of a disabled British 17 pdr after the battle of Arnhem. Given the position of the gun, the surrounding trees, and the fact that it is immediately adjacent to a brick roadway (probably Benedendorpsweg), it is highly probable that this is the other one of two 17 pdrs which protected the artillery park of the 1^st Airlanding Light Regiment Royal Artillery sited near the church in Oosterbeek during the course of the battle (See the preceding map).

At the outset of the 2^nd Lift a Hamilcar glider carrying a 17 pdr of ‘F’ Troop was lost flying over the North Sea. Two other Hamilcars landed short of their designated LZ, both carrying 17 Pdrs of the now unlucky ‘F’ Troop. One was successfully salvaged, and the gun brought into the fray by its tractor, and eventually reporting to Divisional Headquarters. The three Hamilcars carrying bulk ammunition stores (including 17 pdr rounds) all successfully landed,  and the reserve ammunition was offloaded from two of the gliders.

By Tuesday 19 September, all elements of the 4^th Parachute Brigade were under heavy enemy pressure, and were withdrawing to what would become the Oosterbeek Perimeter around the Hartenstein Hotel (Divisional Headquarters). Lt G. A. Paull was directed to support the withdrawal of the 156^th Parachute Battalion. With his position coming under heavy enemy fire and taking casualties he was ordered by his Battalion Commander to retrieve the guns that he could, back over the railroad line. Lt Paull was personally able to successfully withdraw two 17 pdrs down the rail line to a crossing and temporary safety. He subsequently was separated from the troop, wounded and taken prisoner. For all that he finally received a belated ‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ in 1948.

By Wednesday 20 September the 1^st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, RA still had three 17 Pdrs in action. These guns were positioned along Benedendorpsweg in Lower Oosterbeek, still protecting the guns of the 1st Airlanding Light Regiment, RA (See previous map).  The 2^nd (Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank, RA was able to match that number with their three remaining 17 pdr guns. Having initially succeeded in getting as far east as the Rijn Hotel one 17 pdr and crew were forced to fall back to position near the intersection of Benedendorpsweg and Veerweg covering the approach from Westerbouwing at the southwest area of the final Oosterbeek Perimeter.

The following three photographs are of one of a pair of 17 pdrs now residing on the grounds of the Airborne Museum Hotel Hartenstein in Oosterbeek. The hotel served as MGen R.E. Urquhart's Divisional headquarters within the Oosterbeek Perimeter.

The first 17 pdr shown below is No.3 Gun of 'D' Troop, 1st Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery RA, commanded by Sgt. George Thomas. 

Disabled 17-pdr on Benedendorpsweg, east of the church
Gun was named "Pathfinder"

Note the identical damage to the upper left shield identifying it
as the gun seen relocated to the grounds of the Hartenstein
 Airborne Museum

The same damage viewed from a different angle

The second 17 pdr, now on display at the grounds of the Airborne Museum Hartenstein was recovered from its final firing position at Sonnenberglaan approximately 200 yards northwest of its current position. It was No.1 Gun of  'X' Troop of the 2nd (Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, which was commanded by Sgt. Horace "Nobby" Gee.

On the last day, 25 September 1944, prior to complete withdrawal from the Oosterbeek Perimeter later that night, there were still three 6 pdr AT guns and a single 17 pdr AT gun operational. Unfortunately there is no known summary account that the author has been able to discover to date that details all the engagements of the 17 pdrs during the span of Operation 'Market Garden' from 17 - 25 September 1944. There is, however, an excellent book which provides a photographic survey of the German tanks and AFVs either disabled or destroyed during the course of the battle in both Arnhem and Oosterbeek. The book is titled: German Armored Units at Arnhem September 1944, M. Zwarts, Concord Publications, Hong Kong, 2003, ISBN 962-361-691-0. One German tank unit who fared particularly badly was Panzerjager-Abteilung 657, Panzer-Kompanie 224. In the course of two days, 20-21 September 1944, they lost 6 tanks. The unit's tanks bore the German designation Pz.Kpfw.B2 (f) 'Char' ('f' connoting 'Flammpanzer', i.e. flamethrower), and were originally French Char B1 and B2 tanks. War diaries specifically cite that at least one of these tanks was 'put paid' by a single round from a 17 pdr in the Oosterbeek Perimeter. The following photograph is from the book cited above and was taken in 1945. This specific Flammpanzer B2 (f) was destroyed on 20 September in Sonnenberglaan by a 17 pdr AT gun of 'X' Troop, 2nd (Oban) Anti-Tank Battery. A large hole entirely through the tank can be clearly seen.

Martin Middlebrook in his highly respected book, ARNHEM 1944 The Airborne Battle, 17-25 September, reiterates another eye-witness account by Gunner George Hurdman, also of 2nd (Oban) Anti-Tank Battery, describing an engagement by another 17 pdr of another Pz.Kpfw.B2 (f) 'Char' on either 20 or 21 September. In this case a single APDS projectile effectively destroyed the tank with a single direct frontal shot. It may or may not be the same tank previously described, but the gunners put a second shot into the tank to make certain. In 1945, when Gunner Hurdman was amongst those sent back to Arnhem to film the movie, "Their's is the Glory", he relates that he found the very same tank where his gun had originally engaged it. Those who may be interested can see excerpts from the movie on another page of this blog; http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/2011/06/battle-of-arnhem-two-movies-on-battle.html, or view the entire film from a link on that page.

 For those seeking additional information an excellent reference is: The Gunners at Arnhem, P. Wilkinson, Spurwing Publishing, East Haddon, Northton, 1999, ISBN 0-99535754-0-3. Also the following is a link to the War Diary of the 2nd (Oban) Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery, written by Lieut. E.H. Ellis, RA (H-Troop), http://www.paradata.org.uk/article/857/related/45519 .

In addition the following video is an excellent walk-around of a Q.F. Ordnance 17 pdr Mk I-II:  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38jrz9_qf-17-pdr-mk-i-ii_auto , and is provided with both full acknowledgement and gratitude to with acknowledgement and gratitude to NET-MAQUETTES