Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in

Ordnance, RCL, 3.45 in Mk 1
Type	Recoilless rifle
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	United Kingdom
Production history
Designer	Dennis Burney
Manufacturer	Broadway Trust Company
Specifications
Weight	75 lb (34 kg)
Barrel length	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) L/14.75
Calibre	3.45 in (88 mm)
Muzzle velocity	600 ft/s (180 m/s)
Effective range	1,000 yd (910 m)

The 3.45 inch RCL was a British recoilless weapon, designed by Sir Dennis Burney during the Second World War. Delayed by problems due to wear upon firing, it did not see action, as was hoped, in the Far East. However it did lead to the post war Mobat and Wombat recoilless rifles.

History

The 3.45 inch RCL was built by the Broadway Trust Company, a company formed by Sir Dennis himself. Sir Dennis was privy to the design of the 20mm m/42, a recoilless rifle designed by the Swedish Bofors Carl Gustaf company during World War 2, but it had little bearing on his work as the Carl Gustav was a large bore rifle design intended to remove the recoil experienced with anti-tank rifles such as the Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys or similar large calibre bolt-action rifles which required large cartridges to deliver high velocity rounds. The usefulness of anti-tank rifles was lost as tanks were built with much thicker armour during the war. Although Burney's designs did not have high muzzle velocities, this was negated by using a shell which relied on a HESH explosive instead of speed and weight to defeat the armour.

Design

This was a weapon that could be fired from the shoulder, giving unrestricted traverse or elevation within the limits of the human frame, or mounted on a simple tripod. A portion of the propelling charge bled through holes in the cartridge wall and into a space around the breech and then backwards through four venturis. This counter blast backwards cancelled out the recoil.

Specification

Ordnance, RCL, 3.45in Mk 1

• Weight: 75 pounds (34 kg)
• Length: 68.55 inches (174.1 cm)
• Barrel length: 14.75 calibres
• Muzzle velocity: 600 ft/second (180 m/s)
• Range: 1,000 yards (910 m)
• Ammunition: Cartridge RCL, 3.45 inch WB ("Wallbuster") 3.45 inches (8.8 cm)
  • Type: HESH
  • Propellant: 11.125 pounds (5.046 kg) cordite
  • Filling : plastic explosive
  • Weight: 16.25 pounds (7.37 kg)

Suggested reading

• British & American Artillery of World War Two, by Ian V. Hogg

See also