Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer

Ordnance QF 3-inch howitzer
Mk I Churchill tank with hull-mounted 3-inch howitzer on exercises on Salisbury Plain, January 1942
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	UK
Service history
Used by	British tanks
Wars	Second World War
Specifications
Weight	226 lb (103 kg)
Length	78.2 in (1.99 m)
Barrel length	75 in (1.9 m)
Calibre	3 inches
Muzzle velocity	600 feet per second (180 m/s)
Effective firing range	2,000 yards (1,800 m)

Ordnance QF 3 inch howitzer was a howitzer fitted to British cruiser and infantry type tanks of the Second World War so they could fire a smoke shell in "close support" of other tanks or infantry. HE shells were also available. Earlier British tanks were fitted with a 3.7 in howitzer.

A few Close Support versions of the Tetrarch light tank.

A field artillery version seems to have been developed or under development in 1941

Later in the war a larger QF 95 mm howitzer was employed for the same purpose.