Service With Other Nations
In addition to Commonwealth and colonial forces other Second World War users included the free forces of France, Greece, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The first shot fired by US artillery against the German army in World War II was fired by a 25pdr of the 34th Infantry division.
After the Second World War 25 pounder remained in service with many Commonwealth armies into the 1960s. It was used in Korea by British, Canadian and New Zealand regiments and in Malaya by British and Australian batteries. It also featured in wars on the Indian sub-continent and in the service of Israeli and other Middle Eastern armies.
Since leaving UK service, the last users of the 25-pounder in combat have been the Special Air Service advisors to the Omani Army during the 1972 Battle of Mirbat in Oman, the Cypriot National Guard during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and by Kurdish militias in northern Iraq in 2003.
Read more about this topic: Ordnance QF 25 Pounder
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