View source for Northover Projector

{{Infobox weapon
 | name              = Northover Projector
 | image             = H 11843-Members of Home Guard using a Northover Projector-July 1941.jpg
 | image_size        = 300
 | caption           = Members of the Home Guard using a Northover Projector, 1 July 1941.
 | origin            = United Kingdom
 | type              = [[Grenade launcher]]
<!-- Type selection -->
 | is_ranged         = yes
 | is_bladed         = 
 | is_explosive      = 
 | is_artillery      = yes
 | is_vehicle        = 
 | is_missile        = 
 | is_UK             = yes
<!-- Service history -->
 | service           = 1940–1945
 | used_by           = [[British Army]], [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]]
 | wars              = [[Second World War]]
<!-- Production history -->
 | designer          = Major Robert Harry Northover
 | design_date       = 1940
 | manufacturer      = 
 | unit_cost         = £10 (1940)
 | production_date   = 
 | number            = 
 | variants          = Northover Mk 2
<!-- General specifications -->
 | spec_label        = 
 | weight            = 27.2 kilograms
 | length            = 
 | part_length       = {{convert|914|mm|in|abbr=on}}
 | width             = 
 | height            = 
 | diameter          = 
 | crew              = 
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
 | cartridge         = 
 | cartridge_weight  = 
 | caliber           = 2.5 inch
 | barrels           = 
 | action            = 
 | rate              = 
 | velocity          = 60m/sec (200ft/sec)
 | range             = {{convert|251|m|yd|abbr=on}}
 | max_range         = 
 | feed              = 
 | sights            = 
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
 | breech            = 
 | recoil            = 
 | carriage          = 
 | elevation         = free
 | traverse          = free
}}

The '''Projector, 2.5&nbsp;inch'''—more commonly known as the '''Northover Projector'''—was an ''[[ad hoc]]'' anti-tank weapon used by the [[British Army]] and [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] during the [[Second World War]].

With a [[Operation Sealion|German invasion]] of Great Britain seeming likely after the defeat in the [[Battle of France]], most available weaponry was diverted to the regular British Army, leaving the Home Guard short on supplies, particularly anti-tank weaponry. The Northover Projector was designed by Home Guard officer Robert Harry Northover to act as a makeshift anti-tank weapon, and was put into production in 1940 following a demonstration to the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], [[Winston Churchill]].

The weapon consisted of a hollow metal tube attached to a tripod, with a rudimentary breech at one end. Rounds were fired with the use of black powder ignited by a standard musket percussion cap, and it had an effective range of between 100 and 150 yards. Although it was cheap and easy to manufacture, it did have several problems; it was difficult to move and the [[No. 76 Special Incendiary Grenade]]s it used as one type of ammunition had a tendency to break inside the breech, damaging the weapon and injuring the crew. Production began in late 1940, and by the beginning of 1943 nearly 19,000 were in service. Like many obsolete Home Guard weapons, it was eventually replaced by other weapons, such as the [[Ordnance QF 2 pounder|2-pounder anti-tank gun]].

==Development==
With the end of the [[Battle of France]] and the evacuation of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] from [[Dunkirk evacuation|the port of Dunkirk]] between 26 May and 4 June 1940, a German [[Operation Sealion|invasion]] of Great Britain seemed likely.<ref>Mackenzie, p. 20</ref> However, the [[British Army]] was not well-equipped to defend the country in such an event; in the weeks after the Dunkirk evacuation it could field only twenty-seven divisions.<ref name="Lampe3">Lampe, p. 3</ref> The Army was particularly short of anti-tank guns, 840 of which had been left behind in France, leaving only 167 available in Britain; ammunition was so scarce for the remaining guns that regulations forbade even a single round being used for training purposes.<ref name="Lampe3" />

Given these shortcomings, any modern weapons that were available were allocated to the British Army, and the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] was forced to supplement the meagre amount of outdated weapons and ammunition they had with ''ad hoc'' weapons.<ref>Mackenzie, pp. 90–91</ref> One such weapon was the Northover Projector, the invention of [[Major (rank)|Major]] Robert Harry Northover.<ref>{{Cite news| publication-date =21 February 1952| title =Obituary - Major H. R. Northover| periodical =[[The Times]]}}</ref> Northover, an officer in the Home Guard, designed it to be an easily manufactured and cheap anti-tank weapon, costing just under £10 to produce, excluding the required tripod.<ref name="Mackenzie94">Mackenzie, p. 94</ref> The Major wrote directly to the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], [[Winston Churchill]], with his design and arranged for Churchill to attend a demonstration of the Northover Projector. The Prime Minister approved of the weapon and gave it his personal endorsement, ordering in October 1940 that the weapon be mass-produced on a scale of one for every Home Guard platoon.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/>

==Design==
[[File:Northover projector practicefort nelson.jpg|thumb|left|Practice ammunition for the Northover Projector]]
[[File:Northover Projector Diagram 3.png|thumb|right|Northover Projector diagram.{{sfn|Military Training Manual No 42}}<br>
<br>
Key:<br>
<br>
1: Base<br>
2: Pivot<br>
3: Spades<br>
4: Leg sockets<br>
5: Breech ring<br>
6: Breech locking lever<br>
7: Breech block handle<br>
8: Firing hammer<br>
9: Barrel clip<br>
10: Barrel<br>
11: Trigger bar<br>
12: Operating handle<br>
13: Legs<br>
14: Primer]]

The Northover Projector—which was officially labelled the "Projector, 2.5 inch" by the [[War Office]]<ref>Lowry, p. 21</ref>—was formed of a hollow metal tube,<ref name="Mackenzie93">Mackenzie, p. 93</ref> resembling a drain pipe,<ref name="Longmate79">Longmate, p. 79</ref> mounted on top of a cast-iron tripod.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> It weighed approximately 27.2 kilograms.<ref name="Bishop212">Bishop, p. 212</ref> A simple breech was attached to one end of the tube, and rounds were fired from the Projector with a small quantity of black powder<ref name="Bishop212"/> ignited by a "top hat" copper cap as used in muzzle loading rifles <Curtis (HBSA)2014>;<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> any recoil from the weapon was absorbed by the legs of the tripod, which were also hollow.<ref name="Bishop212"/> It had a maximum range of approximately 300 yards<ref name="Bishop212"/> but was accurate only to between 100<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> and 150 yards<ref name="Mackenzie94" /> Home Guard units often added their own modifications to the weapon, which included mounting it on carriages or even the sidecars of motorcycles.<ref name="Bishop212"/> It was served by a crew of three.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> Ammunition for the weapon consisted of the [[No. 76 Special Incendiary Grenade]],<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> a glass bottle "containing a phosphorus mixture which burst into livid flames, giving off quantities of suffocating smoke upon exposure to the air",<ref name="Longmate79"/> as well as normal hand and rifle grenades.<ref name="Bishop212"/>

The Projector had a number of defects. It was difficult to move, the tripod had the tendency to damage itself if it was dropped, and its discharge pressure has been described as "feeble."<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> The phosphorus grenades exhibited a number of faults when used in the Projector; they could often explode inside the weapon if too much black powder were added, or fall short if too little were used, or even fail to explode.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> They could also break inside the barrel when fired<ref name="Bishop212"/> which often led to the weapon being damaged and its crew injured.<ref name="Longmate79"/> Even when fired properly, the Projector gave off a large cloud of smoke which could take up to a minute to clear and revealed the weapon's position.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> Bishop argues that its anti-tank abilities would have been 'doubtful' when it fired hand and rifle grenades, although he considers that the phosphorus grenades might have been more successful.<ref name="Bishop212"/> To make handling easier, a lighter version of the weapon, the '''Northover Projector Mk 2''' was developed in 1941, but few were produced.<ref name="Bishop212"/>

==Operational history==
[[File:The Home Guard 1939-1945 H12239.jpg|thumb|left|A Home Guard unit in Kent with their Northover Projector.]]The Northover Projector was issued to both Home Guard and regular British Army units,<ref name="Bishop212"/> and by August, 1941 over 8,000 Northover Projectors were in service.<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> This number had increased to 18,919 by the beginning of 1943.<ref>Mackenzie, p. 121</ref>

Initial reactions to the Northover Projector were varied, with a number of Home Guard volunteers uncertain about the weapon's unusual design, and some officers never accepted that it could be useful. However, most Home Guard units came to accept the weapon and have confidence in it, aided by large amounts of what Mackenzie terms "War Office propaganda"<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> which cited the positive qualities of the weapon, such as its simplicity of use, ease of manufacture and low maintenance requirements. It was, as one Home Guard volunteer put it, "something to be accepted gratefully until something better arrived."<ref name="Mackenzie94"/>

Like many of the obsolete weapons designed for the Home Guard, the Northover Projector was only taken out of service when it could be replaced with "marginally less ineffective"<ref name="Mackenzie94"/> weapons provided by the Army, such as the [[Ordnance QF 2 pounder|2-pounder anti-tank gun]].<ref>Mackenzie, p. 135</ref>
{{clear}}

==See also==
* {{lwc|Ampulomet}} — similar weapon of World War II
* {{lwc|Smith Gun}}
* {{lwc|Blacker Bombard}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
  | last = Bishop
  | first = Chris
  | title = The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1,500 Weapons Systems, Including Tanks, Small Arms, Warplanes, Artillery, Ships and Submarines
  | publisher = Sterling Publishing Company, Inc
  | year = 2002
  | isbn = 978-1-58663-762-0}}
* Hogg, Ian. ''Twentieth-Century Artillery''. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000. {{ISBN|0-7607-1994-2}} Pg.143
* {{cite book
  | last = Lampe
  | first = David
  | title = The Last Ditch: Britain's Secret Resistance and the Nazi Invasion Plan
  | publisher = Greenhill Books
  | year = 1968
  | isbn = 978-1-85367-730-4}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Kinard
  | first = Jeff
  | title = Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact
  | publisher = ABC-CLIO
  | year = 2007
  | isbn = 978-1-85109-556-8}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Longmate
  | first = Norman
  | title = The Real Dad's Army: The Story of the Home Guard
  | publisher = Hutchinson Library Services
  | year = 1974
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Lowry
  | first = Bernard |author2=Taylor, Chris |author3=Boulanger, Vincent
  | title = British Home Defences 1940-45
  | publisher = Osprey Publishing
  | year = 2004
  | isbn = 978-1-84176-767-3}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Mackenzie
  | first = S.P.
  | title = The Home Guard: A Military and Political History
  | publisher = Oxford University Press
  | year = 1995
  | isbn = 978-0-19-820577-7}}

===Official documents===
* {{Cite book
  | title      = The Northover Projector
  | series     = Tank Hunting and Destruction, Military Training Manual No 42, Amendment No. 1, Appendix F
  | publisher  = [[War Office]]
  |date=December 1940
  | ref        = {{harvid|Military Training Manual No 42}}
 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Northover Projector}}
* [http://www.pillboxesuk.co.uk UK Anti-Invasion Defences]
* {{cite video
  | year       = 1941
  | title      = New Anti-Tank Weapons - Northover antitank gun is tested at firing range
  | url        = http://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/1129.02/search-field/film_id
  | publisher  = British Pathe
}}

{{good article}}
{{WW2_Brit_Comm_Infantry Guns}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:World War II infantry weapons of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Anti-tank weapons]]
[[Category:Grenade launchers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940]]