Moreover, as mobility was an indispensable condition, the gun had
to be so mounted that it could be fired from the motor-car even
if the latter were travelling at high speed. This requirement
entailed another difficulty. The gun had to be mounted in such a
manner as to enable the gunner to train it easily and readily
through the complete circle and through its complete range of
vertical inclination. As the result of prolonged experiments it
was ascertained that the most suitable arrangement was a pedestal
mounting, either within a turret or upon an open deck. To meet
the weight of the gun, as well as the strains and stresses
incidental to firing, the chassis was strengthened, especially
over the rear axle near which the mounting is placed.
The heaviest gun of this type is the 10.5 centimetre (4 1/4-inch)
quick-firer, throwing a shell weighing nearly forty pounds, with
an initial velocity of 2,333 feet per second. This "Archibald"
is totally unprotected. The gun is mounted centrally upon the
carriage over the rear axle, and occupies the centre of the deck
between the driver's seat and that of the gun crew behind.
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