The Australian Regular Army was formed in 1947, and was to include armoured formations. Experience in World War II had shown that armoured units needed armoured, self-propelled artillery. It was soon found impossible to purchase modern self-propelled artillery from abroad, so a domestic solution was sought. The Yeramba was based on the Canadian Sexton Mark I, which mounted a 25 pounder on a Canadian copy of the M3 Grant medium tank. The Yeramba had M4 Sherman type suspension units, rather than those of the M3. 104 rounds of ammunition were carried, 16 armour piercing, the rest split between high explosive and smoke.
One prototype was built in 1949 and used for trials, and conversion of a further 13 started in 1950. Like the Sexton, the Yeramba was a simple but effective solution, and made logistical support easier, since both the M3 and the 25 pounder were standard equipment in the Australian army. All 14 vehicles were issued to the 22nd Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, and remained in service until the regiment was disbanded in 1957. When the regiment was disbanded, the Yeramba was declared obsolete, and the vehicles disposed of.
Photo by Bukvoed, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA)
