The reason for the shoulder mounted guns and aiming from moving vehicles is it works. Pre war testing had a 33% first round hit between 500 and 200 yards, and in NW Europe almost all engagements of WW2 were at 500m or less. Until the later 1930s, when the Army in the UK but not Hobo moves away from fire on the move there are no purpose designed AT guns. This is important the field artillery available has a traverse of about 4-6 degrees. So if you can move out of the very narrow frontal arc the enemy has to pick up the trail and move the gun. PAK 36 has 60 degrees, 2lb famously 360.
Again you tell half truths...
Cruisers only came into service in '38. All "pre-war" tests (eg the "33%") was done in slow Mediums with a top speed of 13mph. Not fast cruisers!
BTW, mediums were armed with 3pdr 47mm naval guns firing only AP, and didn't need a purpose built new AT. They already had one.
Like
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, quoting a finding of research without understanding the question, results in "42"!
Mixing in NW Europe, with tanks that didn't use shoulder guns, is rather pointless. NATO has tank ranges in the same environment as 1,800m.
How much of the <500m, is due to lower velocities, smaller calibers, of Allied tanks, make the whole discussion mute.
Throw in that much of Britain's war was in the desert, even more so.
The 2 pdr was "famously 360". The only AT that the British adopted, pre-war, without battle experience, and not tried again in 6 or 17 pdr.
Low profile, was extremely important to survival of the AT gun.
Besides the higher profile and heavy weight, 2pdr would have being dropped earlier except for Dunkirk.
Conversely, the 25pdr field gun-howitzer WAS designed to pick up the box trail, and allow 360 fire.