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M115 howitzer

January 01, 1970

For other uses, see M115 (disambiguation).

The M115 203 mm howitzer, also known as the M115 8-inch Howitzer, and originally the M1 8-inch Howitzer was a towed heavy howitzer developed by the United States Army and used during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Post-WWII it was also adopted by a number of other nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

M115 203 mm howitzer
M115 203 mm howitzer on display at Bastrop, Texas, United States.
TypeHowitzer
Place of originUnited States
Service history
WarsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Iran–Iraq War
Production history
Designed1939
Produced1942–1945
No. built1,006 [1]
Specifications
Mass14,515 kg (31,780 lbs)
LengthTravel: 10.972 m (36 ft 0 in)
Barrel length5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)[2] L/25
WidthTravel: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[2]
HeightTravel: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)[2]
Crew14
ShellSeparate loading charge and projectile 90.7 kg (200 lb)[2]
Caliber203 mm (8 in)
BreechInterrupted screw
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
CarriageSplit trail
Elevation−2° to +65°
Traverse+60°
Rate of fire3 rounds per 2 minutes (maximum for first 3 minutes),
1 round per 2 minutes (sustained) [3]
Muzzle velocity587 m/s (1,926 ft/s)
Effective firing range16,800 m (18,373 yds)
22,860 m (25,000 yds) maximum

History edit

During World War I, licensed production of the British 8-inch howitzer Mark VI was undertaken by the Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company, located in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both American and British-manufactured weapons were used by the American Expeditionary Force in France.[4] In 1940, the United States still had 475 Mark VII and Mark VIII 1/2 howitzers in storage, but there are no reports of the Mark VI or other marks being used during World War II.[5]

The original design of the M1 8-inch howitzer started in 1919, and resulted in the M1920 howitzer, but the program lapsed until resurrected in 1927. The T2 and T3 howitzers were prototypes of a partner piece for a new 155 mm gun.[6] The first publicity photographs of the M1-type 8-inch howitzer on its redesigned carriage appeared in 1931, but development was slowed by the Great Depression.[7] The T3 was standardized as the 8 inch Howitzer M1 in 1940.

Like the British 8-inch howitzer of the First World War (and most other large artillery), the M1 uses a Welin screw for its breech. The carriage was the same as used for the US 155 mm gun and was also adopted by the British for their BL 7.2-inch howitzer. It consists of a split trail with equilibrator assemblies, elevating and traversing mechanisms, a two-axle bogie with eight tires, and a single-axle, single-wheel limber for towing. Four spades, carried on the trails, were used to emplace the weapon.

The M1 saw U.S. service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. During World War II, the M1 was towed by the Mack 7⅓ ton 6×6 truck or the M4 tractor. 59 battalions were raised during the war, of which 39 saw combat service in Northwest Europe or Italy and three in the Pacific.

In the late 1950s, it was adopted in small numbers by several NATO armies, to fire the W33 (M422/M422A1 shell) and later the W79 nuclear artillery shell, under the NATO nuclear sharing concept, a role which ended when the smallest types of tactical nuclear weapons were removed from service and eliminated. It was also adopted as a field weapon by a number of nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and saw service in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and the Croatian War of Independence. In 1962, the M1 was redesignated the M115 Howitzer.

Operators edit

Former operators edit

Self-propelling mounts edit

 
8 inch HMC M43 in Korea
  • The howitzer was mounted on a modified M4 medium tank chassis, in mount M17. The resulting vehicle was initially designated 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T89 and eventually standardized as the 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage M43. A total of 48 units were built.[18]
  • 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T80 – based on T23 Medium Tank chassis, never advanced past proposal stage.[19]
  • 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T84 – based on T26 Medium Tank chassis, a single pilot was built in 1945.[20]
  • The howitzer was mounted on a purpose-built tracked chassis to become the 8 inch Self-Propelled Howitzer M110. Notably, accuracy and rate of fire suffered from having to depress the cannon tube to loading elevation for each round in order to use the track-mounted auto loader, but the later M110A1 & M110A2 version had improved accuracy and ranges.

Ammunition edit

The howitzer fired separate loading, bagged charge ammunition, with seven different propelling charges, from 1 (the smallest) to 7 (the largest).

Projectiles[21][22]
Type Model Weight Filler Muzzle velocity Range
HE HE M106 Shell (charge M2) 90.7 kg (200 lb) 594 m/s (1,950 ft/s) 16,926 m (11 mi)
HE HE Mk 1A1 Shell (charge M1) 90.7 kg (200 lb) 408 m/s (1,340 ft/s) 10,214 m (6.3 mi)
Dummy Dummy Mk 1 Projectile — — —
Nuclear M442 (W33) nuclear shell 243 lb (110 kg) — 547.1 m/s (1,795 ft/s)[23] 18,000 m (11 mi)
Nuclear XM753 (W79) nuclear shell 200 lb (91 kg) — 601 m/s (1,970 ft/s)[24] 24,000 m (15 mi), 30,000 m (19 mi) with rocket assist.[25]
Propelling charges[26]
Model Weight, complete Components
M1 ("green bag") 6.3 kg (13 lb 14 oz) Five incremental charges (for charges 1 to 5)
M2 ("white bag") 13.56 kg (29 lb 14 oz) Base charge and two incremental charges (for charges 5 to 7)
M4 (dummy) 13.04 kg (28 lb 12 oz) Base charge and two incremental charges
Concrete penetration[27]
Ammunition / Distance 2,743 m (3,000 yd) 4,572 m (5,000 yd) 9,144 m (10,000 yd) 13,716 m (20,000 yd)
HE M106 Shell (meet angle 0°) 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 in) 1,219 mm (4 ft) 975 mm (3 ft 2 in) 945 mm (3 ft 1 in)

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Official Munitions Production of the United States, by Months, July 1, 1940 – August 31, 1945 (War Production Board and Civilian Production Administration, 1 May 1947) p. 137
  2. ^ a b c d Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 141. ISBN 0-02-080600-0. OCLC 911907988.
  3. ^ "M110 8 inch (203 mm) Self-Propelled Howitzer". YouTube. from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  4. ^ US Army manual TM 9-2005, December 1942 2010-07-14 at the Wayback Machine Page 79
  5. ^ Zaloga, Steven (2011). U.S. Field Artillery of World War II. New Vanguard 131. Osprey Publishing. pp. 22–23.
  6. ^ Zaloga, Steven (2011). U.S. Field Artillery of World War II. New Vanguard 131. Osprey Publishing. p. 23.
  7. ^ "First Mile A Minute Army", October 1931, Popular Science photo bottom of page 53
  8. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 328.
  9. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 336.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Wiener, Friedrich (1987). The armies of the NATO nations: Organization, concept of war, weapons and equipment. Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3. Vienna: Herold Publishers. pp. 499–500.
  11. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 280.
  12. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 351.
  13. ^ Bak, Dongchan (March 2021). Korean War: Weapons of the United Nations (PDF) (in Korean). Republic of Korea: Ministry of Defense Institute for Military History. pp. 108–110. ISBN 979-11-5598-079-8.
  14. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 291.
  15. ^ The Military Balance 2016, p. 148.
  16. ^ Xavier Palson, La guerre de demain : Est/Ouest, Les forces en présence, Taillandier, april 1984, 258 p. ISBN 2235016006, p. 116.
  17. ^ Kenji Jyoshima; Yusuke Tsuge (October 2007). 陸自車両50年史 (50 Years of JGSDF's Vehicles) (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Argonauts Publications. p. 123.
  18. ^ Hunnicutt - Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank, pp. 353–355, 571.
  19. ^ Hunnicutt - Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series, p. 158.
  20. ^ Hunnicutt - Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series, p. 159.
  21. ^ Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Artillery Ammunition, pp. 203–205.
  22. ^ "W33". Global Security. from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  23. ^ Henry E Hudgins (January 1977). Aerodynamics, Dimensions, Inertial Properties and Performance of Artillery Projectiles (PDF) (Report). Picatinny Arsenal. p. 145. (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  24. ^ Aerodynamics, Dimensions, Inertial Properties and Performance of Artillery Projectiles, p. 156.
  25. ^ Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook (PDF) (Report). Sandia National Labs. September 1990. p. 75. SAND90-1238. (PDF) from the original on 2022-01-12.
  26. ^ Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Artillery Ammunition, p 301, 311.
  27. ^ Hunnicutt - Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank, p 571.

References edit

  • Hunnicutt, R. P. (1994). Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-080-5.
  • Hunnicutt, R. P. (1996). Pershing: A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series. Feist Publications. ISBN 1-112-95450-3.
  • International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2016). The Military Balance 2016. Vol. 116. Routlegde. ISBN 978-1-85743-835-2.
  • Technical Manual TM 9-1901: Artillery Ammunition. War Department. 1944.
  • "M115 8 in (203 mm) howitzer". FAS Military Analysis Network. Retrieved 31 May 2005.
  • Missing Lynx
  • TM 9-2300 Standard Artillery and fire Control Material (dated Feb. 1944)
  • TM 9-335
  • TM 9-1350

External links edit

  •   Media related to M115 203 mm howitzer at Wikimedia Commons

January 01, 1970
m115, howitzer, other, uses, m115, disambiguation, m115, howitzer, also, known, m115, inch, howitzer, originally, inch, howitzer, towed, heavy, howitzer, developed, united, states, army, used, during, world, korean, vietnam, post, wwii, also, adopted, number, . For other uses see M115 disambiguation The M115 203 mm howitzer also known as the M115 8 inch Howitzer and originally the M1 8 inch Howitzer was a towed heavy howitzer developed by the United States Army and used during World War II the Korean War and the Vietnam War Post WWII it was also adopted by a number of other nations in Europe the Middle East and Asia M115 203 mm howitzerM115 203 mm howitzer on display at Bastrop Texas United States TypeHowitzerPlace of originUnited StatesService historyWarsWorld War IIKorean WarVietnam WarIran Iraq WarProduction historyDesigned1939Produced1942 1945No built1 006 1 SpecificationsMass14 515 kg 31 780 lbs LengthTravel 10 972 m 36 ft 0 in Barrel length5 1 m 16 ft 9 in 2 L 25WidthTravel 2 5 m 8 ft 2 in 2 HeightTravel 2 7 m 8 ft 10 in 2 Crew14ShellSeparate loading charge and projectile 90 7 kg 200 lb 2 Caliber203 mm 8 in BreechInterrupted screwRecoilHydro pneumaticCarriageSplit trailElevation 2 to 65 Traverse 60 Rate of fire3 rounds per 2 minutes maximum for first 3 minutes 1 round per 2 minutes sustained 3 Muzzle velocity587 m s 1 926 ft s Effective firing range16 800 m 18 373 yds 22 860 m 25 000 yds maximum Contents 1 History 2 Operators 2 1 Former operators 3 Self propelling mounts 4 Ammunition 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistory editDuring World War I licensed production of the British 8 inch howitzer Mark VI was undertaken by the Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company located in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia Pennsylvania Both American and British manufactured weapons were used by the American Expeditionary Force in France 4 In 1940 the United States still had 475 Mark VII and Mark VIII 1 2 howitzers in storage but there are no reports of the Mark VI or other marks being used during World War II 5 The original design of the M1 8 inch howitzer started in 1919 and resulted in the M1920 howitzer but the program lapsed until resurrected in 1927 The T2 and T3 howitzers were prototypes of a partner piece for a new 155 mm gun 6 The first publicity photographs of the M1 type 8 inch howitzer on its redesigned carriage appeared in 1931 but development was slowed by the Great Depression 7 The T3 was standardized as the 8 inch Howitzer M1 in 1940 Like the British 8 inch howitzer of the First World War and most other large artillery the M1 uses a Welin screw for its breech The carriage was the same as used for the US 155 mm gun and was also adopted by the British for their BL 7 2 inch howitzer It consists of a split trail with equilibrator assemblies elevating and traversing mechanisms a two axle bogie with eight tires and a single axle single wheel limber for towing Four spades carried on the trails were used to emplace the weapon The M1 saw U S service in World War II the Korean War and the Vietnam War During World War II the M1 was towed by the Mack 7 ton 6 6 truck or the M4 tractor 59 battalions were raised during the war of which 39 saw combat service in Northwest Europe or Italy and three in the Pacific In the late 1950s it was adopted in small numbers by several NATO armies to fire the W33 M422 M422A1 shell and later the W79 nuclear artillery shell under the NATO nuclear sharing concept a role which ended when the smallest types of tactical nuclear weapons were removed from service and eliminated It was also adopted as a field weapon by a number of nations in Europe the Middle East and Asia and saw service in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and the Croatian War of Independence In 1962 the M1 was redesignated the M115 Howitzer Operators edit nbsp Iran 20 as of 2016 update 8 nbsp Iraq citation needed nbsp Jordan 4 in store as of 2016 update 9 nbsp Netherlands 10 nbsp Pakistan 28 as of 2016 update 11 nbsp Saudi Arabia 8 in store as of 2016 update 12 nbsp South Korea The Armed Forces acquired right after the Korean War in 1953 Began replacing in the late 2000s with the K9 Thunder 13 nbsp Sudan in Turkey 60 systems nbsp Taiwan 70 as of 2016 update 14 nbsp Turkey 162 as of 2016 update 15 Former operators edit nbsp Belgium former operator 14 systems in 1983 16 nbsp Croatia former operator 24 systems citation needed nbsp Denmark former operator 10 1953 1996 12 systems citation needed nbsp Greece former operator 10 nbsp Italy 10 nbsp Japan former operator 17 nbsp Spain former operator 10 nbsp West Germany former operator citation needed nbsp United States former operator 10 Self propelling mounts edit nbsp 8 inch HMC M43 in Korea The howitzer was mounted on a modified M4 medium tank chassis in mount M17 The resulting vehicle was initially designated 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T89 and eventually standardized as the 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage M43 A total of 48 units were built 18 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T80 based on T23 Medium Tank chassis never advanced past proposal stage 19 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T84 based on T26 Medium Tank chassis a single pilot was built in 1945 20 The howitzer was mounted on a purpose built tracked chassis to become the 8 inch Self Propelled Howitzer M110 Notably accuracy and rate of fire suffered from having to depress the cannon tube to loading elevation for each round in order to use the track mounted auto loader but the later M110A1 amp M110A2 version had improved accuracy and ranges Ammunition editThe howitzer fired separate loading bagged charge ammunition with seven different propelling charges from 1 the smallest to 7 the largest Projectiles 21 22 Type Model Weight Filler Muzzle velocity Range HE HE M106 Shell charge M2 90 7 kg 200 lb 594 m s 1 950 ft s 16 926 m 11 mi HE HE Mk 1A1 Shell charge M1 90 7 kg 200 lb 408 m s 1 340 ft s 10 214 m 6 3 mi Dummy Dummy Mk 1 Projectile Nuclear M442 W33 nuclear shell 243 lb 110 kg 547 1 m s 1 795 ft s 23 18 000 m 11 mi Nuclear XM753 W79 nuclear shell 200 lb 91 kg 601 m s 1 970 ft s 24 24 000 m 15 mi 30 000 m 19 mi with rocket assist 25 Propelling charges 26 Model Weight complete Components M1 green bag 6 3 kg 13 lb 14 oz Five incremental charges for charges 1 to 5 M2 white bag 13 56 kg 29 lb 14 oz Base charge and two incremental charges for charges 5 to 7 M4 dummy 13 04 kg 28 lb 12 oz Base charge and two incremental charges Concrete penetration 27 Ammunition Distance 2 743 m 3 000 yd 4 572 m 5 000 yd 9 144 m 10 000 yd 13 716 m 20 000 yd HE M106 Shell meet angle 0 1 432 mm 4 ft 8 in 1 219 mm 4 ft 975 mm 3 ft 2 in 945 mm 3 ft 1 in See also edit8 inch gun M1 203 mm howitzer M1931 B 4 approximate Soviet equivalent BL 7 2 inch howitzer British equivalent List of U S Army weapons by supply catalog designation SNL D 29Notes edit Official Munitions Production of the United States by Months July 1 1940 August 31 1945 War Production Board and Civilian Production Administration 1 May 1947 p 137 a b c d Foss Christopher 1977 Jane s pocket book of towed artillery New York Collier p 141 ISBN 0 02 080600 0 OCLC 911907988 M110 8 inch 203 mm Self Propelled Howitzer YouTube Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 14 January 2022 US Army manual TM 9 2005 December 1942 Archived 2010 07 14 at the Wayback Machine Page 79 Zaloga Steven 2011 U S Field Artillery of World War II New Vanguard 131 Osprey Publishing pp 22 23 Zaloga Steven 2011 U S Field Artillery of World War II New Vanguard 131 Osprey Publishing p 23 First Mile A Minute Army October 1931 Popular Science photo bottom of page 53 The Military Balance 2016 p 328 The Military Balance 2016 p 336 a b c d e f Wiener Friedrich 1987 The armies of the NATO nations Organization concept of war weapons and equipment Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3 Vienna Herold Publishers pp 499 500 The Military Balance 2016 p 280 The Military Balance 2016 p 351 Bak Dongchan March 2021 Korean War Weapons of the United Nations PDF in Korean Republic of Korea Ministry of Defense Institute for Military History pp 108 110 ISBN 979 11 5598 079 8 The Military Balance 2016 p 291 The Military Balance 2016 p 148 Xavier Palson La guerre de demain Est Ouest Les forces en presence Taillandier april 1984 258 p ISBN 2235016006 p 116 Kenji Jyoshima Yusuke Tsuge October 2007 陸自車両50年史 50 Years of JGSDF s Vehicles in Japanese Tokyo Japan Argonauts Publications p 123 Hunnicutt Sherman A History of the American Medium Tank pp 353 355 571 Hunnicutt Pershing A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series p 158 Hunnicutt Pershing A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series p 159 Technical Manual TM 9 1901 Artillery Ammunition pp 203 205 W33 Global Security Archived from the original on 25 July 2018 Retrieved 25 July 2018 Henry E Hudgins January 1977 Aerodynamics Dimensions Inertial Properties and Performance of Artillery Projectiles PDF Report Picatinny Arsenal p 145 Archived PDF from the original on 2021 12 19 Retrieved 2021 12 24 Aerodynamics Dimensions Inertial Properties and Performance of Artillery Projectiles p 156 Sandia Weapon Review Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook PDF Report Sandia National Labs September 1990 p 75 SAND90 1238 Archived PDF from the original on 2022 01 12 Technical Manual TM 9 1901 Artillery Ammunition p 301 311 Hunnicutt Sherman A History of the American Medium Tank p 571 References editHunnicutt R P 1994 Sherman A History of the American Medium Tank Presidio Press ISBN 0 89141 080 5 Hunnicutt R P 1996 Pershing A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series Feist Publications ISBN 1 112 95450 3 International Institute for Strategic Studies February 2016 The Military Balance 2016 Vol 116 Routlegde ISBN 978 1 85743 835 2 Technical Manual TM 9 1901 Artillery Ammunition War Department 1944 M115 8 in 203 mm howitzer FAS Military Analysis Network Retrieved 31 May 2005 Missing Lynx TM 9 2300 Standard Artillery and fire Control Material dated Feb 1944 TM 9 335 TM 9 1350External links edit nbsp Media related to M115 203 mm howitzer at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title M115 howitzer amp oldid 1206194385, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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