M115 howitzer

For other uses, see M115 (disambiguation).

Howitzer

M115 203 mm howitzer

M115 203 mm howitzer on display at Bastrop, Texas, United States.

Type| Howitzer
Place of origin| United States
Service history
Wars| World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Iran–Iraq War
Croatian war of independence
Production history
Designed| 1939
Produced| 1942–1945
No. built| 1,006 [1]
Specifications
Mass| 14,515 kg (31,780 lbs)
Length| Travel: 10.972 m (36 ft 0 in)
Barrel length| 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)[2] L/25
Width| Travel: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)[2]
Height| Travel: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)[2]
Crew| 14

* * *

Shell| Separate loading charge and projectile 90.7 kg (200 lb)[2]
Caliber| 203.2 mm (8 in)
Breech| Interrupted screw
Recoil| Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage| Split trail
Elevation| −2° to +65°
Traverse| +60°
Rate of fire| 3 rounds per 2 minutes (maximum for first 3 minutes),
1 round per 2 minutes (sustained) [3]
Muzzle velocity| 587 m/s (1,926 ft/s)
Effective firing range| 16,800 m (18,373 yds)
22,860 m (25,000 yds) maximum

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.

## 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 NO 7½ 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]

* Iran: 20 as of 2016[update][8]
* Iraq[citation needed]
* Jordan: 4 in store as of 2016[update][9]
* Netherlands[10]
* Pakistan: 28 as of 2016[update][11]
* Saudi Arabia: 8 in store as of 2016[update][12]
* South Korea: The Armed Forces acquired right after the Korean War in 1953. Began replacing in the late 2000s with the K9 Thunder.[13]
* Sudan: in Turkey, 60 systems
* Taiwan: 70 as of 2016[update][14]
* Turkey: 162 as of 2016[update][15]

### Former operators

[edit]

* Belgium: former operator, 14 systems in 1983[16]
* Croatia: former operator, 24 systems[citation needed]
* Denmark: former operator[10] 1953–1996, 12 systems[citation needed]
* Greece: former operator[10]
* Italy:[10]
* Japan: former operator[17]
* Spain: former operator[10]
* West Germany: former operator[citation needed]
* United States: former operator[10]

## 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)

Existing examples

### Netherlands

[edit]

* Wings of Liberation Museum Park in Best (near Eindhoven), Netherlands

## See also

[edit]

* 8-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-29

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Official Munitions Production of the United States, by Months, 1 July 1940 – 31 August 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. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
4. ^ US Army manual TM 9-2005, December 1942 Archived 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. Archived 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\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 January 2022.
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

* v
* t
* e

United States artillery of World War II

Tank guns|

* 37 mm gun M5/M6
* 75 mm gun M2/M3/M6
* 76 mm gun M1
* 3-inch gun M7

* 90 mm gun M3
* 90 mm gun T15
* 105 mm howitzer M4

* 105 mm gun T5
* 120 mm gun T53
* 155 mm gun T7

Anti-tank guns|

* 37 mm M3
* 57 mm M1
* 75 mm Field Gun M1897 (Carriage M2)

* 3-inch Gun M5 (Carriage M1)
* 3-inch Gun M5 (Carriage M6)

* 90 mm T8
* 105mm T8

Field, medium and
heavy artillery|

* 75 mm Field Gun M1897 (Carriage M2)
* 75 mm Pack Howitzer M1
* 105 mm Howitzer M2
* 105 mm Howitzer M3

* 4.5-inch Gun M1
* 155 mm Howitzer M1918
* 155 mm Howitzer M1

* 155 mm Gun M1918MI
* 155 mm Gun M1/M2 "Long Tom"
* 8 inch Howitzer M1/M2

* 8-inch Gun M1
* 240 mm Howitzer M1

Mortars|

* 60 mm mortar M2
* 81 mm mortar M1
* 4.2 inch mortar M2
* Little David

Vehicle guns|

* 37 mm gun M6
* 75 mm Howitzer M2/M3

* 75 mm Gun M1897A4
* 105 mm Howitzer M2

* 155 mm Gun M1917MI
* 155 mm Gun M2
* 8-inch Howitzer M1/M2

Anti-aircraft guns|

* 37 mm AA Gun M1
* 40 mm AA Gun M1

* 3-inch AA Gun M1917
* 3-inch AA Gun M1918
* 3-inch AA Gun M3

* 90 mm AA Gun M1
* M1A1
* M2
* 120 mm AA Gun M1

Coast artillery guns|

* 3-inch gun M1903
* 90 mm Gun M1 (Mount M3)

* 6-inch gun M1903
* 155 mm gun M1918MI
* 7"/45 caliber gun

* 8-inch Mk. VI
* 8-inch gun M1888

* 10-inch gun M1895
* 12-inch coast defense mortar
* 12-inch gun M1895
* 14-inch gun M1907

* 16-inch gun M1895
* 16-inch gun M1919
* 16-inch Marks 2 and 3
* 16-inch howitzer M1920

Railway artillery|

* 8-inch Gun M1888MIA1 (Barbette Carriage M1918 on Railway Car M1918MI)
* 8-inch Navy gun Mk.VI M3A2 (Railway Mount M1A1)

* 12-inch mortar M1890 (Railway Carriage M1918)

* 14-inch Railway Gun M1920MII (Railway Carriage M1920)

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