M1908 6-inch howitzer

6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908
6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908
	M1908 at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
Type	Heavy howitzer
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1910-1920
Used by	United States
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Bethlehem Steel
Designed	1906-1909
Manufacturer	Gun: Watervliet Arsenal; Carriage:Rock Island Arsenal, Bethlehem Steel;
Produced	1910-1916
No. built	42
Specifications
Mass	7,354 pounds (3,336 kg)
Barrel length	81.5 inches (207 cm) bore (13.6 calibers)
Crew	9
Shell	120 pounds (54 kg), common steel or shrapnel, separate loading, bag charge with brass obturation case
Calibre	6 in (152.4 mm)
Breech	interrupted screw
Recoil	hydrospring
Elevation	-5° to 40°
Traverse	6°
Muzzle velocity	900 feet per second (270 m/s)
Maximum firing range	6,700 yards (6,125 m) (40° max elevation)

The 6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908 was the standard American heavy howitzer before World War I. Forty-two of these weapons had been produced before 1917 and all were employed for training stateside in that war. For combat use in France the Canon de 155 C mle 1917 Schneider was purchased. All surviving weapons were retired during the 1920s.^[1]

It is unusual among American-designed field artillery weapons in that it has the recoil cylinder situated above the barrel. The 4.7-inch howitzer M1908/M1912 shared this feature.^[2]^[3] The 75 mm Gun M1917 also had this, but is based on the British Ordnance QF 18-pounder.

Ammunition was either common steel shell with a base fuze or shrapnel with a combination time/percussion fuze.^[4]^[1]

Gallery

In Ft. Bliss, TX in 1910s
In travelling position

References

^ ^a ^b Williford, pp. 76-77
^ Photos of 4.7-inch howitzer M1912 preserved in Algoma, Wisconsin
^ Schreier Jr., Konrad F., "U.S. Army Field Artillery Weapons 1866-1917", Military Collector & Historian, 1968, pp. 40-45
^ Handbook 1917, pp. 22-23

Ordnance Corps, United States Army (1917). Handbook of the 6-inch Howitzer Materiel, Model of 1908 and 1908MI. Washington: Government Printing Office.
108th Field Artillery (1918). Field Artilleryman's Guide, 3 inch Gun, 4.7 and 6 inch Howitzer, Second Edition. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
Williford, Glen M. (2016). American Breechloading Mobile Artillery, 1875-1953. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-5049-8.

External links

6-inch Howitzer M1908 at Landships.info

[Willi1-1] Williford, pp. 76-77

[2] Photos of 4.7-inch howitzer M1912 preserved in Algoma, Wisconsin

[3] Schreier Jr., Konrad F., "U.S. Army Field Artillery Weapons 1866-1917", Military Collector & Historian, 1968, pp. 40-45

[4] Handbook 1917, pp. 22-23

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e United States artillery of World War I
Tank guns	Puteaux SA 18 QF 6-pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss
Small and pack guns	Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP 37 mm Infantry Gun Model 1917 QF 2.95-inch mountain gun
Field, medium and heavy guns	3-inch M1902 field gun 75 mm gun M1897 75 mm gun M1916 75 mm gun M1917 3.2-inch gun M1897 4.7-inch gun M1906 5-inch gun M1897 6-inch howitzer M1908 6-inch gun M1903 6-inch gun M1917 155 mm GPF M1918 155 mm howitzer M1917 BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII BL 9.2-inch howitzer 240 mm trench mortar
Anti-aircraft guns	75 mm gun M1897 75 mm gun M1916 3-inch gun M1917 3-inch gun M1918
Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 4.72-inch Armstrong gun 5-inch gun M1897 6-inch Armstrong gun 6-inch gun M1897 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 14-inch gun M1907 16-inch gun M1895 16-inch gun M1919 155 mm gun M1918MI
Railway artillery	7"/45 caliber gun 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 12-inch gun M1895MIA1 14"/50 caliber railway gun

M1908 6-inch howitzer

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

Gallery

References

External links