M1908 6-inch howitzer
| M1908 6-inch howitzer | |
|---|---|
 M1908 at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum | |
| 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 | 40 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7,354 lb (3,336 kg) |
| Barrel length | 81.5 in (207 cm) bore (13.6 calibers) |
| Crew | 9 |
| Shell | Separate loading cased charge |
| Shell weight | 120 lb (54 kg) common or shrapnel |
| Calibre | 6 in (152.4 mm) |
| Breech | Interrupted screw |
| Recoil | Hydro-spring |
| Elevation | -5° to 40° |
| Traverse | 6° |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 ft/s (270 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 6,700 yards (6,125 m) (40° max elevation) |
The M1908 6-inch howitzer, officially the 6-inch Howitzer, Model of 1908, was the principal heavy howitzer piece of the U.S. Army prior to World War I.
History
[edit]Forty of these weapons had been produced before 1917, and all were employed within the United States for training purposes during the war. Although this weapon appears in World War I-era tables of organization and equipment, for combat use in France the Canon de 155 C mle 1917 Schneider was purchased, and variants of this remained the standard weapon of this class until early World War II.[1] All surviving weapons were retired during the 1920s.[2]
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.[3][4] The 75 mm gun M1917 also had this, but was based on the British QF 18-pounder gun.
Ammunition was either common steel shell with a base fuze, or shrapnel with a combination time/percussion fuze.[5][2]
See also
[edit]- 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze M 94 : approximate Austro-Hungarian equivalent
- BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer : approximate British equivalent
- Rimailho Model 1904TR : approximate French equivalent
- 152 mm howitzer M1910 : approximate French/Russian equivalent
- 15 cm sFH 02 : approximate German equivalent
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Rinaldi, page 204
- ^ a b Williford, pages 76-77
- ^ "M1912 4.7 inch howitzer in Algoma, WI". War Memorials of Wisconsin. 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ Schreier Jr., Konrad F., "U.S. Army Field Artillery Weapons 1866-1917", Military Collector & Historian, 1968, pages 40-45
- ^ Handbook 1917, pages 22-23
General sources
[edit]- Ordnance Corps, United States Army (1917). Handbook of the 6-inch Howitzer Materiel, Model of 1908 and 1908MI. Washington: Government Printing Office.
- Rinaldi, Richard A. (2004). The U. S. Army in World War I: Orders of Battle. General Data LLC. ISBN 0-9720296-4-8.
- Williford, Glen M. (2016). American Breechloading Mobile Artillery, 1875-1953. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-5049-8.
Further reading
[edit]- 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. LCCN 18009684. OL 25461111M – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
[edit]
Media related to M1908 6-inch howitzer at Wikimedia Commons- 6-inch Howitzer M1908 at Landships II
