240 mm howitzer M1
240 mm Howitzer M1 | ||
---|---|---|
Breech Interrupted screw | | |
Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic | |
Carriage | Split trail with 2 transport wagons | |
Elevation | +15° to +65° | |
Traverse | 22.5° right and left. | |
Rate of fire | 1 round per minute (maximum) 30 rounds per hour (sustained) | |
Muzzle velocity | 2,300 ft/s (701 m/s) | |
Maximum firing range | 14.3 mi (23.1 km) |
The 240 mm howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon",
The project to replace the M1918 began in 1941.
The 240 mm howitzer M1 was designed together with the longer-ranged 8-inch gun M1, and they shared a related carriage.[3] While use of the 8-inch gun was limited due to excessive bore wear and poor accuracy, the howitzer saw considerable action during World War II in Europe due to its effectiveness against difficult targets such as heavy concrete fortifications. It was also used in the Pacific campaign, notably in the recapture of Manila in 1945, but few targets there were fortified heavily enough to justify its use.[5]
The US Army retained the 240 mm howitzer after World War II, and later deployed it in the Korean War. The howitzer remained in US service until ammunition stocks were exhausted in the late 1950s.[4]
The 240 mm howitzer M1 is still in service with Taiwan, stationed in hardened bunkers of the frontline Kinmen and Matsu Islands.
Development
During World War I, the United States Army received several British 9.2-inch (233.7 mm) howitzers, but was more impressed by the French Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider. 330 of the latter weapon, in a slightly modified form, were built under license by the mid-1920s as the M1918 240 mm howitzer. In 1925, it was concluded that the design was flawed, so it was decided to build a new weapon; design work, however, did not begin until 1934 and resulted in the modification of existing weapons as the M1918A1M1, but the project stalled because of limited funding. In April 1940, another design program was begun, and resulted in the 240 mm Howitzer T1. Production began in November 1942, and the piece was standardized in May 1943 as the 240 mm Howitzer M1 on Carriage M1.[6]
Service
Transport
A pair of three-axle, six-wheeled transport wagons were developed – one for the cannon tube, and one for the carriage. These transport wagons were also used with the 8-inch gun. These were standardized as the M2 and M3. The M2 wagon carried the carriage and the M3 wagon carried the barrel and recoil system. This separate configuration required the use of the 20-ton M2 truck-mounted crane for setup. The crane also included a clam-shell bucket that was transported on a trailer and used to dig the recoil pit for the gun. It took about two hours to emplace the gun.[7]
The transport wagons were initially intended to be towed by the
Combat use
The first operational use of the super-heavy 240 mm howitzer was by the 697th and 698th Field Artillery Battalions of the
By November 1944, however, all 8-inch guns and 240 mm howitzers had been withdrawn from Italy and sent to the Western Front. The 240 mm howitzer saw extensive service in Europe, reducing reinforced targets requiring super-heavy artillery.[11] Fifteen 240 mm howitzer battalions served in the European Theater; the 265th, 266th, 267th, 269th, 270th, 272nd, 277th, 278th, 538th, 539th, 551st, 552nd, 553rd, 697th, and 698th. Five served in the Pacific; the 543rd, 544th, 545th, 778th, and 779th.
During the
In the late 1950s, several M1s were transferred to the
Self-propelled mount
The 240 mm howitzer M1 was broken down into two loads for travel (the barrel and recoil mechanism and the carriage), each towed on a six-wheeled wagon by a Mack NO 7½-ton 6x6 truck or another heavy prime mover such as the M33 or M35. A truck-mounted crane was required to assemble and disassemble the weapon. Due to the problems with moving such a large, heavy weapon, a self-propelled version was made by mounting it on a stretched Heavy Tank T26E3 chassis that featured an extra bogie wheel per side, as the T92 Howitzer Motor Carriage,[15] While 115 were planned, only five were built and the war ended before they could be used and they were later scrapped.[16]
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Rear view of a 240mm howitzer at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum,Ft. Sill, Oklahoma
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Side view of a 240mm howitzer at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum,Ft. Sill, Oklahoma
Footnotes
- ^ a b "'Black Dragon' Italian Success" Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine, T-Patch 36th Infantry Division News, Army times., Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Vol 7, page 779, editor Bernard Fitzsimons, Purnell & Sons Ltd 1967/1969
- ^ a b Zaloga, Delf – US Field Artillery of World War II, p 34.
- ^ a b c "M1 240 mm Howitzer", Globalsecurity.org, Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ a b c d e Schreier – Standard guide to U.S. World War II Tanks & Artillery, p 105.
- OCLC 123895340.
- OCLC 123895340.
- OCLC 123895340.
- OCLC 123895340.
- ^ Stanton, Shelby (1984). Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II. Novato: Presidio Press.
- ^ a b c d Zaloga, Delf – US Field Artillery of World War II, p 33.
- ^ Sobiesky, Tony., "240 mm Howitzer: Kiss Of Death", the KOREAN WAR, Updated on 2014-11-22.
- ^ M1 240mm Howitzer "Taiwan M1 240mm Howitzer" Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
- ^ "Kinmen M1 240mm Howitzer firing exercise", Retrieved on 2010-03-06.
- ^ "United States' T92 Howitzer Motor Carriage" Archived 2017-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, wwiivehicles.com. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
- ^ Chamberlain & Ellis British and American Tanks of World War II 1969 p161
See also
- List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designationSNL D-31
References
- ISBN 0-01-906710-0.
- ISBN 1-85367-478-8.
- Schreier, Konrad F., Jr. (1994). Standard Guide to U.S. World War II Tanks & Artillery. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-297-4.
- Zaloga, Steven J., Brian Delf (2007). US Field Artillery of World War II. New Vanguard 131. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-061-1.
External links
- "M1 240 mm Howitzer", Globalsecurity.org, Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- British Artillery in World War II
- Biggest Guns On Wheels July 1945 Popular Science article