M1918 (howitzer)

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M1918 (howitzer)


Howitzer with maximum barrel elevation

General Information
Military designation: M1918 240mm Howitzer
Manufacturer country: United States
Developer / Manufacturer: France
Development year: 1917-1920
Start of production: 1920
Number of pieces: 330
Weapon Category: howitzer
Team: 12
Technical specifications
Pipe length: 4.95 m
Caliber :

24 cm

Cadence : 0.2 rounds / min
Elevation range: + 10 ° to +60 degrees
Side straightening area: 10 ° left + right
Furnishing
Ammunition supply: separate charge

The M1918 240mm Howitzer was a replica of a French siege gun from the First World War . It was manufactured in the USA according to the specifications of the United States Army Ordnance Department .

history

When the United States entered World War I, artillery had no moving heavy artillery. In order to remedy this and to accelerate the procurement that had become necessary, the US Army decided to take over a model already used by the Allies and produce it in the USA. A special commission was set up to select the 28 cm Mortier de 280 modèle 14/16 from Schneider Creusot already used by the French army . The model dates back to 1911 and was developed by the Imperial Russian Army, which had issued a production license to France. Several special requests from the US military (caliber 24 cm instead of 28 cm) meant that the device had to be redesigned. Schneider Creusot then changed the design plans in accordance with the requirements and sent them, together with some technicians, to the USA in order to start production of the now known as the 240 mm Howitzer M1918 gun. However, the first copy could not be completed before the end of the war and was destroyed by a gunfire when the first test shot was fired . As a result, production was stopped for troubleshooting and necessary changes were made. This dragged on until the mid-1920s; then final production started. The model remained the heaviest mobile gun in the US Army until it was replaced by the 240 mm howitzer M1 in 1943 . Although the US Army engineers were constantly improving the gun, it never came to a satisfactory solution. Due to the extremely tight budget that had been approved by the congress for this property and which prevented a completely new development, work on this model was forced to continue after the end of the war.

Today it is unknown whether any of the guns were ever used in World War II . The only thing that is certain is that some specimens were used for coastal defense in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor . Twelve guns had been set up in positions that had already been prepared in 1920; another eight gun stands built between 1938 and 1945 were not armored.

description

It was a howitzer, as it was often used in a similar design at this time. Apart from the caliber and a few other changes, it corresponded to the French model. The transport took place in five loads on trailers, which were pulled by ten tons of crawler tractors (tracked ten ton tractors) . Depending on the nature of the ground, the number of tractors could be reduced.

pipe
Cane cradle
Mount
Bedding
There was also a trailer with the assembly frame and accessories

The maximum speed for road transport was approx. 8.5 km / h.

After choosing a firing position, the leveling of the gun placement began, which was carried out by hand. Then the bedding and the assembly scaffolding were set up and the assembly of the gun began. Assembly took four to six hours under optimal conditions.

literature

  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare , Vol 7, page 779, editor Bernard Fitzsimons, Purnell & Sons Ltd 1967/1969

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ordnance Department Document No. 2033 Handbook of Artillery , p. 307, May 1920, United States Government Printing Office , Washington
  2. ↑ At the time the relevant US activities began, there were no longer any Imperial Russian Arms, whereupon the copyrights were considered to be over
  3. ^ "Dynamite On Wheels," April 1942, Popular Science Popular Science, April 1942, p. 64
  4. ↑ US Army 1920 "Handbook of Artillery" page 311 shows erection frame

Web links

Commons : 240mm M1918 howitzer  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files