155 mm gun M1

Towed field cannon the 155 mm Howitzer M1, later redesignated to M114 the French-built 155 mm Creusot Long Tom, a Boer War artillery piece 155 mm Gun M1 For other uses, see M1 (disambiguation). October 2024 October 2024 M1 155 mm Long Tom 155 mm Long Tom 2.jpg 300 Long Tom in travelling position, US Army Ordnance Museum Towed field gun United States yes yes 1941–1990s World War II Korean War Cambodian Civil War Croatian War of Independence 1918–1938 1940–1945 1,882 Travel: 13,880 kg lb 0 on Travel: 11 m ftin onJane's pocket book of towed artillery Foss Christopher 1977 Collier 135 0020806000 New York 911907988 6.97 m ftin on L/45 Travel: 2.5 m ftin on Travel: 2.7 m ftin on 14 Separate loading charge and projectile 155 mm in 2 on 40 rounds/hour 853 m/s ft/s 0 on 23.7 km mi on Asbury mechanism Hydro-pneumatic M1 Carriage −2°/+65° 60° The 155 mm gun M1 was a 155 mm field gun developed and used by the United States military. Nicknamed "Long Tom" (an appellation with a long and storied history in U.S. field and naval artillery), it was produced in M1 and M2 variants, later known as the M59. Developed to replace the 155 mm Gun M1918 GPF, the gun was deployed as a heavy field weapon during World War II and the Korean War, and also classed as secondary armament for seacoast defense. It was also supplied to the United Kingdom and France via Lend-Lease. The gun could fire a 100 lb kg 0 on shell to a maximum range of 14 mi km 0 on, with an estimated accuracy life of 1,500 rounds. After World War II, the Long Tom was also adopted by a number of other nations, including Austria, Israel, and the Netherlands. Development thumb|left|A wooden mock-up of a modified GPF gun with equilibrators to increase maximal elevation and range, 1920 Before entering World War I, the United States was poorly equipped with heavy artillery. To address this problem a number of foreign heavy artillery guns were adopted, including the Canon de 155 mm GPF. After the end of the war the Westervelt Board, named for its president, Brigadier General William I. Westervelt, was convened to assess the artillery experience of the combatant powers and map out future directions for the US Army artillery. The conclusion of the board vis-a-vis heavy field artillery was that the French 155 mm GPF should be adopted as the standard heavy field piece but further development work should occur to achieve a heavy field gun with a max. range of 25,000 yd km, a vertical arc of fire from 0° to 65° (for comparison, GPF had only 35°), a projectile not exceeding 100 lb kg on and the capability to be installed on a mount with either caterpillar tracks or rubber tires.http://morrisswett.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15766coll2/id/529/rec/1 https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182004/http://morrisswett.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15766coll2/id/529/rec/1 2017-03-01 The Report of the Westervelt Board 1919 p 29-31 A number of prototypes were produced in the 1920s (M1920 and M1920M1 were even standardized) and 1930s (a new design was started from scratch after 1929), the projects were repeatedly put on hold due to lack of funds.Hogg Ian V. Ian V. Hogg Allied Artillery of World War Two Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2001 1-86126-165-9 76 en Developed in the summer of 1930, the radical split-trail carriage for both 155-mm gun and 8-inch howitzer designated T2 was the first in the US to feature an all-welded construction as well as a 8-wheel 2-axle roll-bearing bogie for high-speed mobility.https://tradocfcoeccafcoepfwprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/fires-bulletin-archive/1980/NOV_DEC_1980/NOV_DEC_1980_FULL_EDITION.pdf, p. 44 In 1938May 2023 the 155 mm gun T4 on carriage T2 was finally adopted as 155 mm gun M1 on carriage M1.TM 9-3305 p 2-8, Figure 2-12, M1 155-mm gun on M2 (Long Tom) carriage.May 2023 155 mm gun M1 The new gun design used a barrel similar to the earlier 155 mm GPF, but with an Asbury mechanism that incorporated a vertically-hinged breech plug support. This type of breech used an interrupted-thread breech plug with a lock that opened and closed the breech by moving a single lever.http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/ord/breech.htm Breachblock 2012-12-19 https://web.archive.org/web/20130208103234/http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/ord/breech.htm 2013-02-08 dead The ammunition for the 155 mm gun was "separate-loading", that is with the shell and the powder charge packaged, shipped and stored separately. The shell is lifted into position behind the breech and then rammed into the chamber to engage the shell's rotating band into the barrel rifling.http://www.everyspec.com/ARMY/TM-Tech-Manual/TM_9-3305_4MAY1981_13707 TM 9-3305 p 5-1, Figure 5-2, Hand loading and ramming for weapons firing separate-loading ammunition 2012-12-20 2013-04-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20130407174856/http://www.everyspec.com/ARMY/TM-Tech-Manual/TM_9-3305_4MAY1981_13707/ live Ramming the shell home is followed by loading a number of powder bags, as required for the desired range.TM 9-3305 p 4-1, Figure 4-2. Lands and grooves and Figure 4-3. Projectile with rotating band. The powder charge could be loaded in up to seven charge settings. Once the powder is loaded, the breech plug is closed and locked, and a primer is placed in the breech plug's firing mechanism. After setting the elevation and azimuth, the gun is ready to fire. The firing mechanism is a device for initiating the ammunition primer. The primer then sets off the igniter which ignites the propelling charge of the ammunition. A continuous-pull lanyard first cocks the firing pin, then fires the primer when pulled.TM 9-3305 p 4-15, Figure 4-27 M13 firing mechanism. The gun was developed into M1A1 and M2 variants. After World War II, the United States Army re-organized, and the gun was re-designated as the M59. Carriage M1 The gun carriage provides a stable, yet mobile, base for the gun. The new split-trail carriage featured an eight-wheel integral two-axle bogie and a two-wheel limber that supported the trails for transport. The carriage was a two-piece design. The upper carriage included the side frames with trunnion bearings that supported the recoil mechanism that carried the gun cradle, slide and gun tube. The upper carriage also incorporated the elevating and azimuth gearing. The upper carriage pivoted in azimuth on the lower carriage. The lower carriage included the transport suspension and the split-trail that stabilized and absorbed recoil when the gun was fired.TM 9-3305 p 7-2, Figure 7-1, Top and bottom carriages. After the gun was placed in a firing position with the gun pointing in the desired direction, the trails were lowered to the ground and the limber was removed. The carriage wheels would then be raised using built-in ratcheting screw-jacks, lowering the gun carriage to the ground. Once on the ground, the limber-end of the trail legs were separated to form a wide "vee" shape with its apex at the center of the carriage pivot point. A recoil spade at the limber-end of each trail leg required a correctly positioned hole to be dug for the spade, which was attached to the trail end, to transmit the recoil from gun carriage through the trails and into the earth. This made the gun very stable and assisted its accuracy. The removable spades were transported in brackets on the trail legs.https://books.google.com/books?id=-iYDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+science+cannon&pg=PA101 Popular Science Magazine November 1942 November 1942 2016-09-27 2020-03-15 https://web.archive.org/web/20200315205504/https://books.google.com/books?id=-iYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA101&dq=popular+science+cannon&hl=en&ei=0D21TN2cFsj9nAeZwNDVDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=true live The carriage M1 and M2 were shared with the 8 in mm 0 on Howitzer M1, differing only in the gun tube, sleigh, cradle, recoil and equilibrators, weight due to the heavier barrel.TM 9-3305 p 2-11, Figure 2-18. M1 8-inch howitzer on M1 (M1 5) carriage. +The carriage consists of a combination of the following major components:TM 9-3305 p 7-3, Figure 7-2, gun support assembly.Bottom carriageTop carriage Firing support base Elevating mechanism Trails Traversing mechanism Retractable suspension system Gun support components Axle EquilibratorTM 9-3305 p 7-7, Figure 7-6. Pneumatic equilibrator. Brakes Cradle (Connects gun assembly to the top carriage) Wheels Recoil mechanism Sleigh (Sliding support for the gun tube) Gun tube Specifications +Specifications from TM 9–350Weight of gun (complete with breech mechanism)9595 lb kg 0 onWeight of tube assembly (barrel)9190 lb kg 0 onLength of tube277.37 in m 2 onLength of borecal. 45 (274.6 in / 6.975m)Length of rifling230.57 in m onPowder pressure (normal pressure with maximum charge in a new gun)40000 psi 0 onType of breechblockInterrupted screwWeight of breech mechanism405 lb kg 0 onType of firing mechanismcontinuous pull percussion hammer Service right|thumb|Long Tom at crew training in England The Long Tom saw combat for the first time in the North African Campaign on 24 December 1942, with "A" Battery of the 36th Field Artillery Regiment. Eventually it equipped 33 U.S. Army corps-level artillery battalions in the European and Mediterranean Theaters (the 173rd, 190th, 200th, 208th, 240th, 261st, 273rd, 514th–516th, 528th, 530th, 540th, 541st, 546th–549th, 559th, 561st, 634th, 635th, 731st, 733rd, 734th, 766th, 976th–981st, 985th and 989th), and 8 in the Pacific Theater (the 168th, 223rd, 226th, 433rd, 517th, 531st, 532nd, and 983rd). The 353rd, 732nd, and 993rd Field Artillery Battalions were segregated 155 mm gun units that never went overseas. The 353rd was converted to the 1697th Engineer Combat Battalion (Colored) on 19 March 1944 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, the 732nd was converted to the 1695th Engineer Combat Battalion (Colored) on 15 March 1944 at Camp Pickett, Virginia, and the 993rd was converted to the 1696th Engineer Combat Battalion (Colored) on 19 March 1944 at Camp Swift, Texas.Stanton Shelby 1984 Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II Novato Presidio Press 394-424 The 155 mm gun was also used by several Marine defense battalions, notably during Operation Cartwheel in 1943. The preferred prime mover was initially the Mack NO 7½-ton 6x6 truck but from 1943 this was generally replaced by the tracked M4 high-speed tractor.Zaloga – US Field Artillery of World War II, pp. 20–22. 72 rounds of ammunition plus propelling charges could be carried in the M21 4-ton, 2-wheel ammunition trailer; 16 rounds of ammunition plus propelling charges could be carried in the M10 1-ton, 2-wheel ammunition trailer that was often used because of shortages of the former. The later heavy M23 8-ton, 4-wheel ammunition trailer introduced in 1945 could carry 96 rounds of ammunition plus propelling charges. A small number of Long Tom guns were authorised for supply via Lend-Lease channels, to the United Kingdom (184) and France (25).Zaloga, US Field Artillery of World War II, p. 37. The authorised establishment of British batteries (excluding training units), including four batteries from the Dominion of Newfoundland, totalled 88 guns. Variants right|thumb|M2 during the Battle of Okinawa right|thumb|M40 in the US Army Ordnance Museum Gun variants M1920 – prototype T4 – prototype M1 (1938) – first production variant, 20 built M1A1 (1941) – modified breech ring M1A1E1 – prototype with chromium-plated bore M1A1E3 – prototype with liquid cooling M2 Standard (1945) – with modified breech ring Carriage variants T2 – prototype M1 (1938) M1A1 – refurbished T2 carriages M2 standard Limber variants M1 standard (1938) M5 heavy (1945) The gun was also mounted on a modified M4 medium tank chassis, in mount M13. The resulting vehicle was initially designated 155 mm gun motor carriage T83 and eventually standardized as 155 mm gun motor carriage M40.Hunnicutt – Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank, p 353–355, 570. 155 mm gun motor carriage T79, based on T23 medium tank chassis, never advanced past proposal stage.Hunnicutt – Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series, p 158. A portable "Panama mount" M1 was also provided. Ammunition thumb|right|British gunners cleaning shells, Italy, February 1945 The gun used separate loading, bagged charge ammunition. The propelling charge consisted of base (9.23 kg) and increment (4.69 kg). The data in the table below is for supercharge (base and increment). + Projectiles.Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Ammunition, p 197–202.Technical Manual TM 9-1904, Ammunition Inspection Guide, p 490–518. Type Model Weight Filler Muzzle velocity Range APBC/HE AP M112 Shell 45.36 kg lb on Explosive D 2746 ft/s (837 m/s) 24,075 yds (22,014 m) HE HE M101 Shell 42.96 kg lb on TNT 2800 ft/s (853 m/s) 25,714 yds (23,513 m) Smoke WP M104 Shell 44.53 kg lb on White phosphorus (WP) 2800 ft/s (853 m/s) 25,940 yds (23,720 m) Smoke FS M104 Shell Sulfur trioxide in chlorosulfonic acid 2800 ft/s (853 m/s) 25,940 yds (23,720 m) Chemical H M104 Shell Mustard gas, 5.3 kg lb on 2800 ft/s (853 m/s) 25,940 yds (23,720 m) Dummy Dummy Mk I Projectile – – – Dummy Dummy M7 Projectile 43.09 kg lb on – – – Armor penetration, mmhttp://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/Manuals/FM%206-40.pdf Untitled Document 2017-06-13 2018-07-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20180727065342/http://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/Manuals/FM%206-40.pdf live TM9-1901 WAR DEPARTMENT TECHNICAL MANUAL ARTILLERY AMMUNITION http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1901.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20170917021950/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1901.pdf 2017-09-17 2017-06-13Distance Ammunition 457 m (500 yd) 914 m (1,000 yd) 1,371 m(1,500 yd) AP M112 Shell (homogeneous armor, meet angle 30°) 160 152 AP M112 Shell (face hardened armor, meet angle 30°) 135 130 AP M112 Shell (homogeneous armor, meet angle 0°) 193 191 183 Concrete penetration, mm Ammunition 914 m yd on 4572 m yd on HE M101 Shell (meet angle 0°) 2,011 1,402 Different methods of measurement were used in different countries / periods. Therefore, direct comparison is often impossible. Operators 15em Existing examples Pakistan Pakistan Army Museum, Rawalpindi Austria Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass, Wurzen Pass (near Villach)http://www.bunkermuseum.at/ Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass/Kärnten 2015-01-07 2014-12-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20141227063649/http://www.bunkermuseum.at/ live Australia Fort Lytton Military Museum, Brisbane.http://fortlytton.org.au/?page_id=1627 155mm Long Tom Gun Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct fortlytton.org.au 13 August 2016 20 August 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160820141102/http://fortlytton.org.au/?page_id=1627 live Canada St. John's Newfoundland, Royal Canadian Legion Pleasantville Branch 56.https://www.silverhawkauthor.com/post/artillery-in-canada-10-newfoundland-and-labrador-st-johns-and-hmcs-cabot Artillery in Canada (10) Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's, and HMCS Cabot Germany Grafenwoehr Training Area – this particular cannon is apparently a return from Italy, based on Italian language markings added, and old Pirelli tires. Israel Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel:File:PikiWiki Israel 32427 Israel Defense Forces.JPG Japan JGSDF Camp Kita-Chitose, Chitose, Hokkaido, Japanhttp://chiha97.blog45.fc2.com/blog-entry-1644.html?sp 北千歳駐屯地基地祭レポート 2023-10-19 Tori-meshi Blog JGSDF Ordnance School, Ami, Ibaraki, Japanhttp://goinkyox.com/Gunji/Nihon/Tuchiura3.HTM 土浦武器学校の３ 2023-10-19 Goinkyox Netherlands Wings of Liberation Museum Park in Best (near Eindhoven), Netherlands :File:Museum Bevrijdende Vleugels 3.JPG thumb|M1 155mm gun on display at Pivka Military History Park, Pivka, Slovenia Slovenia Pivka Military History Park, Pivka, Slovenia United Kingdom Pendennis Castle, Cornwall, UK Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson, Hampshire, UK Muckleburgh Military Collection, Norfolk, UK Eden Camp Museum, North Yorkshire, UK United States thumb|M1 on display at Georgia Veterans State Park International Artillery Museum, Saint Jo, Texas Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Alabama Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland VFW Zachary Taylor Post 3784, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele, Georgia Fort Sill Field Artillery Museum, Fort Sill, Oklahoma Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa VFW Post 2330, Searcy, AR Museum of American Armor, Old Bethpage, New York Scotland Meadows Park, New Castle, Pennsylvania General George Patton Museum and Center of Leadership, Fort Knox, Kentucky. VFW Post 61, Kansas City, MO Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Everett, WA Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY American Legion George Johns Post 447, Round Rock, Texas Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas Museum of the Kansas National Guard, Topeka, Kansas See also List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation SNL D-24 15 cm Kanone 18 German equivalent 152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) Soviet equivalent, built only in small numbers Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Italian equivalent, only few built References Notes Citations Bibliography Bishop Chris Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II 0-7607-1022-8 1998 Barnes & Noble Books Hunnicutt R. P. Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank Presidio Press 1994 0-89141-080-5 Hunnicutt R. P. Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series Feist Publications 1996 1-112-95450-3 Williford Glen M Thomas D. Batha American Breechloading Mobile Artillery 1875–1953 Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 2016 978-0-7643-5049-8 Zaloga Steven J. Steven Zaloga illustrated by Brian Delf US Field Artillery of World War II Osprey Publishing New Vanguard 131 2007 978-1-84603-061-1 Hunnicutt R. P. Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series Feist Publications 1996 1-112-95450-3 Technical Manual TM 9–350, 155-MM Gun M2; Carriage Ml AND M1A1; Gun Mount M13; Heavy Carriage Limber M2 AND M5; AND Firing PlatformM Ml War Department, 1944 Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Artillery Ammunition War Department, 1944 Technical Manual TM 9-1904, Ammunition Inspection Guide War Department, 1944 Technical Manual TM 9-3305, Principles of Artillery Weapons Department of the Army, May 1981 Field Manual FM 6–40, Field Artillery Gunnery War Department, June 1945 External links 155-mm. Novel Mechanical Features Give Big-Gun Power, Small Gun Speed, November 1942, Popular Science early article with many photos and detailed drawings showing how it is brought into firing position from travel mode. collapsed Category:World War II field artillery Category:World War II artillery of the United States Category:World War II artillery of the United Kingdom Category:Cold War artillery of the United States Category:155 mm artillery Category:Coastal artillery Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1940