Help to Id. US artillery

[yantaylor]

Here is one for you guys, did the 75mm M1897A4 serve in WW2 as a field piece? or was it only used as a SPG on the M3 Half-Track.
It was relegated to the training role when the US Army moved over to the 105mm as their standard field piece.

Yan.

[ROLAND1369]

It was used in action against the Japanese in the ill fated Dutch East Indies campaign by and american field artillery Battalion. I believe it was the 131st which was a National guard unit called up for sevice in the Phgillipines but was reallocated after the war started. As with many of the guard reinforcements for the Phillipines they were captured by the Japanese. There is a photo of the captured weapons.

[yantaylor]

Well I didn't know that.
Thank you Rowland.

I have found that the 3in M3 AA Gun was standardised by the US Military in 1933 but I cannot locate in which month, some sources claim that it was towed by the D-9 Dozer-Tractor, but this doesn’t sound very mobile to me.

Have any of you guys ever come across the M105 smoke round? It was issued to the 155mm M1918A3 Howitzer, and I am looking for its muzzle velocity and maximum range.

Thanks
Yan.

[ROLAND1369]

Here are two more shots of the M2 modernized 155 MM m 1917a1. Source is TM 4-210 Seacoast Artillery Weapons, 15 Oct 1944.

[ROLAND1369]

Re post on 155 mm M105 round. As with all things artillery the answer is not simple. First of all there are three versions of the M105 Loaded with WP, FS smoke, or HS Persistant gas. It is officially called a chemical not a smoke round. The Muzzle velocity varies with the charge used. When used with the M2A1 charge the velocity is 1476 FPS with a range of 12,783 yds WP, 12,791 yds FS smoke, and 12,773 yds HG gas. When used with the M1A1 charge the muzzle velocity was 1022 FPS and range was 9,321 WP, 9,227 FS smoke, and 9,462 yds HS gas. Reason for difference was three different weights of projectiles , depending on fillers. 105.77 lbs for WP, 107.51 for FS smoke, and 101.87 lbs for HS Gas. Source, Catalogue Of Standard Ordinance Items 1944.

[yantaylor]

That clears things up perfectly Rowland, thank you.

Yan.

[ROLAND1369]

Always glad to provide any limited help that I can.

[yantaylor]

That data I found that said the D-9 Dozer towed the 3in M3 AA Gun, is rubbish. The D-9 Dozer was not even in service when the M3 was issued, would it be more likely to be a Dodge 2 ½ Ton Truck? I have come across a number of photo’s showing this truck towing US Bofors 40mm Guns.

Yan.

[binder001]

"Dodge" 2 1/2 ton truck towing 40mm guns or the GMC 2 1/2 ton truck? I have a number of photos of the GMC CCKW-353 towing the 40mm guns. Dodge didn't make a 2.5 tonner.

Whether or not it was a D9 or not a lot of pre-WW2 artillery was towed by a Caterpilar tractor if it was too large for the trucks of the day. That is why the WW2 tractors were referred to as "High Speed Tractors" to differentiate them from the older "crawler" tractors. The USMC used bulldozer tractors to move their large guns on many of the Pacific Island campaigns.

[Sturm78]

ROLAND1369 wrote
Here are two more shots of the M2 modernized 155 MM m 1917a1. Source is TM 4-210 Seacoast Artillery Weapons, 15 Oct 1944

Thank you for these images, ROLAND1369. But I think we still can not differentiate between 155mm M2 and M3. :roll:

Here, an image (from the net) of a tracked 155mm GPF gun of 1922. I guess only a prototype, no??

Sturm78

[ROLAND1369]

I would agree thta there is no reliable way to tell the m2 and m3 apart. Per my reading the differences are internal to the breech and are units of measurement metric vr . Once again the Ordinance describs the differences as cosmetic.

[Sturm78]

No idea about my last image ?

Well, here another image from Ebay. First, I think a 1.1in (28mm) quad naval AA gun mount but now I am not sure... Any idea?

Sturm78

[ROLAND1369]

You are correct it is a 1.1 inch mark 2.

[binder001]

You are welcome Sturm, here is some data from the “Kodiak Military History Museum”

The GPF guns were superseded, but not entirely replaced, by 155 mm M1 and M2 guns, the "Long Toms." While production of the improved guns during the war was sufficient to replace all the GPFs, the new guns could not use the older ammunition, and shortages of projectiles for the Long Toms kept the GPFs in service until the end of the war.[/i]

Yan.

That makes it sound like the guns were at the front, which they were not. After the Phillipines I haven't run across any photos or firm references that the "old 155s" were used by front line troops. The exception is, of course, the tubes mounted on the M12 155mm gun motor carriage which were used very often in Europe.

[Sturm78]

ROLAND1369 wrote
You are correct it is a 1.1 inch mark 2

Thank you for your help, ROLAND1369

Regards Sturm78