M1 howitzer need help

[karlik]

Hi!
The Internet is available the book "Field Artillery Materiel (Weapons), 1934 Edition, U. S. Army Field Artillery School", but, unfortunately, in this book missing pages 207-208, which photo of 105 mm howitzer M-1.
Maybe someone from the owners of the book can scan the two pages?
Thank you in advance!

[ROLAND1369]

There are two pictures of the 105 mm M 1 howitizer on page 60 of the original volume of Ian Hogg's "Allied Artillery of WW II."

[karlik]

Thank you ROLAND1369!
Question here on this picture

aRD4quRQLa.jpg (35.26 KiB) Viewed 1931 times

in the book of Ian Hogg "Allied Artillery of WW II" p46 signed as "The 105 mm howitzer M1 at maximum elevation",
in the book of Ian Hogg "Britisgh & American Artillery of WW II" p.60 signed as "The original 1928 howitzer M1 on carriage M1"

NV 131.jpg (37.45 KiB) Viewed 1929 times

But in the book of Steven Zaloga "US field artillery of WW II" (Osprey New Vanguard 131), signed as "The 105mm howitzer begins to evolve into its eventual configuration, as seen here during the 1932 trials of the 105mm Howitzer M2 on Carriage M1. Fourteen of these were manufactured in the early 1930s, the only serial production of the type until the outbreak of World War II.".


Which of the two authors' rights?

[Carl Schwamberger]

Looks to me like both are correct. In the US Field Artillery Journal in the 1920s volumes there are some refrences to a US designed 105mm howitzer being developed & tested. I seem to remember the earliest circa 1924 when it was announced the German FH16 left overs would not be accquired by the US Army as its primary howitzer. The new design 105mm howitzer had been choosen instead. There were other later references in the same journal in the 1920s. ie: 105mm ammunition was included in the tests on the PeeDee River bridge, where cannon ammunition was fired at the modern concrete & steel structure.

I suspect the howtizers refered to in the 1920s were one or more prototypes or T series that were made as one off production. The pages of the FA Journal are salted with photos and articles of a number of these T weapons that were not in serial production. In the case of Zaloga the early 1930s date corresponds to the fielding of the earliest training at Ft Sill with this weapon. That is a actual cannon battery or battalion, vs a test crew of a T series weapon.

I'd have to check, but Zaloga may be mismatching the carriage M1 in the photo with the cannon model designation M2.

[Richard Anderson]

But in the book of Steven Zaloga "US field artillery of WW II" (Osprey New Vanguard 131), signed as "The 105mm howitzer begins to evolve into its eventual configuration, as seen here during the 1932 trials of the 105mm Howitzer M2 on Carriage M1. Fourteen of these were manufactured in the early 1930s, the only serial production of the type until the outbreak of World War II.".


Which of the two authors' rights?

Both. The 105mm Howitzer M1 and M2 were externally identical. "The Howitzer M1 had been modified in 1934 to permit loading the shrapnel round as a fixed round, and this was standardized as the 105mm Howitzer M2 by OCM 11395 of 5 April 1934. In January 1935 this modification was rescinded, since
shrapnel was no longer considered the primary projectile. In spite of this the M2 remained the standard model but in the course of adapting it to the new Carriage M2 changes had to be made to the breech ring, resulting in the standardization of the Howitzer M2A1 in March 1940." (Catalogue of Standard Ordnance Items, Volume II, 1 June 1944, p. 153.)

[karlik]

Thank you for the clarification!

[Delta Tank]

To all,

The one picture above shows the howitzer at max elevation and did anyone notice the recoil pit? You don't see many pictures of guns/howitzers with a recoil pit! When I was a "newbie" on a M-114A1 (155mm towed howitzer) back in 1974, I had to dig the recoil pit.

Mike

[LineDoggie]

Zaloga is a regular at NARA going through the archives so I trust him more than Hogg who I've seen make mistakes when it comes to Small Arms