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25 Pounder Gun.
In British divisions, the 25-pdr was deployed in batteries of eight guns, which were composed
of sections of two guns each. For transport, the gun was attached to its limber and towed by a Morris Commercial C8 FAT (Quad).
Ammunition was carried in the limbers (32 rounds each) as well as in the Quad. In addition, each section possessed a third
Quad which towed two ammunition limbers. Upon arriving at its destination, the 25-pdr's firing platform would be lowered and
the gun towed onto it. This provided a steady base for the gun and allowed the crew to rapidly traverse it 360°.
5.5 Inch Field Gun (Howitzer).
5.5 Inch Field Gun (Howitzer)
The 5.5 was one of the best guns ever used by Commonwealth forces. It began to reach troops
in 1941 and by the end of the Second World War it had served in every major battle area. It required a crew of nine and could
shoot an 82-lb High Explosive shell 18,200 yards.
M110 8' Self-Propelled
Howitzer.
The self-propelled M-110 8-inch
[203 mm] howitzer first entered service with the US Army in 1963. The vehicle itself transports only two projectiles and five
men, while the remainder of the ammunition and the crew is on board a tracked M548. The M-110 Howitzer fired a 200-pound projectile
out to almost 17 kilometers (16,800-meters).
Designed to be part of a common family of weapons utilising the same chassis components, the M107 and
M110 were essentially the same vehicle mounting different barrels. The hull of the M110 is identical to that of the M107 and
is made of all-welded armour and high-tensile alloy steel with the driver at the front of the hull on the left, the engine
to his right and the main armament at the rear.
The M107 self-propelled 175-mm. gun and the M110 8-inch howitzer had identical carriages but different
tubes. The 175-mm. gun fired a 174-pound projectile almost 33 kilometers. This impressive range made it a valuable weapon
for providing an umbrella of protection over large areas. The 8-inch howitzer fired a 200-pound projectile almost 17 kilometers,
plus being the most accurate weapon in the field artillery. The 8-inch howitzer was found with most division artilleries,
and both the 8-inch howitzer and 175-mm. gun were with field force artillery. At field force the proportion of 8-inch and
175-mm. weapons varied. Since the weapons had identical carriages, the common practice was to install those tubes that best
met the current tactical needs. One day a battery might be 175�mm.; a few days later it might be half 175-mm. and half
8-inch.
Versions of the M110 with the longer barrel are the M110A1 (no muzzle brake) and the M110A2 (fitted with
muzzle brake). In 1977, the first M110A1s entered service; these were armed with the longer 8" howitzer M201. The M201 allowed
greater range over the shorter M2A2 howitzer.
| M110 self propelled howitzer |
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The M110 can stop and fire the first round from travelling within one minute.
This artillery system carries no defensive armament, except individual weapons carried by the crew.
This self-propelled howitzer has a crew of 13, however only 5 men are carried by the M110. Support crew of 8 men are carried
by an escorting armored personnel carrier, which also transports ammunition for this SPH.
The M110 can stop and fire the first round from travelling within one minute.
This artillery system carries no defensive armament, except individual weapons carried by the crew.
This self-propelled howitzer has a crew of 13, however only 5 men are carried by the M110. Support
crew of 8 men are carried by an escorting armored personnel carrier, which also transports ammunition for this SPH.
The 30 inch (762 mm) Honest John
The 30 inch (762 mm) Honest John was a tactical ballistic artillery rocket with a 35
km range that could be equipped with a conventional high explosive, chemical
or nuclear warhead.
The Honest John was a long-range artillery rocket capable of carrying an atomic or high explosive warhead. It was a free-flight
rocket as opposed to a guided missile. The rocket was 27 feet long, 30 inches in diameter, weighed 5,800 pounds, used a solid
propellant and had a range of 12 miles. It was first fired at White Sands in 1951. In the Spring of 1954 the Honest John was
deployed as an interim system.
This was the first US tactical nuclear weapon. The Basic (M31) HONEST JOHN system was first deployed in 1954. It was replaced
by the Improved (M50) HONEST JOHN in 1961 which reduced the system's weight, shortened its length, and increased its range.
Between 1960 and 1965, a total of 7,089 improved HONEST JOHN rockets, less warheads, were produced and delivered. In July
1982, all HONEST JOHN rocket motors, launchers, and related ground equipment items were type classified obsolete.
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Hq Bty