6-inch howitzer M1908
6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908 | |
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Type | Heavy howitzer |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1910-1920 |
Used by | United States |
Wars | World War I |
Production history | |
Designer | Bethlehem Steel |
Designed | 1906-1909 |
Manufacturer |
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Produced | 1910-1916 |
Number built | 42 |
Specifications | |
Weight | 7,354 pounds (3,336 kg) |
Barrel length | 81.5 inches (207 cm) bore (13.6 calibers) |
Crew | 9 |
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Shell | 120 pounds (54 kg), common steel or shrapnel, separate loading, bag charge with brass obturation case |
Calibre | 6 in (152.4 mm) |
Breech | interrupted screw |
Recoil | hydrospring |
Elevation | -5° to 40° |
Traverse | 6° |
Muzzle velocity | 900 feet per second (270 m/s) |
Maximum firing range | 6,700 yards (6,125 m) (40° max elevation) |
The 6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908 was the standard American heavy howitzer before World War I. Forty-two of these weapons had been produced before 1917 and all were employed for training stateside in that war. For combat use in France the Canon de 155 C mle 1917 Schneider was purchased. All surviving weapons were retired during the 1920s.[1]
It is unusual among American-designed field artillery weapons in that it has the recoil cylinder situated above the barrel. The 4.7-inch howitzer M1908/M1912 shared this feature.[2][3] The 75 mm Gun M1917 also had this, but is based on the British Ordnance QF 18-pounder.
Ammunition was either common steel shell with a base fuze or shrapnel with a combination time/percussion fuze.[4][1]
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- 15 cm sFH 02 approximate German equivalent
Gallery
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In Ft. Bliss, TX in 1910s
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In travelling position
References
- Ordnance Corps, United States Army (1917). Handbook of the 6-inch Howitzer Materiel, Model of 1908 and 1908MI. Washington: Government Printing Office.
- 108th Field Artillery (1918). Field Artilleryman's Guide, 3 inch Gun, 4.7 and 6 inch Howitzer, Second Edition. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston's Son & Co.
- Williford, Glen M. (2016). American Breechloading Mobile Artillery, 1875-1953. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-5049-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 6-inch field howitzer M1908. |