6-inch howitzer M1908

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 within the US for training in that war. Although this weapon appears in World War I-era tables of organization and equipment, for combat use in France the Canon de 155 C mle 1917 Schneider was purchased, and variants of this remained the standard weapon of this class until early World War II.[1] All surviving weapons were retired during the 1920s.[2]

6 inch Howitzer, Model of 1908
M1908 at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
TypeHeavy howitzer
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1910-1920
Used byUnited States
WarsWorld War I
Production history
DesignerBethlehem Steel
Designed1906-1909
ManufacturerGun: Watervliet Arsenal
Carriage: Rock Island Arsenal, Bethlehem Steel
Produced1910-1916
No. built42
Specifications
Mass7,354 lb (3,336 kg)
Barrel length81.5 in (207 cm) bore (13.6 calibers)
Crew9
ShellSeparate loading cased charge
Shell weight120 lb (54 kg) common or shrapnel
Calibre6 in (152.4 mm)
BreechInterrupted screw
RecoilHydro-spring
Elevation-5° to 40°
Traverse6°
Muzzle velocity900 ft/s (270 m/s)
Maximum firing range6,700 yards (6,125 m) (40° max elevation)

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.[3][4] The 75 mm gun M1917 also had this, but was based on the British QF 18-pounder gun.

Ammunition was either common steel shell with a base fuze, or shrapnel with a combination time/percussion fuze.[5][2]

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
  • In Ft. Bliss, TX in 1910s
  • In travelling position

References
  1. Rinaldi, p. 204
  2. Williford, pp. 76-77
  3. Photos of 4.7-inch howitzer M1912 preserved in Algoma, Wisconsin
  4. Schreier Jr., Konrad F., "U.S. Army Field Artillery Weapons 1866-1917", Military Collector & Historian, 1968, pp. 40-45
  5. Handbook 1917, pp. 22-23
  • 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.
  • Rinaldi, Richard A. (2004). The U. S. Army in World War I: Orders of Battle. General Data LLC. ISBN 0-9720296-4-8.
  • Williford, Glen M. (2016). American Breechloading Mobile Artillery, 1875-1953. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-5049-8.
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