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8-inch gun M1
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8-inch gun M1
The 8-inch gun M1 was a 203 mm towed heavy gun developed in the United States. At 32,584 m (35,635 yd), it had the longest range of any US Army field artillery weapon in World War II. It was also used in small numbers by the British Army.
In 1919, the Westervelt Board, named for its president, Brigadier General William I. Westervelt, described the ideal heavy gun for future development having a bore of 194 mm to 8 inches, a projectile of about 200 lbs in weight, and a range of 35,000 yards. More striking was the requirement that it be road transportable. At this time no other country had such a road-transportable heavy field gun. Low-priority design work occurred until 1924.
Serious development restarted in June 1940, resulting in an 8-inch (203 mm) gun that would have a range of 33,500 yards (30,600 m), be transported in two loads weighing no more than 44,000 lb (20,000 kg) at a road speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h), and also be suitable for rail movement.
The gun used the same projectile as the 8-inch coastal gun and the US Navy's 8-inch cruiser gun. Using the same carriage as the 240 mm howitzer M1 eased development, but the gun was very troublesome and was not standardized for service until January 1942.
The main problems were determined to be excessive bore wear, leading to poor accuracy, but it was felt that nothing better could be produced in a timely manner. Further, while the design suffered from significant wear and stresses imposed by the high velocity of the shell, the design was more than capable of striking targets at ranges beyond any other comparable artillery piece, potentially turning the previous German advantage in long-range counter-battery fires into a vulnerability.
The 8-inch gun M1 therefore entered production at a low rate, and in small numbers. The gun tube was produced by Watervliet Arsenal, and the recoil system was produced by Hannifin Manufacturing. Watertown Arsenal, Bucyrus-Erie, and the S. Morgan Smith Company manufactured the carriage. Only 139 weapon systems were produced before production ceased in 1945.
In the quest for greater tactical mobility, the Ordnance Department experimented with a self-propelled version. Like the 240 mm howitzer, it was mounted on a stretched Heavy Tank T26E3 chassis that had an extra bogie wheel per side as the prototype 8-inch gun motor carriage T93, but the war ended before they could be used, and were later scrapped.
One of the requirements during development was that the gun be easy to emplace. Given the weight of the gun and carriage, this was a challenge. Eventually, a pair of three-axle, six-wheeled transport wagons were developed – one for the barrel and recoil mechanism, and one for the carriage. These transport wagons were also used with the 240 mm howitzer, easing logistic overhead; these were standardized as the M2 and M3 wagons.
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8-inch gun M1
The 8-inch gun M1 was a 203 mm towed heavy gun developed in the United States. At 32,584 m (35,635 yd), it had the longest range of any US Army field artillery weapon in World War II. It was also used in small numbers by the British Army.
In 1919, the Westervelt Board, named for its president, Brigadier General William I. Westervelt, described the ideal heavy gun for future development having a bore of 194 mm to 8 inches, a projectile of about 200 lbs in weight, and a range of 35,000 yards. More striking was the requirement that it be road transportable. At this time no other country had such a road-transportable heavy field gun. Low-priority design work occurred until 1924.
Serious development restarted in June 1940, resulting in an 8-inch (203 mm) gun that would have a range of 33,500 yards (30,600 m), be transported in two loads weighing no more than 44,000 lb (20,000 kg) at a road speed of up to 25 mph (40 km/h), and also be suitable for rail movement.
The gun used the same projectile as the 8-inch coastal gun and the US Navy's 8-inch cruiser gun. Using the same carriage as the 240 mm howitzer M1 eased development, but the gun was very troublesome and was not standardized for service until January 1942.
The main problems were determined to be excessive bore wear, leading to poor accuracy, but it was felt that nothing better could be produced in a timely manner. Further, while the design suffered from significant wear and stresses imposed by the high velocity of the shell, the design was more than capable of striking targets at ranges beyond any other comparable artillery piece, potentially turning the previous German advantage in long-range counter-battery fires into a vulnerability.
The 8-inch gun M1 therefore entered production at a low rate, and in small numbers. The gun tube was produced by Watervliet Arsenal, and the recoil system was produced by Hannifin Manufacturing. Watertown Arsenal, Bucyrus-Erie, and the S. Morgan Smith Company manufactured the carriage. Only 139 weapon systems were produced before production ceased in 1945.
In the quest for greater tactical mobility, the Ordnance Department experimented with a self-propelled version. Like the 240 mm howitzer, it was mounted on a stretched Heavy Tank T26E3 chassis that had an extra bogie wheel per side as the prototype 8-inch gun motor carriage T93, but the war ended before they could be used, and were later scrapped.
One of the requirements during development was that the gun be easy to emplace. Given the weight of the gun and carriage, this was a challenge. Eventually, a pair of three-axle, six-wheeled transport wagons were developed – one for the barrel and recoil mechanism, and one for the carriage. These transport wagons were also used with the 240 mm howitzer, easing logistic overhead; these were standardized as the M2 and M3 wagons.
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