M114 155 mm howitzer

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M114 155 mm Howitzer

Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1942-?
Wars	World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War
Specifications
Weight	5,800 kg (travelling) 5,600 kg (combat)
Length	7.315 m (travelling)
Barrel length	bore: 3.564 m / 23 calibers overall: 3.79 m / 24.5 calibers
Width	2.438 m (travelling)
Height	1.803 m (travelling)
Crew	11

Caliber	155 mm
Breech	interrupted screw
Recoil	hydropneumatic system
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-2 to +63 degrees
Traverse	24 degrees (left) 25 degrees (right)
Rate of fire	burst: 4 rounds per minute sustained: 40 rounds per hour
Maximum range	14,600 m

The M114 155 mm howitzer was a towed howitzer used by the United States Army. It was first produced in 1942 as a medium artillery piece. It saw service with the US Army during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, before being replaced by the M198 howitzer. The gun was used by the armed forces of many nations, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, South Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Norway, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan,Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia. 116 surplus howitzers were sent to Bosnia in 1997. In some countries the M114 still remains in service.

1 Self-propelled mounts
2 Ammunition
3 Notes
4 References

The howitzer was experimentally mounted on a lengthened chassis of the M5 light tank. The resulting vehicle received the designation 155mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T64. A single prototype was built before the T64 project was abandoned in favor of T64E1, based on the M24 Chaffee light tank chassis. This was eventually adopted as 155mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M41 and saw action in the Korean War.^[1]

The gun fired bag loading ammunition, with seven different propelling charges, from 1 (the smallest) to 7 (the largest). Muzzle velocity, range and penetration in the tables below are for maximum charge in form of complete M4A1 propelling charge.

Projectiles^[2]^[3]
Type	Model	Weight of projectile, kg	Filler	Muzzle velocity, m/s	Range, m
HE	HE M102 Shell	43.13	TNT, 7.06 kg
HE	HE M107 Shell	43	TNT, 6.86 kg	564	14,955
Smoke	FS M105 Shell	45.14	Sulfur trioxide in Chlorosulfonic acid, 7.67 kg
Smoke	WP M105 Shell	44.55	White phosphorus (WP), 7.08 kg
Smoke	FS M110 Shell	45.45	Sulfur trioxide in Chlorosulfonic acid, 7.67 kg
Smoke	WP M110 Shell	44.63	White phosphorus (WP), 7.08 kg
Smoke, colored	BE M116 Shell	39.21	Smoke mixture, 7.8 kg
Smoke	HC BE M116 Shell	43.14	Zinc chloride (HC), 11.7 kg	564	14,955
Chemical	CNS M110 Shell	44.05	Chloroacetophenone (CN), 6.26 kg
Chemical	H M110 Shell	43.09	Mustard gas, 5.02 kg	564	14,972
Illumination	Illuminating M118 Shell	46.77	Illuminant candles, 4.02 kg
Drill	Dummy Mk I Projectile		-	-	-
Drill	Dummy M7 Projectile	43.09	-	-	-

Propelling charges^[2]
Model	Weight, complete, kg	Components
M3	2.69	Base charge and four incremental charges (for charges 1 to 5)
M4	6.29	Base charge and two incremental charges (for charges 5 to 7)
M4A1	6.31	Base charge and four incremental charges (for charges 3 to 7)
Mk I Dummy	3.63	Base charge and six incremental charges
M2 Dummy	3.34	Base charge and six incremental charges

Concrete penetration, mm^[3]
Ammunition \ Distance, m	0	914	2743	4572
HE M107 Shell (meet angle 0°)	884	792	610	488
Different methods of measurement were used in different countries / periods. Therefore, direct comparison is often impossible.

^ Hunnicutt - Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank, p 337-339, 502.
^ ^a ^b TM 9-1331B, 155mm Howitzer M1 and Mount M14, p 205-219.
^ ^a ^b Hunnicutt - Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank, p 502.

Hunnicutt, R. P. (1992). Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank.. Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-462-2.
Technical Manual TM 9-1331B, 155mm Howitzer M1 and Mount M14. War Department, 1953.
The M114 155 mm howitzer. FAS Military Analysis Network. Retrieved on July 29, 2006.