M1918 240 mm Howitzer
Encyclopedia
The M1918 240mm Howitzer was a copy of a French World War I
siege howitzer
, manufactured in the U.S. to specifications of the U.S. Army.
, the U.S. Army had no modern heavy artillery that could be moved by roads. To speed the process of filling this shortcoming, the U.S. Army decided to adopt a foreign design from its Allies for manufacturing in the U.S., and set up a commission for this purpose. The decision was to adopt a 280 mm howitzer produced by the French armament firm Schneider
, which was in service with the French Army during the war as the Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider
. However, the U.S. Army wanted the original French cannon in a 240 mm caliber. The Schneider 280 mm cannon actually predated World War I and was originally designed and produced under a contract from the Imperial Russian Army. As requested by the U.S. government, Schneider scaled down their original 280 mm cannon and sent drawings and technicians to the U.S. to set up production as the 240 mm Howitzer M1918. The first cannon was not ready for proof testing until 1918 after the war had ended. When firing its first proof shot it exploded, and production was halted while the U.S. Army and Schneider investigated the reason behind the failure and redesigned the weapon. This took until the mid-1920s to complete. It was not until the mid-1920s that production restarted with 330 M1918s being produced. The M1918 became the heaviest mobile artillery piece in the U.S. Army until its replacement, the 240 mm howitzer M1
, was introduced in 1943. Although a lot of work was done by the U.S. Army engineers on the M1918 design, it never was considered a suitable cannon, but for lack of funding from Congress, they had to make do with the French cannon design. It is unknown whether any M1918s saw combat service during World War II, but it is unlikely due to its range and vulnerability to counter battery fire. Several examples of the howitzer were present on the Hawaiian Islands during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
siege howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
, manufactured in the U.S. to specifications of the U.S. Army.
History
When the United States entered World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the U.S. Army had no modern heavy artillery that could be moved by roads. To speed the process of filling this shortcoming, the U.S. Army decided to adopt a foreign design from its Allies for manufacturing in the U.S., and set up a commission for this purpose. The decision was to adopt a 280 mm howitzer produced by the French armament firm Schneider
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène and Adolphe Schneider.In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began manufacturing...
, which was in service with the French Army during the war as the Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider
Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider
The Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider was a French siege howitzer, manufactured in small numbers by the Schneider et Cie company, used during World War I. Used primarily by France, fewer than forty were sold to Russia and took part in the fighting on the Eastern Front, the Russian Civil War and...
. However, the U.S. Army wanted the original French cannon in a 240 mm caliber. The Schneider 280 mm cannon actually predated World War I and was originally designed and produced under a contract from the Imperial Russian Army. As requested by the U.S. government, Schneider scaled down their original 280 mm cannon and sent drawings and technicians to the U.S. to set up production as the 240 mm Howitzer M1918. The first cannon was not ready for proof testing until 1918 after the war had ended. When firing its first proof shot it exploded, and production was halted while the U.S. Army and Schneider investigated the reason behind the failure and redesigned the weapon. This took until the mid-1920s to complete. It was not until the mid-1920s that production restarted with 330 M1918s being produced. The M1918 became the heaviest mobile artillery piece in the U.S. Army until its replacement, the 240 mm howitzer M1
240 mm howitzer M1
The 240 mm howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon", was a towed howitzer used by the United States Army. The 240 mm M1 was designed to replace the World War I era 240 mm Howitzer M1918 which was based on a 1911 French design and was outdated by World War II.The project to replace...
, was introduced in 1943. Although a lot of work was done by the U.S. Army engineers on the M1918 design, it never was considered a suitable cannon, but for lack of funding from Congress, they had to make do with the French cannon design. It is unknown whether any M1918s saw combat service during World War II, but it is unlikely due to its range and vulnerability to counter battery fire. Several examples of the howitzer were present on the Hawaiian Islands during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Description
The M1918 was similar to most mobile siege cannons of World War I. With the exception of the caliber and a few minor details, it was an exact copy of the French 280 mm howitzer. It was moved in four large sections by heavy tracked ten ton tractors. There was also a fifth large load for the erection frame and other items needed to assemble the four main cannon components from their specialized transport wagons. The total weight of the five loads was 21.5 tons and was limited to a road speed of only 5 miles per hour. The first load was the 16-1/2 foot cannon barrel, the second load was the recoil mechanism, the third load was the carriage-aiming mount and the fourth the ground base. After a site was chosen, installation began with the hand digging of a large recoil pit, and then assembly of an iron beam erection structure over the emplacement pit. Under the best conditions, installation required four to six hours.External links
- "Handbook of Artillery" US Army Ordnance Document 2033, published 1920, pages 300 to 320, highly detailed document
- "Dynamite On Wheels" , April 1942, Popular Science one of the few World War II articles on the 240 mm M1918 with rare photos
- Biggest Guns On Wheels July 1945 Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
article which compared the 240 mm Howitzer M1918 to the cannon that replaced it, the 240 mm M1 Howitzer - TM 9-2005, December 1942 Pages 89–93 describe the 240mm Howitzer