240 mm howitzer M1

240 mm Howitzer M1
Front view of a 240 mm howitzer firing into German held territory. Mignano area, Italy. January 30, 1944
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1943–present
Used by	USA UK Taiwan
Wars	World War II Korean War.
Production history
Designed	1940–1943
Produced	1944–1945
Number built	315 manufactured by 1945.
Specifications
Weight	64,700 lb (29,300 kg) (in action)
Barrel length	27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) L/35
Width	9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
Crew	14

Shell	360 lb (160 kg) separate loading, bag charge
Caliber	240 mm (9.4 in)
Breech	Interrupted screw
Recoil	Hydropneumatic
Carriage	Split trail with 2 transport wagons
Elevation	+15° to +65°
Traverse	22.5° right and left.
Rate of fire	30 rounds/hour
Muzzle velocity	2,300 ft/s (701 m/s)
Maximum firing range	14.3 mi (23.1 km)

The 240 mm Howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon",^[1] 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mm M1 was designed to replace the World War I era 240 mm Howitzer M1918 which was based on a 1911 French design and was outdated by World War II.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 the M1918 began in 1941.^[2] The 240 mm howitzer was the most powerful weapon deployed by US field artillery units during World War II, able to fire a 360 lb (160 kg) high explosive projectile 25,225 yards (23 km).^[3] It was the largest field piece used by the US Army during the war except for naval ordnance adapted into railway guns.^[4] The weapon addressed the requirement for super heavy field artillery capable of attacking heavily reinforced targets like those likely to be found along the Siegfried Line.

The 240 mm howitzer M1 was designed together with the longer ranged 8-inch Gun M1, and they both shared a related carriage.^[3] While use of the 8-inch gun was limited due to excessive bore wear and poor accuracy, the howitzer saw considerable action during World War II in Europe due to its effectiveness against difficult targets such as heavy concrete fortifications. It was also used in the Pacific campaign, notably in the Battle of Manila, but few targets there were heavily-fortified enough to justify its use.^[5]

The US army retained the 240 mm howitzer after World War II, and later deployed it in the Korean War. The howitzer remained in US service until ammunition stocks were exhausted in the late 1950s.^[4]

The 240 mm howitzer M1 is still in service with the Taiwan's Republic of China Army, stationed in hardened bunkers of the frontline Kinmen and Matsu Islands.

Service

The first operational use of the super heavy 240 mm Howitzer was by the U.S. 5th Army at the Anzio Beachhead in Italy in January 1944.^[5] Along with the 8-inch (203 mm) gun (which was deployed at Anzio from April 1944) – super heavy artillery was used as counter-battery fire against German guns in their class.^[5] Their fire was accurate enough not only to knock enemy artillery out of action, but also to destroy targets as small as German heavy tanks.^[5] US super heavy artillery also played a role in countering the infamous Anzio Annie railway gun and putting it out of action.^[5]

In Italy, the 240 mm Howitzer was highly valued for its capability to destroy key bridges at long range.^[6] Army Ordnance officers credited the "devastating fire power and incredible accuracy" of the 240mm howitzer in playing a decisive role in the Italian Campaign.^[1] During the Battle of Monte Cassino, the weapon was used in the final destruction of the monastery at Monte Cassino already damaged by air attacks.^[6] In the Italian theater, a small number of the 240 mm howitzers also saw action in the service of the British Eighth Army.^[4]

Despite their initial misgivings over the deployment of such a heavy and unwieldy weapon, 5th Army commanders dubbed the 240 mm Howitzer as, "the most generally satisfactory weapon" in service in 1944.^[6] The 240 mm howitzer would go on to see extensive service in the Western Front reducing reinforced targets requiring super heavy artillery.^[6]

During the Korean war, twelve 240 mm howitzers were brought out of 'mothballs' and sent to the front lines to deal with deep bunkers and fortifications built by the Chinese that could not be effectively attacked by the smaller artillery weapons then on hand. They were utilized in two units in Korea, the 213th and 159th Field Artilleries. The weapons went into action on May 1, 1953. On that day, the first round was fired by Baker battery 213th at a target on top of a hill called ‘the donut’ by aerial observers. The first round was just supposed to be a ceremonial shot, however it struck an ammo dump directly on top of ‘the donut’ which set off a chain reaction and blew part of the top of the hill off in a spectacular fashion.^[7]

In the late 50s, several M1s were transferred to the Republic of China and stationed in the front line Kinmen and Matsu Islands. The guns were put on rails to enable the howitzers to deploy outside for fire missions and to retreat inside their hardened bunkers/tunnels for protection (capable of withstanding direct hits from aerial bombs) when needed.^[8]^[9]

Self-propelled mount

Due to the problems with moving such a large heavy weapon, a self-propelled version was made by mounting it on a stretched Heavy Tank T26E3 chassis that had an extra bogie wheel per side as the T92 Howitzer Motor Carriage,^[10] but the war ended before it could be used and was later scrapped.^[11]

Rear view of a 240mm howitzer at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
Side view of a 240mm howitzer at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK

Footnotes

1 2 "'Black Dragon' Italian Success", T-Patch 36th Infantry Division News, Army times., Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
↑ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Vol 7, page 779, editor Bernard Fitzsimons, Purnell & Sons Ltd 1967/1969
1 2 Zaloga, Delf – US Field Artillery of World War II, p 34.
1 2 3 "M1 240 mm Howitzer", Globalsecurity.org, Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
1 2 3 4 5 Schreier – Standard guide to U.S. World War II Tanks & Artillery, p 105.
1 2 3 4 Zaloga, Delf – US Field Artillery of World War II, p 33.
↑ Sobiesky, Tony., "240 mm Howitzer: Kiss Of Death", the KOREAN WAR, Updated on 2014-11-22.
↑ M1 240mm Howitzer "Taiwan M1 240mm Howitzer", Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
↑ "Kinmen M1 240mm Howitzer firing exercise", Retrieved on 2010-03-06.
↑ "United States' T92 Howitzer Motor Carriage", wwiivehicles.com. While 115 were planned, only five were built. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
↑ Chamberlain & Ellis British and American Tanks of World War II 1969 p161

References

Hogg, Ian V. (1998). Allied Artillery of World War Two. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-478-8.
Hogg, Ian V. The Guns, 1939–45 (1970). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-01-906710-0
Zaloga, Steven J., Brian Delf – US Field Artillery of World War II (2007) Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 131), ISBN 978-1-84603-061-1.
Schreier Jr., Konrad F. – Standard guide to U.S. World War II Tanks & Artillery (1994) Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87341-297-4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 240 mm howitzer M1.

"M1 240 mm Howitzer", Globalsecurity.org, Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
British Artillery in World War II
Biggest Guns On Wheels July 1945 Popular Science article – very detailed

United States artillery of World War II

Tank guns	37 mm gun M5/M6 75 mm gun M2/M3/M6 76 mm gun M1 3 inch gun M7 90 mm gun M3 105 mm howitzer M4

Anti-tank guns	37 mm M3 57 mm M1 75 mm M1897 3 inch M5 90 mm T8 105mm T8

Field, medium and heavy guns	75 mm M1897 75 mm howitzer M1 105 mm howitzer M2 105 mm howitzer M3 4.5 inch gun M1 155 mm howitzer M1918 155 mm howitzer M1 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M1/M2 "Long Tom" 8 inch howitzer M1/M2 8-inch gun M1 240 mm howitzer M1

Mortars	60 mm mortar M2 81 mm mortar M1 4.2 inch mortar M2 Little David

Other vehicle-mounted	75 mm howitzer M2/M3 75 mm gun M1897 105 mm howitzer M2 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M2

Anti-aircraft guns	37 mm M1 40 mm M1 3-inch gun M1917 3 inch M3 90 mm M1 120 mm M1

Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 90 mm M1 6-inch gun M1903 155 mm gun M1918MI 8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 12-inch gun M1895 14-inch gun M1907 16-inch gun M1895 16-inch gun M1919 16-inch Marks 2 and 3 16-inch howitzer M1920

Railway artillery	8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch M1888 14-inch M1920

British Commonwealth artillery of World War II

Tank guns	QF 2 pounder QF 3 pounder QF 6 pounder QF 75 mm QF 3 inch Howitzer QF 17 pounder 77 mm HV QF 95 mm Howitzer

Anti-tank guns	QF 2 pounder QF 6 pounder QF 17 pounder

Field guns and howitzers	75 mm Gun M1917 QF 18 pounder 25 pounder Gun-Howitzer 25 pounder Short QF 4.5-inch howitzer

Medium and heavy guns and howitzers	BL 4.5-inch Medium Field Gun BL 60-pounder gun BL 5.5-inch Medium Gun BL 6 inch Howitzer BL 6-inch Gun Mk XIX 155 mm Long Tom BL 7.2-inch howitzer BL 8 inch Howitzer BL 9.2-inch howitzer 240 mm howitzer M1

Mountain guns	75mm Pack Howitzer M1 3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer

Mortars	SBML 2inch Mortar ML 3-inch Mortar ML 4.2 inch Mortar

Anti-aircraft weapons	Z Battery 20 mm Oerlikon 20 mm Polsten QF 1½-pounder Mk III QF 2-pounder naval gun Bofors 40 mm QF 3 inch QF 3.7 inch QF 4.5 inch Mk II QF 5.25 inch Mk II

Coast defence	QF 6 pounder 10 cwt QF 12 pounder QF 4.7-inch Mk I–IV BL 6 inch Mk VII & Mk XXIV BL 7.5 inch Mk VI BL 8 inch Mk VIII BL 9.2 inch Mk X BL 14 inch Mk VII BL 15 inch Mk I

Railway artillery	BL 9.2 inch Mk XIII railway gun BL 12 inch Mk V railway howitzer BL 13.5 inch Mk V railway gun BL 18 inch railway howitzer

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