M116 howitzer

75mm pack howitzer M1A1
Two M116 howitzers, Chengkungling History Museum, Taiwan (2011)
TypePack howitzer
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1927–present
Used bySee Users
WarsWorld War II
Second Sino-Japanese War
Korean War
Chinese Civil War
First Indochina War
Vietnam War
Laotian Civil War
Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Production history
Produced1927–1944
No. built8,400
Specifications (on Carriage (airborne) M8)
Mass653 kg (1,439 lbs)
Length3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Barrel lengthOverall 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in) L/18.4
Bore: 1.19 m (3 ft 11 in) L/15.9
Width1.22 m (4 ft)
Height94 cm (3 ft 1 in)
Crew6 or more

ShellFixed and Semi-fixed
75 x 272 mm R
Shell weight8.27 kg (18 lb 4 oz)[1]
Caliber75 mm (2.95 in)
BreechHorizontal-block
RecoilHydro-pneumatic, constant
CarriageBox trail[1] or Split-trail depending on model
Elevation-5° to +45°[1]
Traverse[1]
Rate of fire6 rpm[1]
Muzzle velocity381 m/s (1,250 ft/s)
Effective firing range8.8 km (5.5 mi)[1]

The 75mm pack howitzer M1 (redesignated the M116 in 1962) was a pack howitzer artillery piece used by the United States. Designed to be moved across difficult terrain, gun and carriage could be broken down into several pieces to be carried by pack animals.

The gun saw combat in World War II with the United States Army (primarily used by airborne units), with the United States Marine Corps, and was also supplied to foreign forces.

In addition to the pack / air portable configuration, the gun was mounted on a conventional carriage to serve as a field artillery piece. The M2 and M3 are derived vehicle-mounted howitzers used in the 75 mm HMC M8 and some LVT models. In addition, the M1 in its original version was mated to a number of other self-propelled carriages, though only one of those – 75 mm HMC T30 – reached mass production.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference Wiener 1987 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).