M101 howitzer

The M101A1 (previously designated Howitzer M2A2 on Carriage M2A2) howitzer is an artillery piece developed and used by the United States. It was the standard U.S. light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters and during the Korean War. Entering production in 1941, it quickly gained a reputation for accuracy and a powerful punch. The M101A1 fires 105 mm high explosive (HE) semi-fixed ammunition and has a range of or 7 miles, making it suitable for supporting infantry.

History

Development and designation

After World War I, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department studied various captured German 105 mm-caliber howitzers and developed the 105 mm Howitzer M1920 by using the Carriage M1920. A box trail carriage design (the M1925E carriage) and two other split trail designs (the T1 and T2) were also developed, but the original split trail design was found superior after testing. After being selected, the piece was standardized in December 1927, as the 105 mm howitzer M1 on carriage M1. The Army had an intention to replace all 75 mm gun-howitzers in its divisional and non-divisional field artillery regiments with 105 mm pieces, but a lack of appropriations stalled the idea and eventually forced it to be completely abandoned by 1929; a limited plan developed in 1925 envisioned re-equipping three regiments, but by 1933, only 14 M1 howitzers had been manufactured.

A modified version of the M1 was trialed in 1932 which used semi-fixed ammunition instead of separate-loading ammunition. Since this development required a different breech block, the new piece was designated the 105 mm howitzer M2 on carriage M1. 48 pieces were manufactured in 1939. The original M1 carriage had been designed for towing using horses rather than trucks, and a new carriage, the T5 (M2), was developed in 1939 and standardized in February 1940. The breech ring of the howitzer M2 was modified in March 1940 before large-scale production began, creating the 105 mm howitzer M2A1 on carriage M2.

In 1939, the new howitzer cost $25,000, which was three times more than a 75 mm field gun M1897 on M2 carriage, and its adoption required procurement of a colossal amount of new ammunition (War Department estimate of $26 million).

The gun was designed to be very durable and was therefore heavy for its caliber, but studies after 1943 found that after prolonged firing, the muzzle end of the barrel was prone to cracking. To relieve stress in the barrel, new production M2A1 tubes were counterbored two inches from the muzzle starting in the late 1940s. By the end of World War II, 8,536 105 mm towed howitzers had been built and post-war production continued at Rock Island Arsenal until 1953, by which time 10,202 had been built.

In 1953, the new howitzer M2A2 was standardized to further increase the life of the howitzer at the cost of some muzzle velocity. The M2A2's barrel had a higher strength breech ring, deeper rifling grooves, and shallower rifling taper than the M2A1's barrel, resulting in a 50 percent more effective full charge barrel life than the M2A1.

A further developed howitzer M2A2E2, featuring a muzzle brake and maximal range increased along with the propelling charge, on carriage M2A2E2, featuring an increased maximal angle of fire, were designed and tested in 1958, but with the coming XM102 howitzer both were canceled in 1961.

In November 1960, U.S. military artillery designation system began to change, where howitzer M2A1 or M2A2 on carriage M2A1 were renamed the M101 and howitzer M2A1 or M2A2 on carriage M2A2 were renamed the M101A1. This howitzer continued to see service through the Vietnam War. Though the successor M102 howitzer was adopted in 1964, both M101 and M102 shared similar roles in battle and the M101A1 was never fully replaced in front-line service until the adoption of the M119 howitzer. Today, the M101A1 has been retired by the U.S. military, though it continues to see service with many other countries.

Australia

The M2A2 howitzer was retired from regular service with the Australian Army in 1988, when it was replaced by the 105 mm L118 and L119, which in turn were replaced by the M777A2 in 2014. The M2A2 remained in service with the Australian Army Reserve until its replacement by mortars in the late 2000s. Australia's Federation Guard retains six pieces for ceremonial use.

Canada

The Canadian Forces procured at least 60 US made M2A1 howitzers, beginning in 1952, and also had Sorel Industries of Canada produce 232 of a slightly modified M2A2 version, starting in 1955. The Canadian produced guns were later designated C1, while the US produced guns were designated C2. These continued in service until the early 2000s. In the late 1990s, ninety-six C1 guns were selected and sent to RDM in the Netherlands to extend their service life. These guns were re-designated as the C3. The changes include a longer 33-calibre barrel, a muzzle brake, reinforced trails and the removal of shield flaps. It remains the standard light howitzer of Canadian Forces Reserve units. The C3 is used by 1RCHA in Glacier National Park in British Columbia as a means of avalanche control. The C3 is used to train Regular Force Artillery in Shilo MB. The modified 105mm C3 howitzer has a range of 18km.

Croatia

A number of M2/M101 howitzers were used by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and approximately 50 were inherited by Croatia, of which four are still in use for training with the Croatian Army.

France

The French Army used the M2 howitzer, designated ''HM2'', during World War II, in the Algerian War and during the Opération Tacaud in Chad. France later supplied a battery of HM2 to the Rwandan Armed Forces during the Rwandan Civil War that led into the Rwandan genocide.

Germany

The German Army adopted the M101 howitzer in a modified form in March 1956, designated Feldhaubitze 105 mm M1A2 (Bw). Using components made by Rheinmetall, the new howitzers had a longer, un-counterbored 27-caliber barrel, a large single-baffle muzzle brake, and a larger gun shield.

Philippines

M2A1 howitzers were used by the PEFTOK. By the 1980s these wartime artillery pieces were replaced by M101s, and were used against the NPA and the MNLF, and the MILF. Several M101 howitzers are still in use with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and are normally used to battle rebels in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. They were also used in direct fire against Islamic militants during the Battle of Marawi.

South Korea

Starting on 6 July 1950, South Korea received a total of 1,127 M2A1s until the end of the Korean War to supplement and replace the M1 75 mm howitzer and the M3 105 mm howitzer.

In the early 1970s, the ROK Armed Forces needed to replace these old howitzers due to the maintenance burden. To match North Korea's artillery capability, South Korea invested in the domestic arms industry to equip its large military cost efficiently. After completion of ''Project Thunder I'', supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, for infantry weapons, in April 1972, the South Korean president Park Chung Hee ordered ''Project Thunder II'' for artillery weapons. The U.S. refused to cooperate due to the then diplomatic overtures to the People's Republic of China. The U.S. Embassy in South Korea ordered its technical team to withdraw, believing that South Korea lacked the tooling and knowledge to develop the weapons by itself. The Agency for Defense Development however, reverse engineered the M2A1 (M101A1), and prototype production began in March 1973.

On 25 June 1973, three prototypes were demonstrated publicly. After the test, the U.S. ambassador Philip Habib arranged the meeting of South Korean chief secretary O Won-cheol and colonel Montgomery from the Joint U.S. Military Affairs Group-Korea. The colonel provided technical review of the howitzer, and recommended purchasing of the U.S. equipment for logistics issues because the howitzer was not compatible with the U.S. standard. South Korea refused and pursued domestic design, but the two nations eventually signed an agreement for technology transfer in September 1973. It was the first weapons research cooperation between the two nations, and the South Korean defense industry began to form with guidance from the U.S.

In February 1974, hostilities grew after North Korea sunk a South Korean fishing boat and kidnapped fishermen near Baengnyeong Island. As a response, 10 howitzers crafted prior to the research cooperation were sent to the island, but pulled out after having severe malfunctions during operations. In November 1975, the reinforced variant experienced barrel breakdown; the failure led to the invitation of American engineers in January 1976 for an overview. After 1.5 months of inspection, the engineers suggested the Eighth United States Army

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