3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer

Infobox Weapon
name=Ordnance QF 3.7 inch Mountain Howitzer


caption=A 3.7 inch QF mountain gun. Dated from 1939
origin= UK
type= Mountain gun
is_ranged=
is_artillery=yes
is_UK=yes
service= 1917 - 1960
used_by=
wars=World War I, World War II
designer=
design_date=
manufacturer=
unit_cost=
production_date= 1915 - ?
number=
variants=
weight=1610 lb
length=
part_length=43.5 inch
width=
height=
diameter=
crew=
cartridge=20 lb HE, Shrapnel, Smoke, Starshell, HEAT
caliber= 3.7 inch
action=
rate=
velocity=973 ft/s
range=
max_range=5899 yds
feed=
sights=
breech=
recoil=Hydro-pneumatic, variable, 17.5 - 35 inch
carriage=wheeled, split trail
elevation=-5° - 40°Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 91]
traverse=20° L & R The Ordnance QF 3.7 Inch Mountain Howitzer was an artillery weapon, used by British and Commonwealth armies in World War I and World War II and between the wars.

History

The Indian Army first requested a modern mountain gun in 1906, but financial constraints delayed production until 1915.

World War I

It was first introduced in 1917, and used in action in that year in Mesopotamia.

22nd (Derajat) Indian Frontier Force mountain battery arrived in the East Africa campaign on 18 December 1916, when they relieved the 28th Battery which returned to India. [Farndale 1988, page 338] They appear to have re-equipped from 10 pounders to 3.7 inch howitzers while in East Africa, as Farndale reports they first used their 3.7 inch howitzers in action in the attack on German positions at Medo, 11 April 1918. [Farndale 1988, page 351]

Interwar years

It superseded the 2.75 inch Mountain Gun following World War I. It was used by Mountain Artillery Regiments of the Royal Artillery and the (British) Indian Army, and saw much service on the North West Frontier of India between the wars.

World War II

In World War II, it equipped units in the North African Campaign (Tunisia), the Italian Campaign and Burma Campaign, and it was also used in the Ruhr fighting in 1945 by units originally destined for Greece. A lightened version was used briefly by Airborne formations. At least one example was supplied to the French Army post-1945; it was captured by the Viet Minh and is on display at the Vietnam Army Museum in Hanoi.

The gun was finally declared obsolete by the British Army in 1960, although it had not seen service since 1945.

Details

The weapon was designed to be broken into eight mule loads, for transport over difficult terrain. The heaviest single section was the interrupted screw breech, at 247 lb (112 kg). Given an open gun position, a practiced crew could have the guns unloaded from the mules, reassembled and deployed ready for action in barely two minutes. The reverse process involved much more lifting but could be accomplished in three minutes.

It had a split trail, the first British weapon to do so, which allowed firing at very high angles (a useful feature in mountainous terrain).

When first introduced, the gun had two wooden wheels and was light enough be towed by two horses. Later marks had pneumatic tyres and could be towed by any light vehicle such as the Bren Carrier or jeep.

The propellant casing had five "charge zones", but HE was restricted to no more than "Charge 4", to prevent premature detonation of the shell.

ee also

urviving examples

* [http://www.firepower.org.uk Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, London]
* [http://duxford.iwm.org.uk 1942 Mk I Barrel on Mk II Carriage, at Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England]
*Israel Defense Forces History Museum (Batey ha-Osef Museum), Tel Aviv
* [http://www.armymuseum.co.nz/ Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand]
*Vietnam Army Museum, Hanoi
*The War Museum of Athens
*Example at GEM Homes, Johannesburg South Africa, to be restored shortly (pictures to follow)
*Example at Lenz Military Base, Johannesburg, South Africa, to be restored soon.(pictures to follow)

Notes

References

*General Sir Martin Farndale, [http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Royal-Regiment-Artillery-M-Farndale/dp/1870114051 "History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base, 1914-18". London : The Royal Artillery Institution, 1988] .
*I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914 - 1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972

External links

* [http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/local/qf37in.htm W L Ruffel, QF 3.7-in Howitzer]
* [http://www.ra39-45.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/guns ra39-45.pwp]
* [http://www.landships.freeservers.com/3p7inch_mountain_howitzer.htm landships.freeservers.com]