Howitzer
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Loading a WWI U.S 15 in (381 mm) howitzer |
A
howitzer or
hauwitzer is a type of field
artillery. The name is of Germanic origin and derives from the
Czech word
houfnice, denoting a
15th century cannon used by
Hussites during the
Hussite Wars. Howitzers are distinguished from other types of
cannon artillery by their trajectory in that they tend to fire at high
angles and deliver
plunging fire. In addition to this, the barrel of a howitzer is commonly below 30
calibers (the length of the
barrel is less than 30 times as long as the diameter of the
bore), whereas other cannon and
field guns tend to fire at no more than 45°
and have a caliber of 30 or over. Development of the gun-howitzer, a weapon that can fire at both high and low angles, was continued after the
Second World War. Gun-howitzers have much longer barrels than howitzers â€" barrel lengths of 39, 45 or longer are now common â€" and have replaced separate guns and howitzers on the battlefield.
Modern howitzers are either towed or
self-propelled, where they mix the maneuverability and to some extent the protection of tanks with their heavy firepower.
Small howitzers can be towed by a light vehicle or carried by
helicopter. Most are towed by five-ton or larger trucks.
The "pack" howitzer (such as the
25 Pounder Short Mark 1) has existed since before the
First World War. It can be disassembled into several main components and carried by
mule through very difficult terrain, although the gun size is still a limiting factor and smaller howitzers have generally been abandoned in favor of larger guns with greater capabilities.
Modern self-propelled howitzers such as the
South African
G6 fire 105 to 155 mm diameter shells up to about 25â€"30 km at a maximum rate of about 10 per minute.
The Dutch, German, Italian and Greek armies have been using or will be using
PzH 2000 howitzer (155 mm, self-propelled) shortly.
The
Big Bertha was a large, 42
centimeter howitzer used in the German push of 1914. The gun was based on a similar 42 centimeter gun manufactured for a short while by
Krupp for the German military.
That similar, older 42 centimeter gun was based almost completely on a gun designed by
Louis Gathmann in the late
1800s. Louis was known as the inventor of the "Big Berthas" up through his death in June of 1917.
In November
1990 British customs officers seized parts of a 1000 mm howitzer destined for the
Iraq Project Babylon "supergun", which, had it been built, would have been the largest gun ever constructed.
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French TRF1 155 mm howitzer |
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25 pounder â€" WW2 gun-howitzer
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M107 â€" typical modern howitzer shell
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L118 howitzer Modern 105 mm, towed gun-howitzer (also L119 variant)
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M198 howitzer Modern 155 mm, towed gun-howitzer
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M109 howitzer Modern 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
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SSPH Primus Modern 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer
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PzH 2000 Modern 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer
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M110 howitzer Post-WW2 8 inch self-propelled howitzer
For more examples, see List of artillery*
Gun*
Missiles*
Mortar*
Rocket
