AFV Club 35S06 M115 8in Howitzer

The M115 howitzer is an American 203 mm towed howitzer from the Second World War and the post-war period. The initial velocity of the demolition shell from this gun was up to 587 m / s, with a maximum range of approx. 16,800 meters.

Design work on a new heavy howitzer for the US Army began in 1919, but was discontinued and the first prototypes of a new real howitzer were not made until 1931! However, in the course of work, many elements of the 203 mm howitzer with a 155 mm gun were unified. The main role of the M115 was to destroy fortified enemy resistance points, conduct counter-batter fire and support the advances of its own troops. The howitzer was used on a large scale during World War II during the campaigns in Italy (1943-1945) and in the Pacific, and to a lesser extent in North-Western Europe (1944-1945). The M115 howitzer turned out to be a generally successful weapon and was also used in the Korean (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1964 / 1965-1975) wars. It is worth adding that in the 1950s it was adapted to firing ammunition with tactical nuclear warheads (W33 and W79 missiles). The gun was also exported to many countries, including Belgium, Greece and Taiwan.