M119A1 105mm Howitzer

The Howitzer is basically a type of cannon which is between a long-range gun and a mortar. It has a long barrel, though not as long as that of guns. It can fire at high-angle trajectories which allow it to bombard enemy positions from a strategic location behind a hill or other cover which would prove impossible for guns with a flat trajectory. The good thing about it is that despite its high trajectory, it can still hit targets from very, very far away, its projectile flying over hills, woods and other obstacles in its path.

In the two World Wars the howitzer was widely used as medium-range artillery weapons. Relatively light in weight, they were easy to transport and could even be broken down into parts and reassembled at the site where they were needed. They were used to give support for a wide range of units, from airborne to infantry to armoured to mountain. Their ability to fire most kinds of ammunitions (high-explosive, chemical, anti-personnel) to targets otherwise inaccessible by ground fire, together with their mobility, makes them an integral part of any armed forces.

For this case study, we will focus on the M119A1 105mm Howitzer, although the howitzers range from 75mm to 300mm.

The 105mm Howitzer is a lightweight cannon which can be transported by air and dropped by parachute, or towed by a land vehicle. It is manned by a crew of 7 soldiers and it provides fire support to infantry divisions. The design allows for maximum firepower with a minimum load, so it can move around pretty fast. It does not stand out very much and does not need a recoil pit to be dug, saving time and energy. Today, all these factors make the M119A1 Howitzer is one of the best howitzers around.

The M119A1 howitzer was originally produced by the British as the L119. Below is a table of its important statistics.

Back to Land