I must be wrong about what that is, poking out around the muzzle brake. Can someone with recent military experience (or just better clued-in to modern indirect fire weaponry) enlighten us?

Link to the Navy Times video

Looks like a field modification to protect the muzzle brake when being towed...

Those are the actual tow points for moving the gun around in the field.

Not a bayonet, and not a field modification. These towed artillery pieces have a tow attachment that protrudes from below the muzzle brake.

Not sure why I thought those were towed from the breach end... oopsie...

quote:

Originally posted by stoic-one:
Not sure why I thought those were towed from the breach end... oopsie...

They used to be.

Am I the only one who finds that big round thing poking into the back of the truck just a we bit obscene?

I don't care about the artillery pieces, I want the deuce-and-a-half. Damn that'd be awesome to drive into town!

Thanks to all for the updates.

I think re-thinking of the classic mechanic of towing - to tow from the barrel end - is innovative. For one thing, it lets barrels get longer without them dragging into the dirt when towing, probably other benefits as well.

Any idea when this approach started?

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
Any idea when this approach started?

That particular artillery piece is the M777 Howitzer, which was adopted in 2005. Its predecessor, the M198 Howitzer adopted in 1979, was towed in the traditional manner with the barrel to the rear.

But there are even earlier examples of non-US artillery pieces that were towed by the barrel, dating back to at least the 1950s.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

I'll share one of the few stories my Grandfather told me about is experience on a 105MM howitzer battery in WWII late in the war.

They had just completed a fire mission and were told to immediately pack up and move to another position quickly for another fire mission. They loaded the trucks and connected the guns as shown above. Everything was just thrown in the back and held by the crews as they drove.

Upon reaching the field they were told to stand down. One of the guns needed service so everyone pitched in to help. A guy walked over to a truck with gun still attached (see above) to grab some tools that were tossed in the back.

As he reached the truck he looked back and spotted a German staff car rolling into the field from the opposite end. The attached 105 happened to be generally pointed in that direction. The soldier grabbed a shell out of an open crate in the truck, slammed it into the gun and fired. There was no aiming he just made a LOT of noise. The staff car skidded to a halt and all the hands went up. A Colonel, Major, and a private were taken, once the rest of the people in the battery cleaned out their pants

Never been on a triple 7 myself as I was always in light units. I do know the 105mm can be direct fired, I’ve seen it done. Not sure if the 777 can. But I’ve always preferred mortars as their response to adjusting fire is much quicker than 105mm or 155mm howitzers.

thats for the suppressor

.

If asked, I would have guessed artillery is towed from the breech side to protect the barrel.

When I consider tow safety, it is always safer to have the heavy end of the object attached to the vehicle.



Considering this is the US Army, they are towing by the barrel simply because it would be more fun to ride on the barrel facing forward then facing backward!



'

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
Those are the actual tow points for moving the gun around in the field.

I believe the fixture on the towing vehicle is called a "pintle" and the ring feature on the towed article is a "lunette".

from Wikipedia:

quote:

Pintle
A pintle is a pin or bolt, usually inserted into a gudgeon, which is used as part of a pivot or hinge. Other applications include pintle and lunette ring for towing, and pintle pins securing casters in furniture.

flashguy

Must be Army training with Marine Arty. I posted this in the Rifles 13.7" topic:

quote:

As for the US Army, I think they are a victim of the yellow safety belt mentality. Last time I heard about bayonets in the Army was a Regiment commander at the beginning of Op. Iraqi Freedom ordering his troops to turn them all in because he was worried Spc. Schmuckatelli doing something stupid and injuring himself and/or others.

@Rightwire

Do you know what unit your grandfather was in?

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by stoic-one:
Not sure why I thought those were towed from the breach end... oopsie...

They used to be.

^^^^ Being towed from the "trails" end...Appeares to be a105mm howitzer..WWII/ Korea/ Vietnam vintage ....... When disconnected from the truck the trail would split forming a "V" and at the end the "spades" which would be the rear anchor that the recoil would push against....... The 155mm towed were much heavier and had air brake assist on the axles which activated if the howitzer became disconnected from the truck and locked the brakes... Had a large baseplate that was under the carriage axle that provided part of the 3 point suspension while firing... The rear spades were seperate and were carried on the sides of the trails and put in position once gun placed in firing position..... M102(?) 105mm was a Viet Nam era light weight that had a "floating" base firing plate under the firing carriage that was staked down to the earth.. rear of the trails had a large rubber enlongated wheel mounted longways of the frame that allowed a 360* rotation for firing in a 360* direction without having to re-deploy the howitzer....Most of the other howitzers were on self propeled (motorized) platforms.... Early 1970"s served as a Field Artillery Drill Sgt /Ft. Sill, Okla, training the 13b"s /"cannon cockers" during their AIT Training............................. drill sgt.

^^^Question for you drill sgt.

My great uncle was a Lt for Cannon Company/142 Inf/36th ID during WW2. They used the tow behind 105s. Any ideas why they moved away from regimental artillery units after the war? Did they still have regimental artillery but in the form of attached batteries of divisional artillery?

Its something I've just been curious about.