M116 howitzer
| 75mm pack howitzer M1A1 | |
|---|---|
M116 howitzers, Chengkungling History Museum, Taiwan (2011) | |
| Type | Pack howitzer |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1927–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars | World War II Second Sino-Japanese War Korean War Chinese Civil War First Indochina War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Kurdish–Turkish conflict |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | General Electric |
| Produced | 1927–1944 |
| No. built | 8,400 |
| Specifications (on Carriage (airborne) M8) | |
| Mass | 653 kg (1,439 lbs) |
| Length | 3.68 m (12 ft 1 in) |
| Barrel length | Overall 1.38 m (4 ft 6 in) L/18.4 Bore: 1.19 m (3 ft 11 in) L/15.9 |
| Width | 1.22 m (4 ft) |
| Height | 94 cm (3 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 8 (in U.S. service) |
| Shell | Fixed and Semi-fixed 75 x 272 mm R |
| Shell weight | 8.27 kg (18 lb 4 oz) |
| Caliber | 75 mm (2.95 in) |
| Breech | Horizontal-block |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic, constant |
| Carriage | Box trail or Split-trail depending on model |
| Elevation | -5° to +45° |
| Traverse | 6° |
| Rate of fire | 6 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 381 m/s (1,250 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 8.8 km (5.5 mi) |
The 75mm pack howitzer M1 (redesignated the M116 in 1962) was a pack howitzer designed in the United States. The gun saw combat in World War II with the United States Army (primarily in airborne units) and the United States Marine Corps, and was also supplied to foreign militaries. Initially designed to be moved across difficult terrain, the gun and carriage could be broken down into several pieces to be carried by pack animals, and this ability as well as its compact size allowed it to be used by paratroop and glider forces.
In addition to the pack or air-portable configuration, the gun was also mounted on a split-trail carriage to serve as a field artillery piece. The M1 in its original version was mated to a number of self-propelled carriages, though only one of those – 75 mm HMC T30 – reached mass production, while he M2 and M3 variants were vehicle-mounted in the 75 mm HMC M8 and some LVT models.