Description
The M2 howitzer (other designations: M101, and later also M2A1) is an American, light, towed 105 mm howitzer from the Second World War and the Cold War. The howitzer was put into service in 1941 and proved to be the basic light howitzer of the US armed forces during the Pacific War (1941-1945), but it was also one of the main guns during the fighting in North-Western Europe (1944-1945). After 1945, it was successfully used during the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975). This weapon had good ballistic properties, good rate of fire and range. It also showed a very high degree of reliability. The howitzer fired a wide range of ammunition. One of the basic missiles was the HE (High-Explosive) M1 missile with a total mass of 19.08 kilograms and an initial velocity of 472 m / s. This missile could be fired at a distance of about 11,100 meters. Another missile was the M67 HEAT (High-explosive anti-tank) with a mass of 16.71 kg and an initial velocity of 381 m / s. When firing this missile, the maximum range reached approx. 7800 meters. Another projectile was a tracer missile marked as M84, which left the barrel of the gun at a speed of 472 m / s and could be fired at distances of up to approx. 11,100 meters.
