BL 7.2 inch Howitzer

The BL 7.2 inch howitzer was a 183-mm-caliber heavy artillery piece which saw extensive service with the British Army in World War II. It had been developed from the old WW1 8-inch (203mm) gun, whose barrel had to be relined to convert it into the 7.2-inch-caliber howitzer. This conversion proved to be an excellent projectile delivery system with a very good range and acceptable accuracy.

The new artillery piece had the same short box-trail carriage its predecessor had, and it still needed a pair of curved ramps behind the wheels to contain its powerful recoil. However, it fired the new and lighter 91-kg (200-pound) shell as its old traction engine wheels were replaced by new pneumatic balloon-type tire wheels. From 1942 to 1945, the new howitzer was massively fielded in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign, the Allied invasion of Italy, and later in France after the Allied landing on Normandy.

When the BL 7.2 inch howitzer was fired on full charge, it was a complicated and risky affair, because the whole carriage and gun had the tendency to jump up into the air and backwards. Thus, before the next round could be fired, the artillery piece had to be manhandled back into position and re-laid. Since it needed too much adjustment and repositioning after each fire, in early 1943, the British Army decided to design a new carriage. However, they ended up using the American four-wheeled M1 carriage, which the US Army used for its M1 155-mm Gun; this new variant was the Mk 6.

Specifications (Mk 1 to 5)

Type: heavy howitzer

Caliber: 183-mm

Weight: 10.4 tons

Barrel Length: 4.34 m ( 14 feet, 3 inches)

Breech Type: Asbury and Welin screw

Carriage: box trail

Elevation: 0 to +45 degrees

Traverse: +8 degrees

Muzzle Velocity: 518 m/s

Maximum Range: 15.4 km (16,900 yards)

Below, the BL 7.2 inch howitzer Mk 1. Basically, it was a relined barrel fitted onto the carriage of the old 8-inch howitzer.

Although it had a normal recoil system, the crew used a pair of curved ramps to contain its backward recoil.

Below, the 7.2 inch howitzer Mk 3 in action in Italy in 1943.

Below, the Mk 6 variant was essentially a new barrel mounted on the carriage of the M1 155mm gun.