The M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage was a self-propelled artillery piece, which was used by the US Army during the Korean War. It was an M115 203-mm (8-in) howitzer mounted on the chassis of the M4 Sherman tank. The M115 was a towed weapon which had extensively been deployed in World War II. In Korea, the M43 provided excellent fire support to infantry units during vicious attrition battles, when the American soldiers tried to take the Chinese-held hills.
The M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage fired 200-lb (90.7-kg) shells to a maximum range of 16.8 km (18,373 yards). It used separate-loading type ammunition (one projectile + one charge bag). It had a muzzle velocity of 587 m/s (1,926 feet/s). The vehicle was powered by one Continental R-975-C4 gasoline engine, which delivered 400 horsepower. In order to make the heavy artillery piece fit, the chassis of the M4A3 Sherman tank had to be lengthened and widened.
Specifications
Type: self-propelled howitzer
Weight: 38 tons
Length: 7.3 m (289 inches)
Width: 3.1 m (124 inches)
Height: 3.3 m (129 inches)
Howitzer Barrel Length: 5.1 m (16 feet, 9 inches)
Elevation: -2 to +65 degrees
Traverse: 30 degrees
Recoil: hydro-pneumatic
Breech: interrupted screw
Power Plant: one 400-HP, Continental R-975-C4 gasoline engine.
Maximum Speed: 39 km/h (24 mph)
Range: 172 km (107 miles)
Below, two black and white pics of M43 howitzer motor carriage. The first one was taken in Korea. The second one in a firing range.
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