I don't wish to highjack this thread but I was wondering if the M8 A1 cargo tractor was used in Vietnam to tow the howitzers? I have the old Nito kit and was hoping to build/upgrade it as a Vietnam based vehicle?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
David

I don't wish to highjack this thread but I was wondering if the M8 A1 cargo tractor was used in Vietnam to tow the howitzers? I have the old Nito kit and was hoping to build/upgrade it as a Vietnam based vehicle?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
David

I don't wish to highjack this thread but I was wondering if the M8 A1 cargo tractor was used in Vietnam to tow the howitzers? I have the old Nito kit and was hoping to build/upgrade it as a Vietnam based vehicle?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
David

I don't wish to highjack this thread but I was wondering if the M8 A1 cargo tractor was used in Vietnam to tow the howitzers? I have the old Nito kit and was hoping to build/upgrade it as a Vietnam based vehicle?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
David

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I don't wish to highjack this thread but I was wondering if the M8 A1 cargo tractor was used in Vietnam to tow the howitzers? I have the old Nito kit and was hoping to build/upgrade it as a Vietnam based vehicle?
Any info would be much appreciated.
Cheers
David

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The M-54 series of 5 ton trucks was the prime mover for the M-114 howitzers. The 5 tons were also the ammo vehicles for the 155's, 175's and 8 inch.

The M-35 series 2.5 ton trucks was the prme mover for the M-101 105mm howitzers. They also served as the ammo vehilces for the 105's and the four-deuces. I think the Army used the deuce and a halfs to tow the M-102's as well....but they may have used their 5/4 ton jeep trucks. I don't remember for sure.

Both the M-54 and M-35 series vehicles in the artillery units had drop-sides to make ammo handling easier. No fork lifts in the battey positions...it was all done by hand.

I don't recall ever seeing a tracked vehicle pulling a towed howitzer in my time in Vietnam.

Semper Fi,
Dave

When I was at the Officers basic Course at Ft. Sill in 1968, some of the national Guard units were still equipped with the towed 8 inch howitzer (M-115). To my knowledge, none of the active duty units were using the towed pice by then. They had all converted to the M-110's for 8 inch.

Early in Vietnam, the Marines deployed the M-53 155 guns and M-55 8 inch howitzers. I believe a couple fo the gun batteries were still trading their 155mm guns for 175's in 1968. We Marines used to joke about it since the army had the M-53 155 guns as "Gate Guards" at Ft. Sill. By the time I got to Vietnam in 1969, all of the M-53's and M-55's had been replaced by M-107's and M-110's.

As far as the 155mm howitzers were concerned, the towed piece was the M-114A1. It was initially deployed with the 4th Battalions of the Marine artillery regiments (11th, 12th and 13th Marines). Prior to1969, the 4th Battalions transitioned to the M-109 SPH's. When that happened, the Marine artillery regiments held onto their M-114's and used them in provisional batteries or simply attached the pieces to other batteries when a bit more throw weight was desired.

If memory serves me correctly, any time the M-107's and M-110's had to make significant shifts in direction of fire, the vehicles had to be started and moved....which meant they had to be re-layed after they were pointed in the right direction. The M-109's simply had to traverse their turrets. The Army's M-102 105mm howitzer could also simply be traversed using its base plate and terra tire. The towed M-101 105mm howitzers could generally be turned without having to be relayed. The same was true for the M-114's, especially when using a field expedient "turning jack".

We generally used the 8 inch howitzers to take out bunker complexes. The 175's were used to support recon patrols and positions that were out of range of everything else. (Been there. Done that. Not much fun.) The point being that the guns were usually laid in the general direction of where they were expected to be needed so that the vehicles would not have to be moved before firing.

Semper fi,
Dave

Well, Gino and crew can chime in on me, but I served with the 1st Cavalry in Vietnam (69-70). We sure had 155s. The firebase had a battery of 105s and three 155s. I vividly recall that the battery commander of the 155 battery got killed in Cambodia while visiting his firing platoon on FSB Ranch. They were moved from firebase to firebase by CH-54 Sky Crane. I seem to recall the 105s were also moved by CH-47, but I could be mistaken. I know the Sky Crane always brought the 155s in....they blew everything down and dirt flew through the air...just about chow time. I am also pretty darn sure we used the same 155 set up when I was with the 101st up North. Up there we were certainly backed-up by 175s fire. That was a freight train noise....I might be able to dig up a photo tonight.
DJ

Try this link to see a 155 firing in Vietnam with the 1st Cav...
http://www.first-team.us/journals/div_arty/da_ndx01.html

When I was at the Officers basic Course at Ft. Sill in 1968, some of the national Guard units were still equipped with the towed 8 inch howitzer (M-115). To my knowledge, none of the active duty units were using the towed pice by then. They had all converted to the M-110's for 8 inch.

Early in Vietnam, the Marines deployed the M-53 155 guns and M-55 8 inch howitzers. I believe a couple fo the gun batteries were still trading their 155mm guns for 175's in 1968. We Marines used to joke about it since the army had the M-53 155 guns as "Gate Guards" at Ft. Sill. By the time I got to Vietnam in 1969, all of the M-53's and M-55's had been replaced by M-107's and M-110's.

As far as the 155mm howitzers were concerned, the towed piece was the M-114A1. It was initially deployed with the 4th Battalions of the Marine artillery regiments (11th, 12th and 13th Marines). Prior to1969, the 4th Battalions transitioned to the M-109 SPH's. When that happened, the Marine artillery regiments held onto their M-114's and used them in provisional batteries or simply attached the pieces to other batteries when a bit more throw weight was desired.

If memory serves me correctly, any time the M-107's and M-110's had to make significant shifts in direction of fire, the vehicles had to be started and moved....which meant they had to be re-layed after they were pointed in the right direction. The M-109's simply had to traverse their turrets. The Army's M-102 105mm howitzer could also simply be traversed using its base plate and terra tire. The towed M-101 105mm howitzers could generally be turned without having to be relayed. The same was true for the M-114's, especially when using a field expedient "turning jack".

We generally used the 8 inch howitzers to take out bunker complexes. The 175's were used to support recon patrols and positions that were out of range of everything else. (Been there. Done that. Not much fun.) The point being that the guns were usually laid in the general direction of where they were expected to be needed so that the vehicles would not have to be moved before firing.

Semper fi,
Dave

Gary--interesting commentary, what unit were you with in RVN?
thanks
DJ

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Gary--interesting commentary, what unit were you with in RVN?
thanks
DJ

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Bravo 3rd of the 16th Arty. They came from FT Bragg (not me) in early 1967. Without repeating myself I was as far south as LZ Liz and as far north as the south rim of the Ashau Valley (we never went in there thank God) Only time I was east of Highway One was down on Dottie for about three weeks, and the furthest west we got was about three hundred yards east of the Lao border. A good geography lesson. The last base camp I was at was Thien Phouc shooting with an SF A Team keeping the folks awake every night on the Hiep Duc Ridge line. A pretty place for somebody else to vacation at.
gary

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Gary--interesting commentary, what unit were you with in RVN?
thanks
DJ

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Bravo 3rd of the 16th Arty. They came from FT Bragg (not me) in early 1967. gary

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Gary--interesting commentary, what unit were you with in RVN?
thanks
DJ

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Bravo 3rd of the 16th Arty. They came from FT Bragg (not me) in early 1967. Without repeating myself I was as far south as LZ Liz and as far north as the south rim of the Ashau Valley (we never went in there thank God) Only time I was east of Highway One was down on Dottie for about three weeks, and the furthest west we got was about three hundred yards east of the Lao border. A good geography lesson. The last base camp I was at was Thien Phouc shooting with an SF A Team keeping the folks awake every night on the Hiep Duc Ridge line. A pretty place for somebody else to vacation at.
gary

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Gary-- Proud to know you! You guys did well. I know you fired missions for us (1st Battalion 502 Infantry)
Thanks Buddy
DJ

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Those were the days when we thought we were bullet proof, and would spit in Godzilla's eye just to get a rise outta him.
gary

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Gary--interesting commentary, what unit were you with in RVN?
thanks
DJ

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Bravo 3rd of the 16th Arty. They came from FT Bragg (not me) in early 1967. gary

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Funny what the Army does with flagging of units. I reported to Baumholder in Oct of 1972, to one of the DS battalions (M109) of the 8th ID (1st Bn, 2nd FA). And our Division GS battalion (M110) was none other than 3rd of the 16th.

Since there clearly was a GS unit already in Baumholder during 1967, obviously the Army decided to transfer the colors there for some reason some time after that.

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Those were the days when we thought we were bullet proof, and would spit in Godzilla's eye just to get a rise outta him.
gary

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We still are!

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I'm gonna say this one more time:
The way the carriage is designed on the M115 makes it useless in a 360 degree shooting situation. You cannot shift the guy more than the barrel can traverse without relaying the gun. Making the folks south of there into jello by the time your back up and running again. You have to think about it a few minutes. You shoot a zone sweep at 6200 (taking forever by the way), and five minutes after your done another F.O. calls in a contact fire mission (this is where the 8" towed gun is at it's very best) at 2700. So about an hour later your ready to shoot (well sorta). They just cannot live with that, and that's what doomed the M115 and the 155 long tom (plus neither one would shoot a zone sweep very well). This samething is what's gonna eventually kill the current 155 towed guns. Arty hasn't been placed five or six miles back since the Korean War. It's very close to the operating infantry and has to be able to shoot at least 180 degrees.
gary

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You're right, the book said that the firebase guns had to be able to be spun 360 degrees easily, and that obviously can't be done with the M115 the way it's designed.

Ironically a towed howitzer that was used was designated M114 and had a very different carriage that could be spun, with the proper configuration.

http://www.landscaper.net/theguns.htm

there are some pictures in this page..scroll down
mabye it helps.....
I have no idea about that kind of guns in vietnam but mabye it helps..

chris