155 mm gun M1

The 155 mm gun M1 was a 155 millimeter caliber

M1 155 mm Long Tom
field gun developed and used by the United States
military. Nicknamed "Long Tom" (an appellation with
a long and storied history in U.S. field and naval
artillery), it was produced in M1 and M2 variants, later
known as the M59. Developed to replace the Canon de
155mm GPF, the gun was deployed as a heavy field
weapon during World War II and the Korean War, and
also classed as secondary armament for seacoast
defense. The gun could fire a 100 lb (45 kg) shell to a
maximum range of 14 mi (23 km), with an estimated
accuracy life of 1,500 rounds.

The Long Tom was also adopted by a number of other

nations, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Israel, Long Tom in travelling position, US Army
and the Netherlands. Ordnance Museum.
Type Towed field artillery
Development Place of origin United States
Service history
Before entering World War I, the United States was
poorly equipped with heavy artillery. To address this Used by United States
problem a number of foreign heavy artillery guns were Italy
adopted, including the Canon de 155 mm GPF. After Australia
the end of the war the Westervelt Board was convened Greece
to assess the artillery experience of the combatant Austria
powers and map out future directions for the US Army Japan
artillery. The conclusion of the board vis-a-vis heavy Jordan
field artillery was that the French 155 mm GPF should South Korea
be adopted as the standard heavy field piece but further
Republic of China
development work should occur to achieve a heavy
Turkey
field gun with a max. range of 25,000 yards (23 km), a
vertical arc of fire from 0° to 65° (for comparison, GPF Pakistan
had only 35°), a projectile not exceeding 100 lb (45 kg) Croatia
and the capability to be installed on a mount with either South Africa
caterpillar tracks or rubber tires.[2] A number of United Kingdom
prototypes were produced in the 1920s (M1920 and Yugoslavia
M1920M1 were even standardized) and 1930s (a new Netherlands
design was started from scratch after 1929), the projects
Wars World War II
were repeatedly put on hold due to lack of funds.[3]
Korean War
Developed in the summer of 1930, the radical split-trail
Cambodian Civil War
carriage for both 155-mm gun and 8-inch howitzer
designated T2 was the first in the US to feature an all- Croatian War of
welded construction as well as a 8-wheel 2-axis roll- Independence
Production history
Designed 1918–1938
bearing bogie for high-speed mobility.[4] In 1938 the Produced 1940–1945
155 mm gun T4 on carriage T2 was finally adopted as
No. built 1,882
155 mm gun M1 on carriage M1.[5]
Specifications
Mass Travel: 13,880 kg
155 mm gun M1 (30,600 lb)

The new gun design used a barrel similar to the earlier Length Travel: 11 m (36 ft
155 mm GPF, but with an Asbury mechanism that 1 in)[1]
incorporated a vertically-hinged breech plug support. Barrel length 6.97 m (22 ft 10 in)
This type of breech used an interrupted-thread breech L/45
plug with a lock that opened and closed the breech by
Width Travel: 2.5 m (8 ft
moving a single lever.[6] The ammunition for the
155 mm gun was "separate-loading", that is with the 2 in)[1]
shell and the powder charge packaged, shipped and Height Travel: 2.7 m (8 ft
stored separately. The shell is lifted into position behind 10 in)[1]
the breech and then rammed into the chamber to
Crew 14
engage the shell's rotating band into the barrel rifling.[7]

Ramming the shell home is followed by loading a Shell Separate loading

number of powder bags, as required for the desired charge and
range.[8] The powder charge could be loaded in up to projectile[1]
seven charge settings. Once the powder is loaded, the
Caliber 155 mm (6.10 in)
breech plug is closed and locked, and a primer is
placed in the breech plug's firing mechanism. After Breech Asbury mechanism
setting the elevation and azimuth, the gun is ready to Recoil Hydro-pneumatic[1]
fire. The firing mechanism is a device for initiating the
ammunition primer. The primer then sets off the igniter Carriage M1 Carriage
which ignites the propelling charge of the ammunition. Elevation −2°/+65°
A continuous-pull lanyard first cocks the firing pin, Traverse 60°
then fires the primer when pulled.[9]
Rate of fire 40 rounds per hour
The gun was developed into M1A1 and M2 variants. Muzzle velocity 853 m/s (2,799 ft/s)
After World War II, the United States Army re-
Maximum firing range 23.7 km (14.7 mi)
organized, and the gun was re-designated as the M59.

Carriage M1

The gun carriage provides a stable, yet mobile, base for the gun.
The new split-trail carriage featured an eight-wheel integral two-
axle bogie and a two-wheel limber that supported the trails for
transport. The carriage was a two-piece design. The upper carriage A wooden mock-up of a modified
included the side frames with trunnion bearings that supported the GPF gun with equilibrators to
recoil mechanism that carried the gun cradle, slide and gun tube. increase maximal elevation and
The upper carriage also incorporated the elevating and azimuth range, 1920
gearing. The upper carriage pivoted in azimuth on the lower
carriage. The lower carriage included the transport suspension and
the split-trail that stabilized and absorbed recoil when the gun was fired.[10]
After the gun was placed in a firing position with the gun pointing in the desired direction, the trails were
lowered to the ground and the limber was removed. The carriage wheels would then be raised using built-
in ratcheting screw-jacks, lowering the gun carriage to the ground. Once on the ground, the limber-end of
the trail legs were separated to form a wide "vee" shape with its apex at the center of the carriage pivot
point. A recoil spade at the limber-end of each trail leg required a correctly positioned hole to be dug for the
spade, which was attached to the trail end, to transmit the recoil from gun carriage through the trails and
into the earth. This made the gun very stable and assisted its accuracy. The removable spades were
transported in brackets on the trail legs.[11]

The carriage M1 and M2 were shared with the 8-inch (203 mm) Howitzer M1, differing only in the gun
tube, sleigh, cradle, recoil and equilibrators, weight due to the heavier barrel.[12]

The carriage consists of a combination of the following major components:[13]

Bottom carriage Top carriage

Firing support base Elevating mechanism

Trails Traversing mechanism

Retractable suspension system Gun support components

Axle Equilibrator[14]
Brakes Cradle (Connects gun assembly to the top carriage)

Wheels Recoil mechanism

Sleigh (Sliding support for the gun tube)

Gun tube

Specifications
Specifications from TM 9–350
Weight of gun (complete with breech mechanism) 9,595 lb (4,352 kg)

Weight of tube assembly (barrel) 9,190 lb (4,169 kg)

Length of tube 277.37 in (7.05 m)

Length of bore cal. 45 (274.6 in / 6.975m)

Length of rifling 230.57 in (5.856 m)

Powder pressure (normal pressure with maximum charge in a new gun) 40,000 psi (275,790 kPa)

Type of breechblock Interrupted screw

Weight of breech mechanism 405 lb (184 kg)

Type of firing mechanism continuous pull percussion hammer

Service
The Long Tom saw combat for the first time in the North African Campaign on December 24, 1942, with
"A" Battery of the 36th Field Artillery Regiment. Eventually it equipped 33 U.S. Army battalions in the
European and Mediterranean Theaters (the 173rd, 190th, 200th, 208th, 240th, 261st, 273rd, 514th–516th,
528th, 530th, 540th, 541st, 546th–549th, 559th, 561st, 634th, 635th, 731st, 733rd, 734th, 766th, 976th–
981st, 985th and 989th), and 8 in the Pacific Theater (the 168th, 223rd, 226th, 433rd, 517th, 531st, 532nd,
and 983rd). The 353rd, 732nd, and 993rd Field Artillery Battalions
were segregated 155 mm gun units that never went overseas. The
353rd was converted to the 1697th Engineer Combat Battalion
(Colored) on 19 March 1944 at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, the
732nd was converted to the 1695th Engineer Combat Battalion
(Colored) on 15 March 1944 at Camp Pickett, Virginia, and the
993rd was converted to the 1696th Engineer Combat Battalion
(Colored) on 19 March 1944 at Camp Swift, Texas.[15]
Long Tom at crew training in England
The 155 mm gun was also used by several Marine defense
battalions, notably during Operation Cartwheel in 1943.

The preferable prime mover was initially the Mack NO 6×6 7½ ton truck; from 1943 on, it was
supplemented by the tracked M4 High Speed Tractor.[16] 72 rounds of ammunition plus propelling charges
could be carried in the M21 4-ton, 2-wheel ammunition trailer; 16 rounds of ammunition plus propelling
charges could be carried in the M10 1-ton, 2-wheel ammunition trailer that was often used because of
shortages of the former. The later heavy M23 8-ton, 4-wheel ammunition trailer introduced in 1945 could
carry 96 rounds of ammunition plus propelling charges.

A small number of Long Tom guns were authorised for supply via Lend-Lease channels, to the United
Kingdom (184) and France (25).[17] The authorised establishment of British batteries (excluding training
units), including four batteries from the Dominion of Newfoundland, totalled 88 guns.

Variants
Gun variants:

M1920 – prototype.
T4 – prototype.
M1 (1938) – first production variant, 20 built.
M1A1 (1941) – modified breech ring.
M1A1E1 – prototype with chromium-plated bore.
M1A1E3 – prototype with liquid cooling.
M2 Standard (1945) – with modified breech ring.

Carriage variants:
M2 during the Battle of Okinawa.
T2 – prototype.
M1 (1938).
M1A1 – refurbished T2 carriages.
M2 Standard

Limber variants:

M1 Standard (1938)
M5 Heavy (1945)

The gun was also mounted on a modified M4 medium tank chassis, M40 in the US Army Ordnance
in mount M13. The resulting vehicle was initially designated Museum.
155 mm Gun Motor Carriage T83 and eventually standardized as
155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M40.[18] 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage T79, based on T23 Medium Tank
chassis, never advanced past proposal stage.[19] A portable "Panama mount" M1 was also provided.

Ammunition
The gun utilized separate loading, bagged charge ammunition. The
propelling charge consisted of base (9.23 kg) and increment
(4.69 kg). The data in the table below is for supercharge (base and
increment).

British gunners cleaning shells, Italy,

February 1945

Projectiles.[18][20][21]
Muzzle
Type Model Weight Filler Range
velocity
APBC/HE AP M112 Shell 45.36 kg Explosive D 2746 ft/s 24,075 yds
(100.0 lb) (837 m/s) (22,014 m)

HE HE M101 Shell 42.96 kg TNT 2800 ft/s 25,714 yds

(94.7 lb) (853 m/s) (23,513 m)

Smoke WP M104 Shell 44.53 kg White phosphorus 2800 ft/s 25,940 yds
(98.2 lb) (WP) (853 m/s) (23,720 m)
Smoke FS M104 Shell Sulfur trioxide in 2800 ft/s 25,940 yds
chlorosulfonic acid (853 m/s) (23,720 m)

Chemical H M104 Shell Mustard gas, 5.3 kg 2800 ft/s 25,940 yds
(12 lb) (853 m/s) (23,720 m)

Dummy Dummy Mk I – – –
Projectile
Dummy Dummy M7 43.09 kg – – –
Projectile (95.0 lb)
 Armor penetration, mm[18][22][23]
Distance

457 m 914 m 1,371 m

Ammunition
(500 yd) (1,000 yd) (1,500 yd)

AP M112 Shell (homogeneous armor, meet angle 30°) 160 152

AP M112 Shell (face hardened armor, meet angle 30°) 135 130

AP M112 Shell (homogeneous armor, meet angle 0°) 193 191 183

Concrete penetration, mm[18]

Ammunition 914 m 4,572 m
(1,000 yd) (5,000 yd)
HE M101 Shell (meet angle 0°) 2,011 1,402

Different methods of measurement were used in different countries / periods. Therefore, direct comparison is
often impossible.

Existing examples

Pakistan
Pakistan Army Museum, Rawalpindi

Austria
Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass, Wurzen Pass (near Villach)[24]

Australia
Fort Lytton Military Museum, Brisbane.[25]

Canada
St. John's Newfoundland, Royal Canadian Legion Pleasantville Branch 56. [26]

Germany
Grafenwoehr Training Area – this particular cannon is apparently a return from Italy, based
 on Italian language markings added, and old Pirelli tires.

Israel
Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel[27]

Japan
JGSDF Camp Kita-Chitose, Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan[28]
JGSDF Ordnance Shool, Ami, Ibaraki, Japan[29]

Netherlands
Wings of Liberation Museum (https://www.wingsofliberation.nl/) Park in Best (near
Eindhoven), Netherlands [30]

Slovenia
Pivka Military History Park, Pivka, Slovenia

United Kingdom
Pendennis Castle, Cornwall, UK M1 155mm gun on display at Pivka
Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson, Hampshire, UK Military History Park, Pivka,
Muckleburgh Military Collection, Norfolk, UK Slovenia

Eden Camp Museum, North Yorkshire, UK

United States
Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina
Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Alabama
Timber Linn Park, Albany, Oregon
US Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland
VFW Zachary Taylor Post 3784, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana.
Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele, Georgia
Fort Sill Field Artillery Museum, Fort Sill, Oklahoma M1 on display at Georgia Veterans
Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, Camp Dodge, State Park
Johnston, Iowa
VFW Post 2330, Searcy, AR
Museum of American Armor, Old Bethpage, New York
Scotland Meadows Park, New Castle, Pennsylvania
General George Patton Museum and Center of Leadership, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
VFW Post 61, Kansas City, MO
Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, Everett, WA
 Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY
American Legion George Johns Post 447, Round Rock, Texas

See also
List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation SNL D-24
15 cm Kanone 18 German equivalent
152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) Soviet equivalent, built only in small numbers
Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Italian equivalent, only few built

Notes
1. Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 135.
ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988 (https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/911907988).
2. http://morrisswett.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15766coll2/id/529/rec/1
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182004/http://morrisswett.contentdm.oclc.or
g/cdm/singleitem/collection/p15766coll2/id/529/rec/1) 2017-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
The Report of the Westervelt Board 1919 p 29-31
3. Hogg, Ian V. (2001). Allied Artillery of World War Two. Crowood Press, Ramsbury. p. 76.
ISBN 1-86126-165-9.
4. https://tradocfcoeccafcoepfwprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/fires-bulletin-
archive/1980/NOV_DEC_1980/NOV_DEC_1980_FULL_EDITION.pdf, p. 44
5. TM 9-3305 p 2-8, Figure 2-12, M1 155-mm gun on M2 (Long Tom) carriage.
6. "Breachblock" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130208103234/http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/ord/bre
ech.htm). Archived from the original (http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/ord/breech.htm) on 2013-02-08.
Retrieved 2012-12-19.
7. "TM 9-3305 p 5-1, Figure 5-2, Hand loading and ramming for weapons firing separate-
loading ammunition" (http://www.everyspec.com/ARMY/TM-Tech-Manual/TM_9-3305_4MA
Y1981_13707). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20130407174856/http://www.everysp
ec.com/ARMY/TM-Tech-Manual/TM_9-3305_4MAY1981_13707/) from the original on 2013-
04-07. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
8. TM 9-3305 p 4-1, Figure 4-2. Lands and grooves and Figure 4-3. Projectile with rotating
band.
9. TM 9-3305 p 4-15, Figure 4-27 M13 firing mechanism.
10. TM 9-3305 p 7-2, Figure 7-1, Top and bottom carriages.
11. "Popular Science Magazine November 1942" (https://books.google.com/books?id=-iYDAAA
AMBAJ&dq=popular+science+cannon&pg=PA101). November 1942. Archived (https://web.
archive.org/web/20200315205504/https://books.google.com/books?id=-iYDAAAAMBAJ&pg
=PA101&dq=popular+science+cannon&hl=en&ei=0D21TN2cFsj9nAeZwNDVDg&sa=X&oi
=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=true) from the
original on 2020-03-15. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
12. TM 9-3305 p 2-11, Figure 2-18. M1 8-inch howitzer on M1 (M1 5) carriage.
13. TM 9-3305 p 7-3, Figure 7-2, gun support assembly.
14. TM 9-3305 p 7-7, Figure 7-6. Pneumatic equilibrator.
15. Stanton, Shelby (1984). Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II. Novato: Presidio Press.
p. 394-424.
16. Zaloga – US Field Artillery of World War II, pp. 20–22.
17. Zaloga, US Field Artillery of World War II, p. 37.
18. Hunnicutt – Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank, p 353-355, 570.
19. Hunnicutt – Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series, p 158.
20. Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Ammunition, p 197-202.
21. Technical Manual TM 9-1904, Ammunition Inspection Guide, p 490-518.
22. "Untitled Document" (http://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/Manuals/FM%206-40.pdf) (PDF).
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20180727065342/http://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/
Manuals/FM%206-40.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
23. "Archived copy" (http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1901.pdf) (PDF).
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170917021950/http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/US
A/ref/TM/pdfs/TM9-1901.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
24. "Bunkermuseum Wurzenpass/Kärnten" (http://www.bunkermuseum.at/). Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20141227063649/http://www.bunkermuseum.at/) from the original on
2014-12-27. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
25. "155mm Long Tom Gun | Fort Lytton Historic Military Precinct" (http://fortlytton.org.au/?page_
id=1627). fortlytton.org.au. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160820141102/http://fortl
ytton.org.au/?page_id=1627) from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August
2016.
26. "Artillery in Canada (10) Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's, and HMCS Cabot" (https://
www.silverhawkauthor.com/post/artillery-in-canada-10-newfoundland-and-labrador-st-johns-
and-hmcs-cabot).
27. File:PikiWiki Israel 32427 Israel Defense Forces.JPG
北千歳駐屯地基地祭レポート
28. " " (http://chiha97.blog45.fc2.com/blog-entry-1644.html?sp).
Tori-meshi Blog. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
土浦武器学校の３
29. " " (http://goinkyox.com/Gunji/Nihon/Tuchiura3.HTM). Goinkyox. Retrieved
2023-10-19.
30. File:Museum Bevrijdende Vleugels 3.JPG

References
Bishop, Chris (1998). Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8.
Hunnicutt, R. P. (1994). Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank. Presidio Press.
ISBN 0-89141-080-5.
Hunnicutt, R. P. (1996). Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series. Feist
Publications. ISBN 1-112-95450-3.
Williford, Glen M (2016). American Breechloading Mobile Artillery 1875–1953. Thomas D.
Batha. Schiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-5049-8.
Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). US Field Artillery of World War II. New Vanguard 131. illustrated
by Brian Delf. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-061-1.
Hunnicutt, R. P. (1996). Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series. Feist
Publications. ISBN 1-112-95450-3.
Technical Manual TM 9–350, 155-MM Gun M2; Carriage Ml AND M1A1; Gun Mount M13;
Heavy Carriage Limber M2 AND M5; AND Firing PlatformM Ml. War Department, 1944.
Technical Manual TM 9-1901, Artillery Ammunition. War Department, 1944.
Technical Manual TM 9-1904, Ammunition Inspection Guide. War Department, 1944.
Technical Manual TM 9-3305, Principles of Artillery Weapons. Department of the Army, May
1981.
 Field Manual FM 6–40, Field Artillery Gunnery. War Department, June 1945.

External links
155-mm. Novel Mechanical Features Give Big-Gun Power, Small Gun Speed, November
1942, Popular Science (https://books.google.com/books?id=-iYDAAAAMBAJ&dq=popular+
science+cannon&pg=PA101) early article with many photos and detailed drawings showing
how it is brought into firing position from travel mode.

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