8-inch Howie still on Watch

[Talyn]

The U.S. military perfected a self-propelled 8-inch howitzer in the early 1960s using the same Detroit Diesel 8V71T-powered double-tracked hull as the M107 175mm gun, only fitted with a short-barreled (25.3 caliber) 203mm M2A2 howitzer. The resulting gun, the M110, was improved in the 1980s with the longer-barreled (43-caliber) M201 203mm gun, complete with a double-baffle muzzle brake, in the follow-on M110A1/A2 variants.

8-inch Howie still on Watch

The U.S. military perfected a self-propelled 8-inch howitzer in the early 1960s using the same Detroit Diesel 8V71T-powered double-tracked hull as the M107 175mm gun, only fitted with a short-barre…

laststandonzombieisland.com

Replaced by the 270mm MLRS in U.S. service in 1994 following a swan song in the first Gulf War, the Pentagon shopped around the low-round count M110A2s still on hand to assorted customers in the Middle East/Mediterranean in Bahrain, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Morocco, and Pakistan, most of which still have them.

Also, Taiwan got a boatload, of which 70 are still in front-line service, as seen in this recent moto video from the country’s military, loading their 200-pound shells via hydraulic rammers and blasting them offshore at ranges under 26,000 yards.

 

[The Night Rider]

The last 8 inch unit in the United States Army was 2/157th Field Artillery Colorado Army National Guard.

We fired the last 8 inch round that ever went down range in June of 1999.

By random luck I got to fire it.

I've told the story before, the unit had a ceremony, dog and pony show and the battery Commander fired the last official round. Right before the range went cold somebody realized that we had one more round in the back of the 548.

We called FDC, they got us a mission real quick, I happen to be the number two man so I shot it.

I used to think being the last 8-inch unit in the Army was some big honor. Then I realize what it meant was that we were the very last artillery unit on the list to get new equipment.

And even the 109s we got to replace the 8-in were crap.

 

[Cedric]

The U.S. military perfected a self-propelled 8-inch howitzer in the early 1960s using the same Detroit Diesel 8V71T-powered double-tracked hull as the M107 175mm gun, only fitted with a short-barreled (25.3 caliber) 203mm M2A2 howitzer. The resulting gun, the M110, was improved in the 1980s with the longer-barreled (43-caliber) M201 203mm gun, complete with a double-baffle muzzle brake, in the follow-on M110A1/A2 variants.

8-inch Howie still on Watch

The U.S. military perfected a self-propelled 8-inch howitzer in the early 1960s using the same Detroit Diesel 8V71T-powered double-tracked hull as the M107 175mm gun, only fitted with a short-barre…

laststandonzombieisland.com

Replaced by the 270mm MLRS in U.S. service in 1994 following a swan song in the first Gulf War, the Pentagon shopped around the low-round count M110A2s still on hand to assorted customers in the Middle East/Mediterranean in Bahrain, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Morocco, and Pakistan, most of which still have them.

Also, Taiwan got a boatload, of which 70 are still in front-line service, as seen in this recent moto video from the country’s military, loading their 200-pound shells via hydraulic rammers and blasting them offshore at ranges under 26,000 yards.

View attachment 86308

I would add that they also stood watch at the Hof Gap during the Cold War. In the later stages of the First Gulf War, we had an entire M110 (43 caliber) battalion supporting our cav squadron moving into the Euphrates River valley.

 

[3L120]

In the Nam, my F.O. Team was co-located near a composite 175/8-inch battery. Given a choice, I preferred to use the 8-inch tubes…more accurate and a 200# projectile is impressive to watch. Didn’t know they had been phased out…shame.

 

[Cedric]

The same chassis was also used for the Light Recovery Vehicle, M578, or the VTR as we called it.