howitzer

Also known as howitzers

The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire breaks at 45 degrees or 800 mils (NATO). With their long-range capabilities, howitzers can be used to great effect in a battery formation with other artillery pieces, such as long-barreled guns, mortars, and rocket artillery. Howitzers were valued for their ability to fire explosive shells and incendiary materials into fortifications.

AI overview

A howitzer is an artillery weapon that combines the capabilities of both cannons and mortars, allowing it to fire at both low and high angles to strike targets at various ranges and positions. Howitzers have historically been valued because they can work together with other artillery pieces to deliver explosive shells and incendiary materials, making them particularly effective at attacking fortified positions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Weapon.name: Howitzer
Weapon.image: 300px
Weapon.caption: Firing of a 155 mm howitzer by the 90th Field Artillery Battalion, US 24th Infantry Division, during the Korean War
Weapon.type: Artillery
Weapon.is_ranged: yes
Weapon.is_artillery: yes
Weapon.barrels: 1
Weapon.range: Varies by model
Weapon.max_range: Typically several kilometers to tens of kilometers

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: 12 pounder mountain howitzer on display at Fort Laramie in eastern Wyoming.jpg

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Commons category: Howitzers

Sources (1)

wikidata.org

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~15 min read

Article

9 sections

Contents

Etymology
History
Early modern period
20th century
Types
Gallery
See also
References
External links

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, howitzers evolved to become more mobile and versatile. The introduction of rifling in the mid-19th century led to significant changes in howitzer design and usage. By the early 20th century, howitzers were classified into different categories based on their size and role, including field howitzers, siege howitzers, super-heavy siege howitzers, and defence howitzers.