The M107; 175 MM gun had a barrel that was 36 feet long. The round weighed 147 pounds. Muzzle velocity was 914 meters per second. Max range was about 18 miles.
Barrel up doing some maintenance in engine area. That barrel weighs 12,050 lbs. The recoil mechanism of the hydropneumatic variable recoil type, which controls the forces created by firing and checks the movement of the recoiling parts gradually, to avoid displacement of the vehicle, and also returns the recoiling parts into their original position.
Notice it is stuck in the mud. In these conditions it takes about three rounds to bury the spade deeply. The gun must be re-layed (realigned on azmuth) frequently in rainy conditions because it moves after each round is fired, pushing the mud up and the spade deeper into the earth.
This "hole" in the carriage was toward the front. It had a manhole cover which latched down. Vision was through prizms. Driving was with a "joy stick", accomplished by braking one track or the other for right or left. The transmission was automatic, the motor was a GM Detroit diesel V8.
This was the first gun crew that I was part of, when I first arrived at French Fort. Maximum rate of fire on this gun is 1 round per minute (that's working very, very hard!). From left: Miller, Bursky, Lynwood Dunn, Zebro, Frenchie, Griffin, Larry Kleinschmidt, Bobby Mack!
The long gun was No. 1 gun in the battery. The noise from firing was unbelieveable. Average accurate life of this barrel was 400 rounds, after that it could become inaccurate, and worse, explode upon firing.
My favorite SD soldier attending the fire mission.
Note the spade in full up position. When ready to fire that spade is inserted into the ground to help absorb the firing recoil and keep the gun in position. The spade is operated with hydraulic cylinders.
A nice evening silhouette.
