Artillery

Dismounting 75mm howitzer after a day of artillery practice at Fort Riley, KS, April 1942
Dismounting 75mm pack howitzer after a day of artillery practice at Fort Riley, KS, April 1942.

Today in WW II: 7 Apr 1939 King Zog of Albania flees the invasion of his country by Italian fascists, forcing him into exile.  More ↓
7 Apr 1945 German aircraft ramming unit [Sonderkommando Elbe] makes its only flight, destroying 24 B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bombers of the US Eighth Air Force.
7 Apr 1945 Following the loss of Okinawa, Kantaro Suzuki becomes Prime Minister of Japan, ad advocte of ending the war on any terms, opposed by Japan's military leaders.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Artillery

37th Field Artillery Battalion, 2d Infantry Division in Korea 1951
37th Field Artillery Battalion, 2d Infantry Division in Korea 1951.

Artillery fires large caliber shells with explosive warheads over considerable distances in support of military operations. Artillery may be fixed in position, such as coast artillery that used to be installed to protect ports or other waterways. Field artillery moves with the military force in the form of both towed and self-propelled guns. Another way to categorize artillery is to distinguish between guns used against other ground forces vs. anti-aircraft artillery (AAA).

There is a long history to artillery, ranging from crude cannons with smooth barrels to modern, computer directed precision weapons. This section does not include mortars which are covered as part of Infantry Weapons.

A large number of additional artillery photos and information can be found in the Artillery sections of the Olive-Drab.com Military Vehicle Charts:

See also in the Military Weapons and Weapons Systems section of the Olive-Drab.com Historical Military Photo and Poster Gallery.

Artillery Internet Resources

This page from the Army Technology web site gives a list of links to manufacturers of artillery and mortars.
Chemical Mortar Battalions, for and about the men who served in the U. S. Army's chemical mortar battalions in World War II and the Korean War.
Field Artillery is a bimonthly magazine published by the US Army Field Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for Army and Marine Field Artillerymen stationed around the world. The magazine is free to qualified members of the armed forces or can be obtained by a paid subscription.
Fire Mission: Sargent's Artillery Page. Odds and Ends of the Field Artillery.
Guns of Western Australia is a review of the Royal Australian Artillery with photos of many pieces and the locations where they are preserved.

Artillerymen in World War II make known their feelings about the enemy
Artillerymen in World War II make known their feelings about the enemy.

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: artillery. Then click the Search button.

M-107, 175mm self-propelled gun firing during Operation San Angelo, Vietnam, January-February 1968. The M-107 was used extensively in Vietnam for long range fire support
M-107, 175mm self-propelled gun firing during Operation San Angelo, Vietnam, January-February 1968. The M-107 was used extensively in Vietnam for long range fire support.