John:
Some excellent sleuthing in tracking down the original photos under discussion. Thanks!
The British Gunners used the 7.2 inch (L23 barrels) Mks I to V which was a WW I 8" howitzer sleeved down to 7.2" and fitted with pneumatic tyres. The Mk 6 (sometimes seen as 'VI') was a marked departure as it fitted a new longer (L34.4) barrel to the US M1 carriage.
Thus three pieces used the US M1 carriage (and variations thereafter):
The US 8" howitzer with a barrel length of 17' 6";
The US 155mm gun with a barrel length of 24' 2"; and
The UK 7.2" Mk 6 gun with a barrel length of 20' 8". The slim barrelled 7.2" is often misidentified as the US 155mm even though its barrel is almost exactly halfway between the two US` barrels in length. As you noted, the 8" howitzer has a very 'fat' barrel which makes it appear shorter than it is.
The US 8" fired a 90 kg shell to a max range of 16.5 km;
The UK 7.2" fired a 90 kg shell to a max range of 18 km; and
The US 155mm fired a 42 kg shell to a max range of 23 km thus the UK gun was an "improvement" on the US howitzer and, as it used the same carriage it could, like the 25 pounder, actually be classed as a gun/howitzer. Of course this can lead to some very esoteric discussions about shell weight, weight of fire and the roles of guns versus howitzers!
One of the identifying features of the 7.2" Mk 6 is the distinctive muzzle swell as seen here:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=ij7v...esult#PPA54,M1
The M110A2 8" self propelled howitzer recently retired by most NATO countries has a barrel as long as the old 155mm gun and can fire its 90 kg projectile 23 km and with base bleed improved conventional munitions it can reach a staggering 30 km.
Mike
