Cannon Corner

West Mifflin's Howitzer
By Michael P. Mauer
CannonArtillery.com member since 2009

Retired Persian Gulf War veteran Mike Mauer reminisces about the M101A1 displayed in his hometown of West Mifflin, Pa. His fictional retelling of her thunderous days and the symbolism of her silent existence today follows.

Looking at the old girl quietly reposed on the corner of West Mifflin's Mitchell Paige Memorial Park at Commonwealth and Homeville, you wouldn't think she once possessed a voice that could boom across miles of crisp morning air. Her military coat of olive drab is giving way to spots of rust, but she seems to hold the same quiet dignity that many an aging veteran has as she sits in battery beneath the waving Stars and Stripes.

She's an M101A1 105 mm howitzer. Back when she served in the line, she could lob 33 pound high explosive shells more than seven miles against a foe. Her nearly two-and-a-half tons of weight could be towed behind a large truck, or taken airborne beneath a twin-rotary CH 47 helicopter.

Once muscled into a firing position by a crew of 6-8 artillerymen, she could be made to pump out 30 rounds in three minutes - each traveling toward its target at nearly 500 yards per second. After shooting approximately 20,000 times, she could be fitted with a new barrel and sent out for action again.

A good crew could emplace the piece in just under three minutes and fire nearly 100 rounds an hour without hurting the weapon mechanically. Although primarily designed to fire rounds at a distance, the howitzer was also equipped with a shield to protect the crew from small arms fire and shrapnel in case the fighting got close. That shield might also serve to keep the artillerymen safe from their own fire. If the situation grew tenuous and the gun's position was in danger, the howitzer could fire a devastating M546 anti-personnel round. Nicknamed a 'beehive' round, the shell explodes and sends thousands of pencil-sized darts over a wide area in front of the gun's muzzle.

Other specialized munitions the M101A1 could shoot included the rocket-assisted M548. This unique shell is equipped with a small rocket motor in the base that increases the howitzer's range from 11,000 meters to more than 14,000. Additionally, illumination, smoke and standard high-explosive shells could be targeted. To get the rounds out of the tube, the M101A1 used a firing chain made up of what the military calls semi-fixed ammunition. That is, the powder is divided into separate increments or charges that look very much like large tea bags. A set number of charges are tied together by the crew to meet the requirements of each round. These are then loosely fitted in a cartridge case that is attached to the projectile. The howitzer crew adjusted the propelling charge by removing the shell from each cartridge and pulling out individual increments not needed for a particular fire mission. These unused bags of powder were taken out behind the gun to be safely disposed of later.

Other specialized munitions the M101A1 could shoot included the rocket-assisted M548. This unique shell is equipped with a small rocket motor in the base that increases the howitzer's range from 11,000 meters to more than 14,000. Additionally, illumination, smoke and standard high-explosive shells could be targeted. To get the rounds out of the tube, the M101A1 used a firing chain made up of what the military calls semi-fixed ammunition. That is, the powder is divided into separate increments or charges that look very much like large tea bags. A set number of charges are tied together by the crew to meet the requirements of each round. These are then loosely fitted in a cartridge case that is attached to the projectile. The howitzer crew adjusted the propelling charge by removing the shell from each cartridge and pulling out individual increments not needed for a particular fire mission. These unused bags of powder were taken out behind the gun to be safely disposed of later.

Design concepts for the M101A1 howitzer were first on the books in the late 1920s. At the time, the U.S. Army was looking for a heavier gun to take the place of French 75 mm field pieces that were still in the country's arsenal following World War I. Production of the weapon began in earnest with the start of the second world war in 1939. By the time the last model rolled off the assembly line in 1953, more than 10,200 M101A1 howitzers were built. Now rapidly being deactivated from reserve units of the U.S. military, the M101A1 saw extensive service during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Fighting for freedom, however, was not cheap. Replacement cost for the weapon back to a line unit was recently priced at around $200,000.

Local taxpayers, however, need not despair. West Mifflin's howitzer was had at a fraction of that cost. The borough only paid to move the weapon a few hundred miles from Blue Grass Army Depot in Lexington, Ky., and to be set on a concrete base. According to Howard J. Bednar, borough manager, the weapon will be re-painted in camouflage and dedicated this spring. Now quiet, West Mifflin's latest artillery piece waits for warmer weather, a fresh coat of paint and the time to be formally enshrined next to a memorial that honors the borough's Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and merchant seamen. She will reflect the hope that nearly all who served in our nation's wars have - that all such weapons will remain silent forever.