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| 75 mm Pack Howitzer M1 | |
|---|---|
| Name | 75 mm Pack Howitzer M1 |
| Type | Pack howitzer |
| Origin | United States |
| Service | 1940–1957 |
| Used by | United States Army, United States Marine Corps, China, United Kingdom, Soviet Union |
| Wars | World War II, Chinese Civil War, Korean War, Korean War |
| Designer | Rock Island Arsenal |
| Design date | 1938–1940 |
| Manufacturer | Rock Island Arsenal, Watervliet Arsenal, Austin Motor Co. |
| Weight | 1,400 lb (652 kg) |
| Caliber | 75 mm (2.95 in) |
| Part length | 20.5 calibers |
| Carriage | Split trail, packable |
| Elevation | −5° to +50° |
| Traverse | 6° left and right |
75 mm Pack Howitzer M1 The 75 mm Pack Howitzer M1 was an American lightweight artillery piece developed to provide infantry and airborne formations with a portable indirect-fire capability during World War II. Designed for disassembly and transport by pack animals, vehicles, or airborne units, the howitzer served with the United States Army and United States Marine Corps and was supplied in large quantities to Allied partners under Lend-Lease.
The M1 emerged from interwar requirements at Rock Island Arsenal and evaluation by the Field Artillery Board to replace older mountain artillery and to complement the 75 mm M2A1 field gun. Drawing on lessons from the Spanish Civil War and doctrinal shifts influenced by the U.S. Army Field Artillery Branch and observers attached to the British Expeditionary Force, designers emphasized packability, low weight, and compatibility with existing 75 mm ammunition. Development testing involved the Watervliet Arsenal and field trials with the 1st Infantry Division and 10th Mountain Division, resulting in a split-trail carriage with removable trails and a breech and recoil system adapted from the 75 mm M2A1.
The M1 featured a 75 mm L/20.5 barrel capable of firing standard 75×350R cartridges used by the United States Army and allied services. The interrupted-screw breech and hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism were influenced by designs evaluated alongside equipment from Vickers and Société des Forges. The carriage allowed −5° to +50° elevation and approximately 12° total traverse by handwheel, supporting direct and indirect fire roles similar to the 25-pounder used by the British Army. The howitzer could be broken down into six loads for transport by pack mule, jeep, or glider crews from Glider Pilot Regiment-style units and was adapted for towing by the Willys MB and light utility vehicles.
Introduced in 1940, the M1 saw extensive service in the North African Campaign, Italian Campaign, and Pacific War, providing mountain and airborne units with close support against enemy fortifications and concentrations. The howitzer equipped 101st Airborne Division and 82nd Airborne Division units during operations connected to Operation Overlord and Operation Market Garden, and served with artillery battalions attached to Eighth Army and Fifth Army formations. Under Lend-Lease the M1 was supplied to Republic of China Armed Forces, Soviet Union, and British Army formations; captured or lend-leased pieces also saw postwar use during the Chinese Civil War and Korean War.
Variants included the base M1, the improved M1A1 with minor carriage and sighting upgrades, and specialized modifications for airborne and mountain use produced at Rock Island Arsenal and subcontractors such as the Austin Motor Company for towed configurations. Field modifications by units in Italy and the Pacific Theater often added improvised recoil spades, upgraded sights from manufacturers like Avery and Ellicott, and compatibility adapters for mounting on landing craft and light trucks used by the United States Marine Corps.
Ammunition types for the M1 mirrored standard 75 mm rounds in U.S. service, including high-explosive (HE), smoke, white phosphorus (WP), and armor-piercing (AP) projectiles produced at the Frankford Arsenal and Lake City Army Ammunition Plant-era contractors. Fuzes and charges were interchangeable with the 75 mm M2A1 field gun family, enabling logistical commonality with Ordnance Department supply systems and facilitating resupply during campaigns such as Operation Torch and the Guadalcanal Campaign.
Primary users were the United States Army and United States Marine Corps; significant Lend-Lease recipients included the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, and Republic of China (1912–1949). Postwar operators and secondhand users comprised several Latin American and Southeast Asian nations during the late 1940s and 1950s, where surviving stocks supported internal security forces and nascent regular armies influenced by U.S. military assistance programs.
Surviving M1 howitzers are preserved at institutions such as the National Museum of the United States Army, the Imperial War Museum, and various military museums and private collections across the United States and United Kingdom. The M1 influenced postwar light artillery design philosophies embodied in later NATO pack and mountain guns and remains a subject of study in ordnance collections and restoration projects associated with World War II reenactment groups and historical societies.