Best artillery piece of WWII

Gentelmen:

One trhe most usefull weapons in the was was the 4.2 inch chemical morter with HE Shells. Each Infantry Division and Armored Division had a Battallion of these attached. They were accurate had a high rate of fire and very lethal. Tody the US Armys Heavy Divisions use a similar mortar mounted in M113 Carrier.

As Ever,

Walter L. Marlowe

( Airborne all the Way )

 

Fascinating stuff, Mr. Marlowe

 

Easily the greatest artillery piece of WWII was:

 

HEHE

 

My grandad claims it is in his trousers...

 

Upon reflection, I'd have to say it was the French 155mm GPF designed about mid-WW 1. This gun went into US service first as the 155mm M1917, then as the 155mm gun M1. The French used this gun up to their surrender in 1940. The Germans grabbed all they could and put them to use too. Post war, the 155mm M1 continued to serve first as a towed weapon then as a self-propelled gun and, in a not overly modified form continues to serve today.
I can't think of a single artillery piece that comes close to that record.

 

I'm going with the 105 mm Howitzer M2A1(M101. It was a very effective piece. I believe what we lacked in quality armor was made up by excellent artillery.

 

The 155mm Howitzer M1. They were about the heaviest pieces that were deployed in significant numbers. The Long Toms had a little further range but their weight as towed pieces began to tax their utility and they were not deployed in the numbers and support roles of their Howitzer cousins. As noted above, the 155 "guns" began to take on a bigger role as SP arty evolved.

The US choices for Field Artillery going into WWII proved to be correct ones. I think the 105mm Howies were a good mainstay with the 155s providing most of the extra punch needed. The Long Toms had a more limited but useful role. While the "heavies" like the 240mm "Black Dragon" certainly packed a wallop, their transportation issues severely curtailed their utility in mobile warfare and hence their elimination soon thereafter.

The fact that the 155mm Howitzer M1 remained in continuous service from WWII through Vietnam virtually unchanged (renamed M114), certainly speaks to its excellent design and utility in combat.

 

I favor the 105mm howitzer

 

If we include mortars the French Brandt 81mm weapon deserves a honorable mention, copied by Germany, Italy, the USA (and possibly the USSR as well) it's derivatives are still in use today.
As for guns my vote goes to the soviet Zis-3 76mm. While it did fire a lighter shell than the 25lb it's AT performance was better and if you know most of your artillery is going to be horse drawn it makes sense to stick to 76mm instead of going to 105 like the Germans did. And it was cheaper to produce and operate than the western pieces which helped create the mass the soviet army needed.

 

Well, these are not really artillery pieces. But I still like em.

My favorite? Either the US M2 .50 Autocannon (mislabeled a "machine gun" hahahaha, right) or, more likely, the
2.8 cm sPzB 41 Pak Squeeze Bore

For artillery, I think my favorite would be the British 25 pounder. What a gun!

 

I'm not really sure about artillery as I've not done much research in the field, however I love the Flak-88.

 

The 88 like you say was originally an anti aircraft cannon but the Germans were pragmatic enough to see and use its outstanding accuracy as an anti tank weapon. The higher ups agreed and immediately ordered anti tank rounds made for it. The British has several artillery pieces as good as the 88 but using an anti aircraft gun as anti- tank role simply did not fit their mindset for some reason! The 88 was so good it was fitted to the Tiger 1, which was what made this tank such a killer. No other big gun of the war can boast of serving so well in so many roles.

 

On later consideration, I would have to say my favorite piece of SELF-PROPELLED artillery would have to be . . .

THE HUMMEL!!
naturally, right?

 

Without a doubt, the German 88.

 

I'd list the following:

Light artillery piece: 76.2mm M1942 / SiS 3 field gun This Soviet piece was an excellent light gun. It was handy and light enough for hand maneuver and packed a reasonable shell as well as doubling as a decent anti-tank gun. The Germans thought enough of it to use hundreds, if not thousands, of captures themselves. It remained in service well into the 80's with other nations too.

Medium artillery piece: A tie: The British 25pdr Mk 2 and the US 105mm M2A1 howitzers. Both came out at about the same time and both were excellent pieces that have remained in serivce almost to today. The US gun has a heavier round but the British piece has more range. Both have decent antitank capacities in a pinch.

Light mortar: The French Brandt 81mm M 27/31. This is the granddaddy of virtually every mortar that size in the world right up to today. Everybody copied it in whole or part.

Heavy mortar: The Soviet 120mm HM 38. This mortar combined unparalled hitting power with a relatively light and mobile design. The Germans though enough of it to copy it.

Antitank gun: The German 7.5cm Pak 40 A formidable weapon for the period and one that combined that performance with a reasonably light carriage. It was also a relatively compact, low gun making it easy to conceal given its size.

Heavy artillery: The US 155mm M1A1 Howitzer. Still in service today as the M-114 with some nations. A very well designed and hard hitting weapon.

Antiaricraft gun: The US 90mm M2. This gun was a revolution in heavy AA gun design at the time it was introduced. It had a built in antitank capacity, was the first heavy gun to have on mount power, power ramming, automatic fuze setting and, a range of other features that put it far ahead of its competitors in utility. It was also built in almost the same numbers as the German 88.
I chose it instead of the British 3.7" which eventually developed into almost an exact equivalent because the British piece went through a long development period initially begining as too heavy and static a gun. I also didn't choose the German 8.8 Flak 18/36/37 on the basis of this gun not being anything particuarly novel or special. Its only real feature was its widespread use by the Germans mainly out of it being available in quantity.

 

I'll hop on the bandwagon and say the Flak88 as well. No other gun in modern warfare has performed so well in so many roles.

 

Had to do it....

 

I Like the Cartoons To Me the Best artillery Piece is the one that doesn't hit me with Friendly Fire LOL

 

I knew as soon as I saw the subject line that most of the answers would be "88".

For a start, "the 88" was several different weapons, the fairly similar Flak 18, 36, and 37, the longer barreled Flak 41 and Pak 43; also tank guns although they might not fall into a "favorite artillery" post.

As a couple of people have mentioned, the tactical significance of the 88 pertains mainly to the Flak 18/36/37 and derives more from the willingness of the Germans to use it in the ground or anti-tank role than any particular superiority of the gun itself. There was little to differentiate it from other AA guns like the Soviet 85mm, Italian or American 90mm, or British 3.7". Indeed some of the damage credited to Rommel's "88"s in desert battles like Gazala was actually done by Italian 90mms.

The most distinctive feature of the Flak 18/36/37, the four-wheeled carriage, had good points and bad. It made the gun more suitable for mobile warfare than many AA/AT/artillery pieces, but its bulk and height made it vulnerable and difficult to dig in; it had its heyday early in the war when opponents failed or were unable to bring down effective HE fire.