OTO
Melara 105 mm Mod 56 light-weight howitzer
1)
The OTO Melara 105 mm Mod 56 light-weight howitzer was the
standard artillery piece used and deployed by both the
Australian and New Zealand units at the beginning of the
Vietnam war.
For its calibre – 105mm, the M56 had a couple of unique features,
as a pack howitzer it was designed to be broken into 12
components and easily transported. Its compact size and
comparative light weight allowed the crew to quickly
reposition and manhandle the gun and it had the ability
to be used in a direct fire role. The ability of this
weapon to be "knocked-down" allowed the
different sections to be transported in several ways.
The original design was for mule-pack using special pack
saddles, and with a well-trained crew the artillery
piece could be disassembled into twelve components and
re-assembled within minutes. However, during the Vietnam
war it was more often towed complete by light vehicles
such as the Land Rover. When the shield was removed, it
could be carried inside an M113 APC, and due to its
light weight could be lifted in one piece by helicopter.
This made the gun popular with many light artillery
units. Overall, the Mod 56 served in more than 30
countries worldwide.
2)
The gun's light weight however did have a drawback in that it
lacked the robustness necessary for sustained
operations. Both Australian and New Zealand gunners in
Vietnam found that the M56 was not suitable for
continuous fire support operations.
After 2 years of service in Vietnam the M56’s
was replaced by the more robust US-made M101A1 105mm
howitzer (M2A2).
M56
105mm Howitzer Vietnam War Deployment
Australian
Army 1965–67 (with very
limited use thereafter) by 101, 103, 105, 106 and 108
field batteries.
New Zealand Army 1965–67, 161 Battery.
Notable
engagement – The Battle of Long Tan
3)
During the Battle of Long Tan on 18th August
1966, the M56 howitzer deployed with 161 Bty, 16 Field
Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, 103 Bty and 105
Bty Royal Australian Artillery and 2/35th Howitzer
Battalion, US Army (M101A1) were it played a major role
in supporting the outnumbered Australian infantry from D
Company 6 RAR helping to hold off a regimental-sized
Viet Cong force.
4)
The
desperate fighting at Long Tan demonstrated very clearly
the value of artillery support to an infantry force in
peril. So dire was the situation and so close were the
enemy forces to the Australians troops that artillery
support was called onto friendly positions. Throughout
the hours of fighting, the guns kept up a constant fire
as they broke up enemy attacks and struck at likely
concentration and forming-up areas. At one point lasting
for
more than 3.5 hours during that engagement, the gunners
firing the M56 averaged 6-8 rounds per minute - 2 rounds
above intense rate, effectively firing almost non-stop.
5)
Those
who cleared the battlefield the day after the engagement
estimated that half of the enemy dead had been killed by
artillery. At Long Tan the infantryman fought for their
lives with armoured vehicles playing a vital role in the
latter part of the battle, but due to the accurate and
deadly artillery fire it was the heavily outnumbered
Australians who prevailed.
Long Tan showed that if the troops were within
range of the guns, patrols could be sent deep into enemy
territory and be supported by artillery as an integral
part of battalion operations. 105 Australians and 3 New
Zealanders (D Coy, 6RAR) fought and defeated 2,500 North
Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers. 18 Australians and an
estimated 500+ VC and NVA were killed during this
engagement.
6)
Weapon
Specification:
Weight
1290 kg / 2840lb
Length
3.65m / 12ft 0in
Barrel
Length
1.47m / 4ft 9.9in L/14
Crew
7
Ordnance
Semi-fixed 105x372mm R
Calibre
105mm
Breach
Vertical
sliding block
Range
10 km / 6.2 miles
Photograph
information (in descending order)
1
War and Peace Revival Show 2014.
2
War and Peace Show 2012 (Best Artillery Award).
3
War and Peace Revival Show 2014.
4
War and Peace Revival Show 2014.
5
War and Peace Revival Show 2014.
6
War and Peace Show 2012 (Best Artillery Award).
Matthew Reynolds
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