Details
The weapon was designed to be broken into eight mule loads, for transport over difficult terrain. The heaviest single section was the interrupted screw breech, which weighed 247 pounds (112 kg). Given an open gun position, a practiced crew could have the guns unloaded from the mules, reassembled and deployed ready for action in barely two minutes. However, the 3.7-inch howitzer's adjustable suspension system allowed it to be deployed on almost any position, even those too uneven or with too steep a gradient to allow field artillery to be sited. The process of removing the howitzer from a position and reloading it onto the gun mules involved much more lifting and securing loads than deploying it, but could be accomplished in three minutes in favourable conditions.
The howitzer had a split trail, the first British weapon to do so, which allowed firing at very high angles (a useful feature in mountainous terrain). It also had a large rectangular shield to protect the crew from small-arms fire, but this was often omitted to save weight. When it was first introduced, the howitzer had two wooden wheels and was light enough be towed by two horses. Later marks had pneumatic tyres and could be towed by any light vehicle, such as the Bren Carrier or jeep.
The propellant casing had five "charge zones", but HE was restricted to no more than Charge 4, to prevent premature detonation of the shell.
Read more about this topic: QF 3.7 Inch Mountain Howitzer
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