3-inch M1902 field gun

M1902 field gun
M1905 model
Type	Light field gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1902–1920s
Used by	USA
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designed	1902
Produced	1902–1917
Variants	M 1902, 1904, 1905
Specifications
Weight	gun & breech : 835 lb (379 kg) (1902 & 1904) 788 lb (357 kg) (1905); 2,520 lb (1,140 kg) gun & carriage total.
Barrel length	7 feet (2.1 m) (bore); 7 ft 3 in (2.2 m) (total)

Shell	Fixed ammunition, 15 lb (6.8 kg) shell
Calibre	3-inch (76.2 mm)
Breech	Interrupted screw
Recoil	hydro - spring, 45 inches (1.14 m)
Carriage	Wheeled
Elevation	-5° to 15°
Muzzle velocity	1,700 ft/s (520 m/s)
Effective firing range	6,000 yd (5,500 m) at 15° elevation
Maximum firing range	8,500 yd (7,800 m) approx.

The M1902, a.k.a. M1905 3-inch gun (76.2mm) was the U.S. Army’s first steel, rifled, breech loading, quick-firing field gun.

Design

The features of rifling, breech loading and springs to absorb the gun's recoil and quickly return it to the firing position combined to improve the range, accuracy, and rate of fire of the gun, allowing it to be used more effectively in operations with infantry. These new capabilities allowed the gun to provide accurate indirect fire on targets not in a direct line of sight, which provided crucial firepower for infantry attacks. It was also one of the first artillery guns to have an armored shield to protect the crew from small arms fire. The gun fired 3 inches (76 mm) Shrapnel or Explosive Shells that weighed 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms).^[1] This was of a heavier poundage than the older guns, in its role, could cope with (the use of steel provided this benefit) meaning that the M1902 could fire a shell (when taking note of the use of tighter rifling) at a greater muzzle velocity at a greater accuracy than any other field gun of American origin to that point. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,700 ft/s (520 m/s) with an effective range of 6,500 yards (5,900 m), and a maximum range of 8,500 yards (7,800 m). The maximum rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute.

This was not the same weapon as the 3-inch M1902 seacoast gun, which was designed by Bethlehem Steel and was mounted in fixed defenses.

Service history

General John J. Pershing brought several of the guns with him during the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916–17 but they were not fired in combat.

The M1902/5 was used from 1905–1917. During World War I, the Army used the French 75mm gun instead of the M1902s, which were mostly kept in the United States for training. Very few of the M1902s were used in combat in Europe. They were gradually phased out of active service in the 1920s.

Surviving examples

M1902 field gun at the First Division Museum tank park at Cantigny Park.

A 3-inch M1902 field gun exhibited at the Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, Texas.

Cantigny Park, in Wheaton, Illinois.^[2]
Westminster, Massachusetts^[3]
New London MO.^[4]
Aberdeen Proving Ground^[5]
Fort Sam Houston^[6]
Oklahoma City OK^[7]
one at Clemson University
one complete unit at Fort Sill museum
one at Texas A&M University. Operated by the Corps of Cadets, Parson's Mounted Cavalry (The Spirit of '02)
one at Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, Faribault, MN, USA
Three at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, PA, U.S.A.
one at Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post no.33, Greensburg, PA, USA
one in 3-inch M1902 field gun Mission county park, San Antonio, Texas. The gun is missing its wheels.
one at Columbus, New Mexico, USA
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Camp Edwards, Massachusetts
Newport Artillery Company Armory, Newport, RI
One complete unit at High Street Cemetery, Danvers, Massachusetts^[8]
two at Lakeview Park in the City of Lorain near Cleveland Ohio
A refurbished 1902 American field gun is on display in the city of Hopewell, VA
A recently restored 3-inch M1905 field gun is in the possession of 3-7 Field Artillery at Schofield Barracks, HI
A restored 3-inch M1902 field gun is on display at the U. S. Army Museum of Hawaii at Fort DeRussy in Honolulu, HI
one at Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin, TX
One at the 45th Infantry Division Museum in Oklahoma City, OK. www.45thdivisionmuseum.com
One on the courthouse grounds, Ralls County, Mo, town of New London.
Costa Mesa, California
One M1905 on the grounds of the Rush County Courthouse, Rushville, Indiana
Two at the Washington National Guard Museum, Camp Murray, Washington
One M1905 on the grounds of VFW Post 5700 in Hightstown, NJ
One M1902 on the parade grounds of Ft. Meade, South Dakota
One M1902 at the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield, IL
One M1902 at the West End WWI Memorial Park in Amsterdam, NY - serial number 155

Notes

References

"Handbook of artillery : including mobile, anti-aircraft and trench matériel (1920)"
Handbook of the 3-inch Gun Matériel, model of 1902 War Department Ordnance Form No.1659 revised June 5, 1917
"Instructions for Mounting, Using and Caring For the 3-Inch (15-pounder) Gun" revised 1913 Ordanance Form No. 1766

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 3 inch Gun Model 1902-1904-1905.

Lieut.-Col. E.L. Gruber, "Notes on the 3 inch gun materiel and field artillery equipment. Compiled for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of Yale University". 1917.

United States artillery of World War I

Tank guns	Puteaux SA 18 QF 6 pounder 6 cwt Hotchkiss

Small and pack guns	Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP QF 2.95 inch Mountain Gun

Field, medium and heavy guns	3-inch M1902 field gun Canon de 75 modèle 1897 75 mm Gun M1916 75 mm Gun M1917 4.7 inch Gun M1906 6-inch field howitzer M-1908 Canon de 155mm GPF Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk VI – VIII 240 mm Trench Mortar

Anti-aircraft guns	75 mm Gun M1916 3-inch gun M1917 3-inch Gun M1918

Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 4.72-inch Armstrong gun 5-inch gun M1897 6-inch Armstrong gun 6-inch gun M1897 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 14-inch gun M1907 16-inch gun M1895 16-inch gun M1919 155 mm gun M1918MI

Railway artillery	8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 12-inch gun M1895MIA1 14"/50 caliber railway gun

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