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Projectile 105mm Howitzer M360 Chemical

ammocat

ammocat

Well-Known Member
Ordnance approved
I have the tech info from TM-43-1000-28 for the Projectile 105mm Howitzer M360 Chemical, but it does not provide any specific measurements for the shell. I was hoping someone may have a detailed drawing of the M360 shell. The M360 is similar in appearance to the M1 HE and I am trying to confirm if there are any differences in shell length, angle of boat tail, length of shell wall, etc that could be used to distinguish the M360 shell from the M1 HE shell.

I have seen a M360 shell with stamped markings "105MM-M360-H6" above the driving band. Does anyone know what the H6 indicates?
 
The biggest difference is in the large diameter burster tube, which does not appear on the HE projectiles. Don't remember if there is an H6 stamped on any of mine, but don't know what it means regardless. I'll leave a note and try and take some photos tomorrow when I get home. I've seen a couple at Suffield.
 
Without getting too technical in an open forum, here are a couple of shots of the M360 and the T173B1, its developmental designation. I would say that the stamp is HG, not H6. The cut on the M360 is not original, it was done before it was given to me.

105mm M360.jpg105mm M360a.jpg105mm T173B1 2.jpg105mm T173B1.jpg105mm T173B1a.jpg
 
Thanks for posting the photos. The markings I saw were not that clear and we debated whether it was HG or H6. I thought it was a little to curved to be a G, but I guess I was wrong.
 
Positive ID to differentiate HE M1 from M360 is the base plate. Only the M1 (HE) has a welded baseplate. According to my EOD references the difference is about the 2.3mm (GB longer). I think (without all the data) that the projectiles would be almost the same shape and size as the M1/M60.
 
The lack of welded baseplate will tell you that it is not an M1, but not that it is an M360. The M60, which you list at the end of your post, will also have a smooth base. As a WP/HD round it is much more common than the M360.
 
US-Subs said:
The lack of welded baseplate will tell you that it is not an M1, but not that it is an M360. The M60, which you list at the end of your post, will also have a smooth base. As a WP/HD round it is much more common than the M360.
Click to expand...

Quite correct and as you may know the lack of ID features is as important as the presence in narrowing down your ID.

EOD pubs can be a bit scant on dimensions, perhaps not on accuracy but more on completeness. e.g. when trying to ID a UXO you want the size of the projectile; not the size of the complete round. The lack of welded base plate is one factor in separating HE from carrier. Other factors would be length, shape and stamped markings etc. I'd like to get my hands on the Ammunition drawings we used at OMMCS; these are very detailed.

So for the family of 105mm Boat tailed projectiles M1 HE, M84 BE SMK, M60 WP/FS/HS/HD and your T173/M360 GB:

a. only HE has a welded base plate,
b. M84 has a Base Ejection Baseplate,
c. Flechette projectiles have aluminium and steel body,
d. M60 series have a steel nose adapter

All are similar in length. What sets the T173/M360 model apart is that the in-service model has no welded base plate, no BE plate, is steel and has no adapter. These features eliminate all the above, but the M360. So, as Holmes would say elimating all other factors the one that remains is the the truth.


P
 
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Attached are photos of a sectioned M1 He projectile dated 1952 and a T173B1 projectile dated 1954, the same as US-Subs. There are two differences in the outer appearance of the projectiles. The HE projo has the safety plate welded on the bottom as has already been mentioned, and the T173B1 and M360 do not have the undercut below the bourrelet. Both of these projectiles are one piece forgings drawn and machined. They cannot be confused with the M60 projectile, because the chemical seal that is press fit into the ogive to form the fuzewell is a separate piece, and they never seem to match up diameter-wise. The adaptor is always larger in diameter than the lower body of the projectile. In other words there is an interruption near the fuzewell where the diameters of the adaptor and main body ogive don't match on the M60 Chem projectile.

As an added note, I sectioned the M1 as a 1/3 section, but I found the chem projo in the current 1/4 section rusty condition.
 

Attachments

  • 105mm M1 and T173B1.jpg
    105mm M1 and T173B1.jpg
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  • 105mm M1 and T173B1 two.jpg
    105mm M1 and T173B1 two.jpg
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  • 105mm M1 and T173B1 three.jpg
    105mm M1 and T173B1 three.jpg
    95.4 KB · Views: 39
Sorry for the delayed response, thanks to everyone for posting the information and photos, they have been very helpful.
 
Subs, remember the conversation at the ST Louis collectors about the welded base plate not being a firmed ID for US HE? I think I found the reason, seems Iraq filled approx. 15,000 M 110 155mm bodies with TNT. Came from a UN document. Not sure why they would do it, unless they thought this was a good way to get rid of their chemical projectiles or the projectile bodies, sort of a reuse effort?
 
As I recall the Iraqi M110s were Spanish and Belgian manufacture, not US. The rumor I was chasing was strictly about US manufactured projos.
 
that right I forgot about the M 110's not being US mfg. I did contact the only US mfg of projectiles and they all tell me the same thing, there is a welded on base plate for prevention of hot gases getting to the filler, but they also say in conversation that they do not think it is really necessary with todays manufacturing process.
 
Met up with Ammocat last week and went to have a look at this item. Very interesting as it's not often you see field recovered M360s
Thanks to Ammocat for making it an interesting trip.

Pete
 
So it looks like if you substitute some of the TNT in Tritonal with RDX, you get H6.
 
All M60 projectiles have internal burster tubes. Does your projo have M60 stamped on the side? What is the diameter of the internal threads?
 
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