Hitting the mark: the "Lut" brigade fights using a World War II-era American howitzer (video).

The Ukrainian army is equipped with many fascinating weapons. Among the oldest is the American howitzer M101A1. This artillery was used during World War II and the Korean War, and now it assists in eliminating the enemy in the Toretsk direction. Journalists from "Army TV" have reported on this deadly artifact.

Currently, the American howitzer M101A1 is in service with the Assault Brigade of the National Police "Lut."

On the front lines, they mention that the 105 mm howitzer is already well entrenched, stable, and strikes accurately at its targets.

A soldier with the pseudonym "Jax" shares that he has been operating the American M101 for three months. He states that it is quite similar to the Soviet D30 but offers greater convenience.

"It's even easier to operate here. There are two gunners. One is responsible for the elevation angle, while the other manages the sight. Most often, they fire at enemy infantry, hitting targets up to 10 km away. Although they have also targeted motorcyclists and lightly armored Russian vehicles," — the fighter "Jax" notes that although the equipment is old, it remains reliable. The key is to maintain and clean the recoil mechanism regularly.

What is known about the American howitzer M101A1

The M101A1 howitzer (formerly known as M2A1) is an artillery piece developed in the USA. It was the standard American light field howitzer during World War II and the Korean War. Following its production start in 1941, it quickly gained a reputation for accuracy and powerful impact. The M101A1 fires 105 mm caliber ammunition and has a range of 11,270 meters, making it suitable for infantry support.

Mass production of howitzers at the Rock Island Arsenal continued until 1953, with a total of 10,202 M2A1 units manufactured. However, in the following years, production of M101A1 howitzers was periodically resumed to fulfill export orders. The last such order (for 133 howitzers) was received in 1981 from Indonesia. The last campaign of the U.S. Army in which M101A1 howitzers were widely used was the Vietnam War. However, they were acquired in the post-war years by NATO countries and several nations in the Middle East.

Historian Andriy Kharkov noted that Ukraine received 18 of these howitzers in September 2022.

"The path of these howitzers to our Armed Forces was winding: the Americans once transferred these howitzers to Denmark, which gifted them to Lithuania in 2002, and twenty years later, the Lithuanians passed the M101A1 to Ukraine," — the professor explained.