M43 Howitzer Motor Carriage

The 203 mm howitzer motor carriage M43 was an American self-propelled artillery vehicle built on a widened and lengthened medium tank M4A3 chassis, but with a Continental engine and HVSS that was introduced at the end of World War II.

A production run of 576 was planned originally, but in the end only 24 were produced and another 24 were converted from M40 hulls.

Equipped with a M115 203 mm (8-inch) howitzer, it was designed to replace the earlier M12 gun motor carriage.

A single pilot vehicle was deployed in Europe before the end of World War II and was used in action by the 991st Field Artillery Regiment, first seeing action as part of Zebra Force in February 1945 in the capture of Cologne.

M43s were used in action in the Korean War, where they were well suited to the static fighting there, their high angle of fire permitting them to hit the rear slopes of hills.

M43 Howitzer at Ft. Sill, OK.