According to the article, "The panzers were directly in front of three of the 75mm guns deployed in antitank positions, about 500 to 600 yards away. Garrett directed the gun commanders to quietly bore sight their guns on the tanks and prepare to fire as soon as they could confirm that these were indeed the enemy."

Earlier, the article stated, "Experience had taught him [Cooper] that a tank will attack a gun head-on, so he had another gun that would have a side shot at any approaching tank. Each of Cooper's guns had 20 rounds of hollow charge antitank ammo to provide direct fire against enemy armor."

It is my understanding that left axle-traversing mechanism is used to set the azimuth. This seems okay while setting up the gun for indirect fire, but in a situation where you might have to be rapidly changing the aiming point during a battle with moving tanks, isn't that a bit awkward?

Here are some photos of the pack howitzer.  Note the M3 Carriage has both handwheels angled to the rear.  On the photos of the stripped down carriage there is no traversing handwheel visable on the right or left, just a elevation control.  Traverse mechanism is not visable on the carriage either. 

(In the background of the upper photo there is a cannon with both hand wheels on the left.) 

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Gentlemen, Near the beginning of this conversation Gilbert gave the tag markings for the recoil mechanism and such.  I have an M1A1 Pack Howitzer nearby and would like to find out the serial number of the cannon ....  Is it the "No. 9128" following the "Draper Corp." on the recoil mechanism?  Also, do you know if it would be possible to find any records regarding this specific cannon itself?

That is likely it.  I have no idea where or if the US Army preserved its ordinance records.  You might check the library at Ft Sill.  It has a web site thru which the library staff can be contacted.  They may be able to point you in the right direction.  Do a search for Fort Sill and look for the link to the library on it.

 

Good luck and let us know what you find.

Im not sure if this query is about the serial number of the complete howitzer, or just the "ordnance" AKA "tube".  If the complete weapon then the serial number will be on the Data Plate which gives the Nomenclature of teh weapon along with teh manufacturers data, this data plate may well have a date on it aswell.  If we are talking about teh tube then this serial number is usually stamped or engraved on the rear face of teh tube itself.  You usually have to open the breech to find this serial number.

 

Regards

 

Arty