Editing Field gun

{{Short description|Class of artillery gun}}
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[[Image:105L Schneider - model 1913 pic2.JPG |thumb|A post-WWI [[Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider|French 105 mm field gun]]]]

A '''field gun''' is a [[field artillery]] piece. Originally the term referred to smaller [[gun]]s that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ([[field artillery]]), as opposed to guns installed in a fort ([[Royal Garrison Artillery|garrison artillery]] or [[coastal artillery]]), or to [[siege cannon]]s and [[mortar (weapon)|mortars]] which are too large to be moved quickly, and would be used only in a prolonged [[siege]].

Perhaps the most famous use of the field gun in terms of advanced tactics was [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]'s use of very large wheels on the guns that allowed them to be moved quickly even during a battle. By moving the guns from point to point during a battle, enemy formations could be broken up to be handled by the [[infantry]] or [[cavalry]] wherever they were massing, dramatically increasing the overall effectiveness of the attack.

==World War I==
[[File:Field guns captured by New Zealanders in World War I on display in London, 1918.jpg|thumb|German field guns captured by the [[New Zealand Expeditionary Force|NZEF]] displayed in London, 1918]]
As the evolution of artillery continued, almost all guns of any size became capable of being moved at some speed. With few exceptions, even the largest siege weapons had become mobile by road or rail by the start of [[World War I]], and evolution after that point tended to be towards smaller weapons with increased mobility. Even the [[History of Germany during World War II|German]] super-heavy guns in [[World War II]] were rail or caterpillar-track mobile.

In British use, ''field guns'' or ''light guns'' were anything up to {{convert|4.5|in|abbr=on}} in calibre, larger calibres were ''medium guns'', and the largest calibres were ''heavy guns''.

==World War II==
Since about the start of [[World War II]], the term has been applied to long-range artillery pieces that fire at a relatively low angle, as opposed to [[howitzer]]s which can fire at higher angles. Field guns also lack a specialized purpose, such as anti-tank or coastal artillery. By the later stages of World War II the majority of artillery in use was either in the form of howitzers of {{convert|105|mm|abbr=on}} to {{convert|155|mm|abbr=on}}, or in form of hybrid anti-tank/field guns that had high enough muzzle velocity to be used in both roles. The most common field guns of the era were the British {{convert|5.5|in|abbr=on}}, the American [[155 mm Long Tom]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Doyle |first=David |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1285628816 |title=155 Mm Gun M1 "Long Tom" : US Army Field Gun in World War II and Korea |publisher=[[Schiffer Publishing]] |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-7643-6339-9 |oclc=1285628816}}</ref> (a development of a [[France|French]] World War I weapon) and the Soviet [[100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)|BS-3]] &ndash; an artillery piece adapted from a naval gun and designed to double up as an anti-tank weapon.

One of the most produced field guns during the war was the Soviet {{convert|76|mm|abbr=on}} [[76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3)|ZiS-3]] with over 103,000 produced. The ZiS-3 could be used in direct fire against armored vehicles, direct fire in infantry support, and indirect fire against distant targets. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/artillery | title=Artillery &#124; Definition, History, Types, & Facts &#124; Britannica }}</ref>

==1960s and 1970s==
The [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] tried the long-range gun again from the early 1960s to the late 1970s with the [[M107 Self-Propelled Gun|M107 175 mm gun]]. The M107 was used extensively in the Vietnam War and proved effective in artillery duels with the North Vietnamese forces. It was considered a high-maintenance item and was removed from service with U.S. forces after a rash of cracked barrels. Production of the M107 continued until 1980 and the gun is still in service with the Israeli military. Reserve stocks are held by other former users such as the [[People's Army of Vietnam]].

==Modern times==
Since the 1980s and 1990s, the field gun has seen limited combat use. The class of small and highly mobile artillery has been filled with increasing capacity by the man-portable [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] in {{convert|60|mm|abbr=on}} or {{convert|81|mm|abbr=on}}/{{convert|82|mm|abbr=on}} calibre and has replaced every artillery piece smaller than {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on}}. [[Gun-howitzer]]s fill the middle ground, with the world rapidly standardizing on either the [[155 mm]] (6.1 in) [[NATO]] or {{convert|152|mm|abbr=on}} [[Warsaw Pact]] (former [[Soviet Union|USSR]]) standards. The need for a long-range weapon is filled by [[rocket (weapon)|rocket]]s, [[missile]]s, and [[military aircraft|aircraft]]. Modern gun-artillery such as the [[L118]] 105 mm light gun or the [[M119]] 105 mm howitzer are used to provide fire support for infantry and armour at ranges where mortars are impractical. Man-packed mortars lack the range or hitting power of gun-artillery. In between is the [[Mortier 120mm Rayé Tracté Modèle F1|rifled towed mortar]]; this weapon (usually in {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} calibre) is light enough to be towed by a truck or SUV, has a range of over {{convert|7.5|km|abbr=on}} and fires a projectile comparable in destructive power to a {{convert|152|mm|abbr=on}}/{{convert|155|mm|abbr=on}} artillery shell.

==See also==
* [[List of field guns]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20181111133559/http://www.seayourhistory.org.uk/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=279&g2_itemId=202 Field Gun Image Gallery - Royal Naval Museum's Sea Your History website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110616071352/http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/browser.asp?subject=Armaments&title=Field%2BWeapon&subtitle=Field%2BGun&searchtype=1 Pictures of Vickers field guns]
* [[Field gun competition|The Royal Navy's field gun competition]]
* [http://www.pafg.co.uk Portsmouth Action Field Gun - civilians in Portsmouth still running the ex-Royal Navy Command Field Gun run]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070910132018/http://www.command100.co.uk/ COMMAND100 - Centenary of Inter Command Field Gun]


{{Military and war}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Field Gun}}
[[Category:Cannon]]
[[Category:Field artillery]]