OTO Melara Mod 56

The OTO-Melara Mod 56 is an Italian-made 105 mm pack howitzer built and developed by OTO Melara. It fires the standard US type M1 ammunition.

OTO Melara Model 56/14 pack howitzer
Italian mountain artillery troops with a Mod 56 in the Dolomites
TypePack howitzer
Place of originItaly
Service history
Used bySee Operators
Production history
DesignerOTO Melara
Designed1950s
Specifications
Mass1,290 kg (2,840 lb)
Length3.65 m (12 ft 0 in)
Barrel length1.47 m (4 ft 9.9 in) L/14
Width1.5 m (4 ft 11.1 in)
Height1.9 m (6 ft 2.8 in)[1]
Crew7
ShellSemi-fixed 105 x 372 mm R
Shell weight14.9 kg (33 lb)[2]
Calibre105 mm (4.13 in)
BreechVertical sliding-block
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
CarriageSplit trail
Elevation-7° to +65°
Traverse56°[1]
Rate of fire10 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity416.0 m/s (1,360 ft/s)
Maximum firing range10,000 m (10,900 yd)[1]

History

The OTO Melara 105 mm Mod 56 began life in the 1950s to meet the requirement for a modern light-weight howitzer that could be used by the Italian Army's Alpini brigades mountain artillery regiments. That it remained in service with those units a full half century after its introduction is a testament to the gun's quality. The Mod 56 has a number of unique characteristics for a weapon of its caliber, including the ability for its crew to manhandle the gun (due to its light weight), and the capability of being used in the direct fire role. Being a pack howitzer, it is designed to be broken down into 12 parts, each of which can be transported easily.[3]

Its ability to be "knocked-down" allows the sections to be transported a number of ways, although the original design was for mule-pack using special pack saddles. More often it is towed by a light vehicle such as a jeep or Land Rover. With the shield removed it can be carried inside an M113 armored personnel carrier. Its particular attraction to Western armies in the 1960s was that its light weight meant it could be lifted in one piece by helicopter, which made the gun popular with light artillery units in many countries as well as the more specialized mountain and airborne troops. Overall, the Mod 56 has served in more than 30 countries worldwide, of which a partial listing of the major operators is below.

As an added refinement to the gun's mass, the Mod 56 is built to be an artillery piece with a reputation of ease with which it can be assembled and then disassembled into twelve components within minutes. The gun's light weight did have the drawback that it lacked the robustness necessary for sustained operations. Australian and New Zealand gunners in South Vietnam found the weapon unsuitable for continuous operations. The guns were replaced by the sturdy US-made M101A1 after some two years. The lack of durability also led to their being carried on trucks for longer distances outside the combat zone. The Mod 56 offered limited protection to its crew.

The Chinese manufacturer NORINCO offers a version of the Model 56 pack howitzer and its associated ammunition.[4]

In Commonwealth service, the gun was known simply as the "L5 pack howitzer" with L10 ordnance. However, its lack of range and the indifferent lethality of its ammunition led the UK to start development of its replacement, the L118 light gun, only two years after the pack howitzer entered service. This provided them with an advantage in range when facing the Argentine OTO Melaras during the Falklands war. Still, 105 mm bombardments accounted for a considerable share of all British casualties suffered in land battles during that conflict.

The gun became the standard equipment of the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (AMF ACE Mobile Force (Land)) artillery, equipping the batteries provided by Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the UK until 1975.

Combat service

Identified combat use includes:

Operators
Operators of the Mod 56 (current in blue; former in red)

Current operators (2018)

Former operators
A L5 Pack Howitzer formerly used by the New Zealand Army on display as part of a war memorial in Clyde, New Zealand
L5 Pack Howitzer of 1 Regiment Royal Horse Artillery during the Aden Emergency

References
Notes
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  2. "101". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. Hogg, Ian. Twentieth Century Artillery. ISBN 1-84013-315-5
  4. Foss, Christopher F. (May 2009). "China expands tube artillery capability". International Defence Review, Vol 42.
  5. van der Bijl, Nick (30 July 1992). Argentine Forces in the Falklands. Men-at-Arms 250. Osprey Publishing. pp. 22–23. ISBN 9781855322271.
  6. "Gunners' Day Feature: Italian L5 105mm Pack Howitzer". armymuseum.co.nz. National Army Museum. 26 May 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  7. "105mm OTO Melara M56, 1956 production in Bakhmut". Zloneversleep. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  8. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 384. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  9. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 385. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  10. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 245. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  11. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 448. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  12. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 391. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  13. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 395. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  14. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 404. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  15. Wiener, Friedrich (1987). The armies of the NATO nations: Organization, concept of war, weapons and equipment. Truppendienst Handbooks Volume 3. Vienna: Herold Publishers. p. 496.
  16. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 112. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  17. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 262. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  18. "Obice da 105/14 - Esercito Italiano".
  19. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. p. 472. ISBN 9781032012278.
  20. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 283. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  21. "SIPRI-Armstrade". armstrade.sipri.org.
  22. Christopher F. Foss (2001). Jane's Armour and Artillery (2002 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers. p. 740. ISBN 978-0710623096.
  23. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 479. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  24. @josephhdempsey (2 April 2015). "#BokoHaram OTO Melara M56 105mm howitzer (improvised SPG mount) recaptured by #Nigeria army rpt near #Gwoza" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 292. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  26. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 418. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  27. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 296. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  28. "San Marino: Artiglieria, cerimonia di presa di possesso dei cannoni donati dalla Repubblica Italiana". www.sanmarinortv.sm. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2021..
  29. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 149. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  30. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 150. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  31. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 306. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  32. "Guns N' Gazpacho: Spanish Military Aid To Ukraine". www.oryxspioenkop.com. 29 May 2023.
  33. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 424. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  34. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 425. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  35. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 495. ISBN 978-1857439557.
  36. "L5 Pack Howitzer". artilleryhistory.com. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  37. "105mm Gebirgshaubitze Oto-Melara Modell 1956". www.panzerbaer.de. Archived from the original on 30 November 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  38. "105/14 Model 56 105 mm Pack Howitzer". forecastinternational.com. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  39. Jowett 2016, p. 24.
  40. Christopher F. Foss (2001). Jane's Armour and Artillery (2002 ed.). Macdonald and Jane's Publishers. ISBN 978-0710623096.
  41. "Former Equipment of Iraqi Army". Archive.org. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  42. International Institute for Strategic Studies (2018). The Military Balance. p. 139. ISBN 978-1857439557.
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