Belarusian Volunteers Armed With WWII-Era M114 Howitzers

Belarusian volunteers from the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment have received American M114 howitzers into their arsenal.

The unit noted that this is the largest caliber weapon they have.

“It operates continuously as a stationary firing point to support infantry,” the fighters said.

The main technical feature of the gun is its specific loading system.

“The M114 is an old one, from 1943. We disassembled it by hand, completely removing the breech block hatch, like in a torpedo tube. There are no shell casings – the entire charge burns directly from the bags. It’s convenient that there are no casings: you don’t have to transport them back and forth, and nothing gets jammed,” explained Zoltan, an artilleryman of the Regiment.

The American 155 mm howitzer, weighing 5.8 tons, was developed in 1941.

It was actively used during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iran–Iraq War, as well as in a number of other conflicts.

The howitzer has a short barrel with a length of 23 calibers and is capable of firing at a maximum range of up to 14,600 meters.

This is a relatively modest figure compared to modern 155 mm systems, but it is comparable to the capabilities of 105 mm artillery.

Last year, it became known that the Defense Forces of Ukraine had received American M114 howitzers from the World War II era.

Their delivery was announced as part of military aid from Portugal and Greece in 2022 and 2024.

Greece, in particular, announced the transfer of around 70 M114A1 howitzers from its armed forces.