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I find it interesting, the number of 155mm Howitzers with unpainted barrels....
How common was it, what was the reason behind it?
The barrels of all these howitzers were typically unpainted metal for better heat dissipation and to prevent paint from interfering with the firing process. Some sources suggest a grey primer coat for corrosion protection, but the finished surface was usually the raw metal.
Left picture is from a '' Colored '' (segregated) unit : certainly the 333rd or 969th Artillery Battalion, that both fought in Normandy and Northern Europe equipped with the M1 howitzer.It's a good thing that the old Airfix kit comes with a metal barrel then!
Nope...payload 1½ tons. WC-63 meant it had a winch on the front