The Black Dragon M1 Howitzer: The WWII Superheavy Artillery That's Still Relevant in Taiwan

[@megaprojects9649]

Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video! Head to keeps.com/MEGAPROJECTS to get 50% off your first order of Keeps hair loss treatment.

[@cashewnuttel9054]

Could you just keep doing US war crimes please, those are more interesting than any of your content. If not then do Biographics about Papa Doc, and all 20th-21st century dictators.

[@1337flite]

Why would the gun be called the "Black Dragon"? Um, because it looks black to whoever named it and it breathes smoke and fire? (muzzle blast). PS I think you forgot the "Into The Shadows" link.

[@SandyCrinklesack]

will the keeps product work on my vagina Simon? let me know ASAP, thanks

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

Soviet union love artileri

[@wintryhard]

Nothing major but you said 1943 around the 8:21 mark, instead I am assuming 1953. Anyway no real issue, just felt if it can help than somehow than great.

[@thecellulontriptometer4166]

As a career artilleryman, what most people don't understand is that even though missile systems have a much longer range with the ability to be more accurate and deliver larger rounds, all of that technology comes at a cost. A standard cannon system can fire 15-20 shells for the cost of one large missile and 5 rounds for every rocket(not guided). As war often is economic in nature, the ability to provide artillery fire at a fraction of the cost will always make cannon systems a part of the battlefield.

[@fecalmatter4195]

I would say cannons are more reliable aswell however I think the future is Lasers which are being mounted to warships currently each shot can cost less than a $1.

[@MrFlatage]

@@fecalmatter4195 Laserweapons on warships is a nice dream. Hollywood loves it.

[@jpoeng]

@@MrFlatage Lol… Yeah. Except they’re in limited service already for testing purposes.

[@thebravegallade731]

also you can shoot down missiles, you can't exactly shoot down a shell easily.

[@jpoeng]

@@thebravegallade731 We’re actually getting better at engaging incoming artillery rounds, but yeah, it takes some higher tech stuff.

[@borisglevrk]

As a Taiwanese: Those 240s (how we call them) are actually so big they can't fire rounds during a drill. They had to do gun drills without rounds, otherwise the entire island ( where they are deployed) will soon have a shortage of intact windows.

[@timeforgottenprince8271]

how hilarious and terrifying at the same time.

[@Delgen1951]

@@timeforgottenprince8271 this shells are at the low end of Battlecruiser/Battleship weapons, and when they are fired NO ONE is on deck. If they were on deck the blast wave would blow then off the ship, and are known to blow off the taek deck and destroy the ships boats and lighter guns.

[@DurzoBlunts]

Thats amazing

[@Lp-gn5hx]

A year late, but i am curious. Did they learn this fact from first-hand experience?

[@LupusAries]

@@Delgen1951 yeah, that actually happened during the Vietnam War.

[@T33K3SS3LCH3N]

3:30 it's notable that "twice the bore/calibre" doesn't just mean that the shells are twice as big. The cross area grows with the square of the calibre, and the mass with its cube. In this case the 240 mm shells are about ten times as heavy as 120 mm ones.

[@marmite8959]

Not to mention that the effect of explosives increases exponentially with mass. A 1000kg warhead is much more than 10 times as effective as a 100kg warhead of the same explosive material.

[@MrOlgrumpy]

Yep,compare a .22 projectile 40gr with a 45.70 projectile 405 gr, INCOMING !!!

[@joostprins3381]

@@MrOlgrumpy just compare a .22 with a .223, it’s amazing.

[@mikemiller4979]

Western Taiwan is more properly known as Baja Mongolia....

[@marmite8959]

@@mikemiller4979 Sussy Baka Mongolia

[@paulgoodridge2269]

There's something to say about the simplicity of just throwing a massive projectile at supersonic speeds. Matter how advanced technology goes throwing a massive object really quickly still works it works and there's little defense against it.

[@ravener96]

Its not much about the speed though, this is about delivering a payload of high explosives somewere.

[@paulgoodridge2269]

@@ravener96 Same principle applies you throw in high explosive or armor piercing shell the general direction of a fortress is a fortress and hope that the shell does its job.

[@scottycollins131]

Magnetic rail guns prove you right.

[@marcopaganotto9125]

Like a drone targeted, GPS guided, hypersonic "tactical" nuke! We're all toast...

[@mandrakevermilyea7488]

"Never thought I'd see the day the minutemen would have artillary again".

[@dreamingflurry2729]

Missiles or not: A howitzer has several key advantages over a missile-system: Psychological effect, comparatively cheap ammo an lower operating costs - hell, if push comes to shove these things work without any power! They can be aimed and fired even if your base has no electricity to spare (or at all!)

[@jamesricker3997]

Don't forget rate of fire

[@Destroyer_V0]

@@jamesricker3997 Sustained fire, rather than a rapid burst from MLRS systems followed by massive downtime.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

And the most telling part..."Artillery lends dignity to what otherwise would be a vulgar brawl" Being serious though the cost per round is low and a 155mm battery (pre paladin) could go from being in movement to sending rounds down range in less than 2 minutes (emergency call for fire) with rounds on target in 3 minutes to 3 and a half minutes with dpicm, he or immediate smoke (wp). That's for a small enough unit that doesn't rate mlrs or perhaps a quick backscratch for armor.

[@paoloviti6156]

The Black Dragon M1 howitzer was a 240 mm cannon that could lob a 160 kg shell up to 14.3 miles. It is considered a very successful cannon but it is good to remember that you can shoot only so much because it is necessary to change the barrel...

[@kirbyone]

Speaking of rendering weapons systems obsolete the US recently tested ERCA howitzers can fire Excalibur rounds (precision guided munitions) over 40 miles. Stick a couple of those on Taiwan and you'll really make Beijing unhappy

[@georgem7965]

The 8" (203mm) howitzer M115 (towed) and M110 (self propelled) was used up through Desert Storm in 1991. The later M110A1 and A2 models had a longer barrel and a muzzle break. It was the most accurate artillery piece in the US Army with the least range and lateral dispersion.

[@joekurtz8303]

Wall thicknes on those warheads quite thick, from forge to first machine process. Helped mfg those bad boys when I was 20yts old.in my first industrial experience.

[@dimassalazar906]

I saw the barrel flung off a 110 in the desert during ammo testing. Went about 10 miles. It was there one minute then gone. Remote firing and there was a big mess to clean up. Ears still ringing 23 years later....

[@maxwill6408]

I was a Commo Chief in a M110 self propelled Battery back in the mid 1980s while stationed Germany. Very impressive weapon.

[@_Matsimus_]

Artillery = King of Battle

[@supernutt]

Just never forget the queen 😉

[@exudeku]

Eyy its the chad Canadian Arty guy

[@Vollification]

Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl. - Fredrick the Great

[@jonathanthacker8198]

Pull the string. Get a cookie.

[@orguksilverbeard7658]

Indeed it is. kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4nKapp_hrmSopo

[@thomasemard8862]

"Still relevant" - Yeah, physics don't change era to era. 16" battleship guns are still terrifying weapons. Muskets will still inflict horrific wounds. A Roman gladius will still open your innards. "obsolete" does not mean "no longer deadly".

[@Ogier78]

just plug some computer aim on this and you are good to go this thing will sink a ship in no time

[@shanerooney7288]

@@Ogier78 Only if those ships are within 14.4km of the gun.

[@Dinitroflurbenzol]

@@shanerooney7288 since the enemy coast is nearer...

[@shanerooney7288]

@@Dinitroflurbenzol The Taiwanese Straight is 180km at the narrowest. I'm not sure what "enemy coast" you're talking about. But no artillery on Taiwan is going to hit mainland China.

[@ericwolf9664]

@@shanerooney7288 that is 14.4 miles.... Convert and your looking at excess of 20km.

[@Wolfen443]

I love Artillery, never changes much but gets the job done in every decade and war. What a monster, and the others in the video are amazing too. Artilleries duels are hardly shown in movies sadly.

[@SephirothRyu]

The cannons themselves are not too expensive either. Moreso than the LAUNCH component of many missile systems, perhaps, but missiles themselves are so costly you recoup this very quickly. Even if they have a fancy point defense of some sort, you can overwhelm them by just launching more of them, and over longer periods of time. That said, there is ONE type of artillery duel that shows up in movies with some frequency: Warships. Particularly larger ones like battleships. I can understand perhaps not considering them so much due to being able to visibly see the enemy, but they basically do still count. Side note, you rarely see Sniper Duels in movies too. In fact, I can't seem to recall any notable ones in games either outside of Metal Gear Solid (which is a shame, because they are actually a great way to mix a stealth system with combat). Oh, and I guess the Battleship GAME itself is, basically, an artillery duel of sorts.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

@@SephirothRyu sniper duels in movies. Enemy at the gates. Sniper duel during the siege of Stalingrad

[@jeremyheintz1479]

@@duanesamuelson2256 that movie was trash.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

It's hard to make an Artillery duel dramatic for anything during the past 100 years. Even harder during the past 30. Gulf War version 1. Came under fire from an Iraqi battery. Radar backtracked the incoming shells. Solution to fire in a couple minutes from the first incoming round. Data sent to the guns in preparation for a fire mission (guns pointed and elevated in general direction). Target plotted out of sector and request for permission to fire sent to higher. More incoming rounds. More refined data. Other batteries given data. 36 minutes later, after Radar had given us individual gun locations , we were given permission to fire after higher confirmation that it was not an allied unit firing upon us. Counterfire was 3 rounds per gun (battery 3) on 2 individual gun positions. The other 4 guns were serviced by the other 2 firing batteries of the battalion. No further action by the battery firing on us. Very very boring movie it would be. The biggest suspense was having to wait to Counterfire. I actually felt sorry (not really the right word) since they didn't seem to have a trained FO. They were extremely slow firing and their fire control folks weren't particularly fast. We had rounds coming in every couple minutes but usually landed a couple hundred meters in front of the gun line. While we were the ones that actually killed them their command and trainers murdered them using us to pull the trigger.

[@SephirothRyu]

@@duanesamuelson2256 Neat, may have to check that one out sometime.

[@HeliophobicRiverman]

US military nomenclature strikes again... You get an M1, you get am M1, you get an M1, EVERYBODY gets an M1!

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Fortunately not always true, and many American terms are not used locally. Makes thing less American.

[@JustBecause7754]

Do you mean the tank, the rifle, the armoured vehicle, or the howitzer?

[@boydsinclair7606]

@@JustBecause7754 yes

[@MosoKaiser]

@@JustBecause7754 Or the carbine, bayonet, submachine gun, flamethrower, mortar, or the helmet?

[@Bob_Betker]

@@JustBecause7754 Our do you mean the 105mm howitzer M1 or the 155mm howitzer M1 or the 8" howitzer M1 or the 240mm howitzer M1? How about the little know 4.5" gun M1?

[@Harley-D-Mcdonald]

You should do a video on all the different U.S. Military employments that carry the M-1 designation. They're a large and varied bunch and would make an interesting video.

[@nickvanachthoven7252]

Rock, anti tank, m1

[@Delgen1951]

Most every thig does. M1 tank, Rifles, eyeball, cannon...

[@ronblack7870]

i think someone did that already on youtube

[@andrewshepherd1537]

I've spent almost my entire Army career at Fort Sill, and as a non-Artilleryman standing next to that monster of a gun, the sheer size of it is staggering. When I first joined there was an older gentleman that worked at the Artillery museum who got to see one of those goliaths fire close up, and liked to tell a story about the time he saw one fire with a truck sitting just too close, and watched the windshield blow out from the overpressure of the muzzle blast. Of all the equipment Fort Sill has on display, I would pay good money to see the M1 fire up close.

[@joshuabessire9169]

"The enemy is close! Bring up the M1!" And he was brought a big cannon, a carbine, a rifle, 2 small machine gun armed tank, a MBT, a helmet, a tommy gun, a motorway, and dozens of other sundry items.

[@gyorgygajdos1657]

m.kzbin.infodeVJqBZ5SYU

[@ipadista]

6:50 "M1s reduced the German's monastery stronghold, Monte Cassino, to rubble" It was actually demolished in an air raid consisting of over 200 bombers, dropping more than a thousand tons of bombs on it, turning it into rubble Once bombed the Germans moved in to use the ruins as cover. In the following days, artillery was used on the ruins doing little harm to the defenses.

[@scottycollins131]

I wondered if anyone else was going to bring that up. This is his worst video ever.

[@bruantquentin2777]

Yeah and well its hard to say for american but it is a war crime

[@ipadista]

@@bruantquentin2777 A plaque at the rebuilt monastery thanks all nations helping to rebuild it after the war. USA was not contributing even though it bombed it. Not sure, but I think even West Germany contributed. Several of the Allied generals left the area before the bombing, since they did not want to take part in a pointless wrecking of the most famous Catholic monastery in history, where the Benedict order was founded back in the day.

[@paulbedichek5177]

@@ipadista Yeah,Hitler was Catholic and the pope was complicit in the holocaust,England only became great when they outlawed catholic kings and queens.

[@randomyoutubecommentersecu7639]

@@bruantquentin2777 So is using it as a stronghold and fighting position so tough luck. Religious sanctums should by law not be fired upon and neither should they be used as fighting positions. They got what they asked for. A waste of a beautiful monument and piece of history with a great significance though.

[@PDInfantryman]

A pair of M1s were also used in the retaking of Manila in the Philippines by the 544th FA. The first transport trailers were wheeled, but close to the end of the war a tracked version was developed. The prime movers for the M1 were the M33 (based on the M3 Lee tank), the M35 (basically a turretless M10 tank destroyer), and finally the M6 High-Speed Tractor. The former where both stop-gap solutions for getting the M1 around, while the former was purposely built for use with super-heavy arty like the M1 240mm howitzer and it's sister piece, the M1 8-in gun.

[@pyrrhusinvictus6186]

US: *Sells a billion dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan* China: "You can't do that! Taiwan is part of China." US: "Ok, so we just sold weapons to you." China: "... wait... that's not how this works!!!!"

[@joostprins3381]

US: Btw, you owe us money China: but.. but….

[@yarpenzirgin1826]

1. US has not sold weapons to China (Peoples Republic), since 1980's and even back then these were relatively small sales so what are you on about?? 2. I am not sure China will be particularly interested in purchasing overpriced and underperforming weapons system.

[@joostprins3381]

@@yarpenzirgin1826 indeed they can make them cheaper and worse.

[@yarpenzirgin1826]

@@joostprins3381 Only one way to find out, and if you have any sense whatsoever, better pray to any deity you happen to believe it never happens.

[@yarpenzirgin1826]

@@joostprins3381 Well, yeah, except it is the other way around :).

[@j.dunlop8295]

It's good, or bad to remember that Canon and mortar fire, bring ~80% of war casualties, for the past +200 years. (Good or bad, according to if you're receiving, giving fire!)

[@tevlargaming5440]

Artillery is an irreplaceable piece of military technology. It’s simply one of the only cost effective and deadly effective weapon that can provide near pin point support to front line infantry units. And if that’s not enough, we’ll thats a cute bunker you got there bro :3

[@timeforgottenprince8271]

What bunker? Oh, you mean that crater surrounded by rubble?

[@robbieaulia6462]

@@timeforgottenprince8271 Yeah that crater with the people cowering in fear with a shellshocked face, yeah that one.

[@MrSGL21]

here is what people don't unstand about guns. Guns put explosives on target within seconds. sure an air plane dropping a smart bomb might have more range, be more accurate and in a single weapon be more destructive. but its expensive and it takes time to get there. artillery is NOW. right now.

[@wolfecanada6726]

I'd love to see what Taiwan can do with these guns when West Taiwan attacks.

[@aquilarossa5191]

cryptic lol

[@andersjjensen]

@@aquilarossa5191 It's the latest internet trend to piss of the commies by calling mainland China "West Taiwan" because there's actually some merit to it: Both the constitution of the PRC ("China") and the ROC ("Taiwan") lay claim to both the main land and the islands. So basically, if you do not accept communism as a valid form of government you're agreeing that the government of Republic of China ("Taiwan") is the legitimate government of all of China.

[@HingerlAlois]

Probably not much, after all if their position is known they‘re sitting ducks.

[@roryspeight-burns2554]

You mean mainland Taiwan?

[@Irish381]

@@HingerlAlois Naval Air Support and coalition forces have to spot then target said threats before the PLA even gets into action! Same as the Iraqi Republican Guard had a chance to overtake Islands in the Persian gulf war!

[@cheesemachine00]

I imagine watching the round hit an ammo dump would be bloody spectacular and also give a few forward infantry a couple of shakes

[@danbell3827]

Esp. if they hadn't seen the black dragon in action before... "holy shit, sarge... If that was only a 10" I'd hate to see what a 16" battleship shell could do!!"

[@rafaelramos1486]

I was a 13B ( artillery men) for eleven years best artillery piece for me M109 series and M 198 .I never saw how much damage it cause until I change my military duties to mortuary affairs and got to see the results.

[@rodsprague369]

I am an electronics hobbyist. If it will do a good job, we will use test instruments and components from the tube era. There are things tubes do better than semiconductors. Stone age blade shaped flakes of obsidian are sharper than any metal knife. Using the same techniques, equally sharp surgical blades can be made from fused quartz that leave far less scaring when used as scalpels. This is quite useful when you don't want to leave scars on the cornea, for example. Some technology has yet to become obsolete.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

A shovel is a shovel, an axe is an axe, a lever is a lever and a hammer is a hammer. Without these "basic" tools where would humanity be today? Old technology should never be forgotten. Bad technology however...

[@rodsprague369]

"Mistakes" should be remembered so we don't make the same ones over. This is why good engineers and others in the sciences document experiments that came to a an unanticipated conclusion (I am an entomologist, myself.)

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@rodsprague369 Please excuse my reference to pop culture in the context of this discussion but it is relevant. The crew from Mythbusters regularly stated "failure is an option". It's more than just an option, in my opinion, it's an intrinsic part of scientific process. The documentation of which allows others that are pursuing the same goals an efficiency that would not otherwise be afforded to them. Humanity and science hasn't made it this far without making mistakes. It's made it this far by recognising and conveying those mistakes.

[@jailbird1133]

There was a surgeon in the US who supposidly used obsidian blades in his surguries.

[@Deltamer]

​@@davidbrayshaw3529 you my friend just inspired me to go watch all of the Mythbusters seasons. Thank you😊

[@jacobhuff3748]

not the first time an outdated weapon became relevant or considered. The italians during WW1 used the Cannone da 149/23 in the alps. One thing about older tech is that it may have been heavy and not the best by modern times but it's design to last and can be versatile. The number of times that people made such things work is scary.

[@djyppo]

The Italians are really good at designing artillery pieces, just look at the Oto Melara 56, It's like a perfect gun for any kind of mountainous or irregular terrain, it's still used by countries all around the world and it's 50's technology!

[@lanfrancoadreani9212]

@@djyppo Funny you talk about It. The Italian army has taken back in service a battery of 56s for the Alpini. I think It was because the experience in Afghanistan were mortars were not always effective.

[@AnonymousAlcoholic772]

My hair hasn’t lost. Its just making a tactical retreat to a more defensible position.

[@letoubib21]

Yours, too?!

[@jamestownsend6657]

Harharhar I laughed out loud at that!

[@willpenny1688]

Advancing to the rear.

[@mrspart5548]

dude, the Canadian army reserve still uses the c3 howitzer from WW2 and were a first world country.... in fact we still use them for avalanche control, saluting the queen, and a few other times

[@CFarnwide]

I’m not sure what caliber is used but they still use artillery here in Utah for controlled avalanches. One year a stray round ended up in someone’s backyard 😱

[@CFarnwide]

Here is an excerpt from the article… A 105mm howitzer shell fired near Sundance in Provo Canyon overshot its mark and landed with a bang in the Conners' back yard. The boom was heard over several blocks.

[@RCAvhstape]

Lots of older weapons are still in limited use. In the US the old M1 Garand rifle is still used for ceremonial purposes because it's "prettier" than the M-16. So is the M-14, but the M-14 is also still in limited combat service too.

[@mrspart5548]

@@RCAvhstape hell we gave our arctic rangers in the north lee enfield bolt action rifles from WWII up until recently. they hunt seals with them.

[@chaosXP3RT]

It's almost like the US occasionally makes some quality, reliable weapons

[@rubiconnn]

Another idea for a video would be the failed US military's Project SPIW, which was a plan to replace traditional guns for infantry with bizarre futuristic weapons that fire caseless ammo, flechette darts, to mini grenades.

[@GoatPopsicle]

Case-less ammunition is now a near-perfected functioning round. One that all the major militaries are seriously investing in again, and is in the running to be the next standard US/NATO infantry round. Flechettes are also back in vogue too, but only as ammunition in both the High-low, and high-high, pressure 40mm grenade launchers. As is sometimes normal, the US military invested in next-next-generation technology, it failed, but that initial work was absolutely crucial to it eventually coming into existence later.

[@rubiconnn]

@@GoatPopsicle Not at all. Caseless ammo has the huge disadvantage that it doesn't pull heat away from the gun like ejecting shell casings do. Nobody has been able to design around the issue of overheating chambers and cook off without extremely bulky solutions that make the whole concept of caseless ammo moot.

[@TS-bj8my]

@@rubiconnn I guess were back to "modern" water jacket technology?

[@MaxieWolfe]

Turns out that dropping extremely heavy porjectiles at insane speeds and tons of explosives... is helpful.

[@SVASH-hz5ji]

As a Taiwanese artilleryman, it warmed my heart to see so many people still understand the value of these big guns. I've encountered many armchair general whined about how they should get rid of these guns just because they're "old". If it works, why fix it?

[@StuninRub]

Because it doesn't work. They are dog shit for modern warfare.

[@acash93]

if the Vietcong had this gun, they would no doubt be able to carry the artillery parts up the mountains through sheer will and sacrifice in Dien Bien Phu.

[@maximustiberius3036]

They would just carry it on their backs

[@moistusapparatus9710]

2:54 "Fell out of favour due to [...] unacceptable accuracy." For some reason this sounds hilarious to me. "Damn. Bullseye again."

[@GoatPopsicle]

It was exactly the same initial problem the US military had with the upgraded Paladin and new-ish towed artillery. You can’t unpredictability saturate an area with artillery, artillery’s main function in breaking up an enemy attack. If your tube’s shells keep hitting nearly the exact same spot. You also fire slower if it’s too accurate, as you would have to manually adjust the gun after every shell to over the required, fire for effect, area.

[@bigbangrafa8435]

Well, the military strategy of the Chinese Army is very similar to the Imperial Guard in Warhammer, also known as *_"throw people at the enemy until It dies"_* When 1,000,000 chinese soldiers are walking up your beaches D-day style accuracy becomes pointless, just shoot the giant wall of meat and pray that you have built more projectiles than they have hungry families producing children for the Commie Legions.

[@forlornd]

That is hilarious

[@thepeff]

That joke was on point... UNACCEPTABLE!

[@30cal23]

@@bigbangrafa8435 the counter for that tactic is *screams in 400 french 75mms with 600 rounds of ammo per gun per 3 days*

[@klonkimo]

I'd love a video on the LVT and the "newer" AAV amphibious armor. I served in the Marines for nearly 10 years and still don't understand how those things float. Spoiler alert, sometimes they don't. RIP warriors.

[@Ecosse57]

happy birthday, marine.

[@MrFlatage]

Using my civil right I am asking you to post your Proof of Service. Please remember I took an oath in my lands of the free where my flag the mighty red, white and blue flies. You cannot lie before it.

[@theHSPCproject]

@@MrFlatage Lol keep dreaming.

[@theHSPCproject]

water is really fucking heavy and you don't have to displace alot of it to gain an equal buoyant force. So the machines float

[@MrFlatage]

@@theHSPCproject Da da comrade who fails a 1st grade written test. So you communists are still dreaming of starting sentences and ending them? Well the US Stolen Valor Act is US Federal Law in fact. You can go dream hiding in commie land behind your fake name. Going to call all your troll friends in now to fight facts? Yes you will!

[@benerval7]

I'm a career Artilleryman (retired now....still working in the field though as a contractor). great info and illustration of the usefulness of artillery. Some of the pics were taken on fort Sill around the museum grounds. Wonderful

[@saladinbob]

I'd guess it's called the "Black Dragon" because of flames coming out of the barrel when it's fired.

[@TestingPyros]

Especially in the prototype models!

[@IrishMike22]

No, the military destination was "Direct Gun" which quickly became "Dragon"

[@shmedvik841]

Thank you Simon and the rest of the team!

[@reaperking2121]

Americans love their old tech. The M1 artillery piece fits rights in next to the M2 browning, M1911 cause why on earth fix something when you nailed the design first time ?

[@neothechosenone1502]

The M-16 family backs up this claim lol

[@phoenixraider42]

the M2 browning live for so long, despite the multiple attempts to replace it cause how simple it is. but for the M1911, in 1985 it was replace my the Beretta M9. with the sig p320 replacing the Beretta M9 in 2018.

[@crocidile90]

@@phoenixraider42 True, but special forces can have some leeway of weapon choice (also I think the Marines still use the 1911s).

[@kimpatz2189]

For Worl of Tanks players, you might recognize this gun. Its the T92 Nuclear Arty.

[@mikazukiaugus6321]

when you're direct hit later PTSD comes

[@fahrimertdincer8421]

Newer run straight to a arty angle a bit so it need to turn its hull Ptsd what a great way to remind you newer run directly to an arty ewen you are yousing light tank

[@nerofarreach2417]

The M1 at the donut was like: "Bro you really think this a challenge for me?"

[@Ksweetpea]

Several US DOTs use howitzers adapted to use for avalanche patrol/clearing

[@kevadu]

While it's true that artillery pieces are used for this purpose I don't think they use *these* guns. Seems kind of overkill...

[@brett4264]

The Alaska Department of Transportation (AKDOT) uses 105 mm howitzers to start avalanches in various areas around the state. Also, the Alaska Railroad does the same.

[@Phlyinhigh]

Mississippi doesnt even have avalanches yet they still have one lmao

[@aethyr6776]

@@kevadu Yeah, I believe several state governments have acquired older models, such as the M114, a WW2-era 155mm gun, or the M102, a 105mm gun, for avalanche prevention. It makes much more economic and logistical sense as these are much more standard calibers of shells. Using a 240mm like the one in this video would be both overkill and much more difficult to supply. In all fairness to the first poster, they did not say the DOTs used THIS gun, it does seem a bit misleading when they didn't provide examples of models used.

[@submarineradioman5535]

@@brett4264 The 105mm is the most popular “avalanche initiator” for State DOT’s

[@Odin029]

One more thing about the US and our use of the old Imperial system is that cannon sized guns are usually given in mm so aside from older naval guns anything 20mm and up is just in millimeters. And no, I don't know why either.

[@keithmoore5306]

it's whatever trend that's being followed at the time hell the Brits still used weight of projectile up through WW2!! they called the 76.2 mm the 17 pounder anti tank gun!!

[@ronsamson537]

I actually know the answer to that. America has officially been an adherent to the metric system on a federal level for more than half a century and this holds true for all fields of large scale construction and manufacturing as well. The markets of the world are just too tightly interconnected for America to resist conforming for those juicy proffits. Weapons are no different. As a NATO member and more specifically as the primary arms dealer for all other NATO members, its in Americas best interests to manufacture their products in a format that the buyer will want to buy and that format is metric.

[@1pcfred]

The USA never used the Imperial system. US Customary is used. It may look and sound like Imperial but it is not.

[@LOLHAMMER45678]

We picked it up because we needed interoperability with the French during WWI

[@islandmarksman2781]

@@1pcfred 100%. Hey look the metric inch, the metric pound.....

[@MercilessSunGod]

Nothing beats the pure power that massive guns like this can bring to a fight.

[@philipkarsten9859]

Any bets that today's tech could put a transport chassis under the Black Dragon and help mobilize these behemoths for the Taiwanese? Stationary items are not much more than targets on today's battlefield, targets that get destroyed in the first salvo.

[@startingbark0356]

Probably ww2 tech aswell

[@Theggman83]

That's funny, as early as 2009 I was calling for fire from towed artillery in Afghanistan. 👍 It was effective and better than mortars.

[@Ginrikuzuma]

@@Theggman83 You were fighting the Taliban though not the most high-tech of opponents. The Chinese, Russians, or any army with first-world military is going to be a different story.

[@Theggman83]

@@Ginrikuzuma really? Considering the Taliban won the war, I'm not sure their level of technology mattered much... But the US, the Russians and the Chinese, as well as NATO still use towed artillery... Although not the big M1's. 👍 Just fyi

[@Ginrikuzuma]

@@Theggman83 you're right but we don't exactly have a good track record when it comes to fighting against low-tech guerilla warfare. Taliban is just the latest example but even going back to stuff like the Millennium Challenge 2002 or Vietnam War. My point is the Taliban were never going to be able to get close to those stationary targets. A more advanced military could just drop a bomb from a drone or jet or their own artillery. What's the best the taliban had a decade ago? mortars and rpgs?

[@SteveConsGaming]

My grandfather used to say this: If that thing can cause your enemies to bleed fast and die, decapitate or totally liberate their spirit from their bodies or totally divide all body parts to thousands pieces then it's still an effective weapon that can be used in war! There's no expiration date for that.

[@es68951]

"...the island is little more than a wayward territory" Simon forgot to say... ALLEGEDLY

[@kirbyone]

He said "mainland China's view" so it amounts to the same

[@keithmoore5306]

Tiapai is the ONLY legitimate chinese govt on the planet!! beijing is completely illegal!!!

[@guillermoelnino]

@@kirbyone *western province of taiwan

[@erikarneberg11]

@@keithmoore5306 Taipei?

[@DoyleHargraves]

As a lifelong student of war and weaponry, I can assure you that the days of the big guns and far from over. Those new fancy rockets are cool, but they are not cheap or easy to use.

[@jed2481]

Simon, simon... SIMON! Excuse me, Mr. Whistler, Can you do a video on the Monte Cossino battle? I would think that would be a great one and it's a battle my grandfather played a part in as apart of the 88th infantry Blue Devils. I'd bet being a significant battle in the war a video of that engagement would get some views.

[@megaprojects9649]

I have a new channel coming called Warographics, and while we don't have this one on the schedule yet, it's exactly the sort of thing we'll be covering there :)

[@jed2481]

@@megaprojects9649 Thanks for the heads up OGs of KZbin. All of you rock! From one KZbin junky, you're taking KZbin by storm! Keep it up!

[@jed2481]

Also, Free Danny! ... Or don't.

[@leonblahblahblah5266]

Hi there~ I am a fan from Kinmen Taiwan, one of the site these cool big guns are placed. I have seen M1 dummy round fire exercise once. It was so cool. Can't believe we still use that thing in army. And that gun is so huge when compare with other 8 inch counter parts! Hope these big boys never need to be put in action......

[@rickd1412]

Its not just the USA that is concerned about China attacking Taiwan. Japan, India, Australia, and the Philippines are all concerned about China's desire to control more resources. Even Russia is concerned because China often refers to Siberia as a location to acquire more resources.

[@Robochuck]

Obligatory suggestion for the M1 Abrahams tank. I'd be curious to know the story of a tank that has been arguably the king of the battlefield since the 1980s.

[@SverkerSuper]

They already made a video on the Leopard...

[@owenshebbeare2999]

King? Then they should do the Challenger.

[@Joze1090]

Abraham's lmao

[@sandybarnes887]

U mean the Abrams?

[@Robochuck]

yep thats the one I meant to say

[@57WillysCJ]

The M64 "Atomic Annie" can fire convetional rounds out to 18 miles. While seven are on display and no longer have their prime movers, it does not mean they can not be put back in to service. It's unknown if any of the other 20 produced are in storage. In perspective the 16 inch guns on an Iowa class fire 20 miles.

[@jamesmilton8308]

We should send one to a museum in Taiwan

[@georgem7965]

I seriously doubt that there is still any 280mm (11") ammunition, ether nuclear or conventional, still available. Nuclear rounds have been developed for smaller calibers such as 155 mm (6.1").

[@allenhill5698]

Fort Sill has the prime movers on display.

[@57WillysCJ]

@@georgem7965 Couldn't say but they still had ammunition and powder for the Iowa Class destroyers left over from WWII until they were moth balled and even now the powder is used for salutes on special occasions. Probably not nuclear but standard rounds stored somewhere would not surprise me.

[@georgem7965]

@@57WillysCJ Do you mean the Iowa class battleships? The projectiles and propellant for those were stored because the ships were in mothballs with the possibility that they would be brought into active service which happened in the '60s for Viet Nam and the '80s and early '90s. Now that they are all museum ships all the supporting items like ammunition and extra gun tubes have been disposed of. Also, propellant and saluting charges are 2 different things. Saluting charges are almost always black powder (notice the large amount of white smoke when fired) which hasn't been used as propellant since the 19th century.

[@christopherharmon2433]

Officer in charge of a m203 battery, "Sargent see that enemy position on the map." "Yes sir!" "Well I don't want to anymore..."

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:55 - Chapter 1 - Development 3:15 - Chapter 2 - Big gun 6:00 - Chapter 3 - Service 8:45 - Chapter 4 - Taiwan - Chapter 5 - - Chapter 6 -

[@NoknOnDors]

My dad enlisted in 1986, the first time he saw a 240mm howitzer was this year, I was walking next to him. He said "WOW that's a big gun, I trained on most ground weapons fielded, but, that thing is massive. That doesn't keep the peace, that's a siege weapon."

[@comentedonakeyboard]

The M-1s target zone: part of chinese teritory since ancient times 🤯

[@southernyankeehomestead3230]

Since your doing video on long running cannons might I recommend the M2 or "Ma deuce". I believe the first models predate the M1 "dragon" by a decade and has seen action in every conflict large and small since its release. In 09 when I went through training before heading to Iraq one of our training M2's was one of the original updated chassis. It's internals still had the single slide for fixed ejection of the cartridges (later updated with dual slides for ejection on either side according to application), as butterfly plate that was added to replace the rear pistol grip and a modified side plate where the cable operated charging was shifted to the standard charge handle. We were impressed that that particular gun wasn't in a museum and we were unimpressed at the same time because other than the USS Constitution we dont think there was an older weapon in the military.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

Achtung! - The Germans only used the Monte Cassino Monastary as a "stronghold" after the Allies bombed it! At first they did not, the German commander did not want to, but after it was already damaged they moved in!

[@Snp2024]

Bcz destroyed building rubble provided good spread out cover

[@TS-bj8my]

@@Snp2024 They were trying to protect it. But since the noble allies were destroying it anyway they used it!

[@Wonzling0815]

​@@TS-bj8my As far as I know, the allies intercepted a German message regarding the monastery that said "Abt eingetroffen" - which means "Abbot has arrived". Apparently, the allies misinterpreted the "Abt" as short for "Abteilung" (company) and thought the Germans were starting to move additional troops into the monastery.

[@patricklynd4892]

I was stationed at Fort Still for over a year and assigned to the 2Bn2FA 105mm towed. We trained Army, Marine and Allies personnel in all phases of the use of Artillery! We had a mule as our mascot named “Big Deuce”! They still train personnel to this very day. Both Big Duce VIII a donkey and Short Round VII a Boer goat are alive and well! The best unit I ever served with! Want to advance or stop the enemy call on the Artillery!

[@genekelly8467]

Great video-could you please do one on the famous howitzer developed by the late Dr. Gerald Bull? His "Gun Canada 35?)" was said to be much better than any artillery piece in the world-but I haven't been able to learn much about it. Keep up the good work!

[@Pendant_Maple]

I think he already did… I remember seeing somthing about it on this channel anyways, probably barried in the videos somewhere

[@Pendant_Maple]

Found it, its titled project harp 👍🏻

[@alfnoakes392]

Was he the guy who became 'late' courtesy of ('allegedly') Mossad as he was working with an Arab nation on improving their artillery? I remember there was concern in the UK that 'parts' for the project were being covertly sourced there ... whilst this was ongoing myself and an engineer mate got stopped by a no-local-markings Police car one night as we were transporting a trailer with shiny odd-looking machinery on it towards Portsmouth. We had to convince them re' its purpose (we were installing a new custom cheese-sprinkling machine in a pizza factory overnight between-shifts) before we could proceed.

[@zeehero7280]

Giant cannons are always cool.

[@pmgn8444]

Overall, good text but a couple of issues: T92 was cancelled due to the end of WWII, not as much due to mobility issues. 2:45 & 2:52 - Welp, talking about the M1 8-in gun while showing pictures of (and correctly identifying) the M1 8-in Howitzer. 10:16 - This is a Japanese Type 99 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. You needed a pix of an American M-109A6 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzer.

[@stephenweaver7631]

Spotted that too!

[@owenshebbeare2999]

Blame the ignorant American scriptwriters and editors.

[@dankvu]

As a new Imperial Guard player in 40k I've been consuming so much artillery/mechanized army stuff and it's been great!

[@GenderSkins]

Funny thing about the M1 Howitzer, that’s an SPG. The bloody thing is capable of one shoting an M1A1 Abrams, if it scores a direct hit. And could lay waste to a Maus fairly quickly. Truth be known the T92 Howitzer, actually has a bigger gun then the British FV4005 had which was a 183mm gun. Had the gun been much bigger, it might as well have been a 16inch gun off an Iowa class battle ship.

[@MrSGL21]

you can't track a 16 inch gun. you could put it on a railway and shoot it. but its never gonna be a SPQ. way way too bigh and heavy. plus the shell heanding equipment and powder and shells. each HC weighs 1900ls and it fired by 660 lbs of powder. one errant flick to your powder supply in the field and you'd loose the entire gun and crew in the explosion.

[@cristiandemirel1918]

The beauty of artillery is that you can't do a shit about it if you are at the wrong end of that barrel.

[@jamesmilton6529]

I was using a 75mm pack howitzer 20 years ago in ROTC. I still think they should be issued to regular army units for cheap fire support.

[@ahtheh]

Don't think the Developed countries have had a war where artillery is king in 50 years (as far as I know) If you want an example of these artillery still being used you can find alot of them on the India-pakistan boarder in Kashmir Any ways I don't think people like trying to hit Toyota trucks using artillerie

[@josephahner3031]

Why? 120mm mortars exist and are better and even cheaper.

[@GPGPapercraftTX]

That M115 203 mm Howitzer is on display outside a Bastrop Texas VFW post along with the beautiful Phantom behind it. THe picket fence around the Phantom is pretty new. The aircraft originally stood there in the open. Beautiful examples, both of them.

[@michaelpipkin9942]

Could you do the YF-23 vs the YF-22? It was a beautiful competition, a race for the Next-gen fighter.

[@interestingspagetti]

The black widow 2. There's some great vid's on youtube. The yf23 should of won!

[@OK_Boda]

Kinda already did

[@GoatPopsicle]

@@interestingspagetti the YF-23 was just too maintenance expensive compared to the 22. Meaning if it won, under the same circumstances, the USAF would have only been able to afford to keep under 150, and not the ~200 the much-less maintenance intensive F-22. Plus, the Yf-23’s internal bays weren’t optimized for at all for ground attack munitions (compared to the F-22), so the needed modern conversion to a fighter-bomber would have added even more expense per flight/hour. (Without major internal restructuring)

[@thorzyan]

Fairly certain he did that on one of these channels

[@coreybenson3122]

There’s a video out there of the 240mm self propelled version being used in the direct fire in a city in Germany. It’s wild.

[@chinainarmswithwhiskeymike1355]

I enjoy your show, but FYI, I’ve been to this M1 artillery site several times on Jinmen Island. I was Jane’s correspondent for Taiwan and then Asia Bureau Chief for Defense News, all in in Taiwan from 2000-2016. The gun has not been fired since the 1960s. It’s mostly a show piece for naive newbie journalists as photo opportunity. It’s covered with rust. The outer islands of Matsu/Jinmen don’t have significant offensive weapons capabilities. No cruise missiles or SAMs (except for Dongyin to the north of Matsu). The outer islands are largely undefendable and have no significant troop presence. They do possess radar and signal intelligence facilities that add to their early warning caps, but the islands are technically part of Fujian Province, even under Taiwan law. And are legacy issues from the civil war that have not been resolved. I suspect during a war the islands will have their technical intelligence collection facilities wiped out by air strikes and bypassed for the main invasion. Dongyin Island is the only serious military threat to a Chinese invasion as it has TienKung (Sky Bow) air defense missiles and possibly anti-ship missiles (Hsiung Feng 2 or 3). Dongyin has two major radar facilities outfitted with the Lockheed TPS-59 and Tipsy 75 radars. Best regards, Wendell Minnick

[@zzzetsulive]

Got the sponsor out of the way nice and quick, i watched it all just cause you got it out of the way first

[@trashynecromancer1155]

Humanity has always followed a simple doctrine: Throw a rock at it. The rock may have gotten bigger and more complex, and we've invented machines to throw them, but we still throw rocks.

[@jpoeng]

Don’t forget pointy sticks. 😆

[@marsaustralis6881]

Would be wild if the US would make Excalibur shells for these behemoths.

[@Zerro2585]

Simon didn't get hair loss It just started growing below his head instead of on it.😄

[@sholinwright6621]

Law of conservation of hair. If you don’t grow a beard, it will grow “elsewhere “.

[@scottsanders5821]

It might be the law of gravity - maybe those former dome follicles also grow out of the bottoms of his feet.

[@That_Guy5575]

YOOOOO I did NOT expect you to do a video on this!! I clicked on it SO FAST when I saw the thumbnail, it’s hard to find content on these bad boys! Keep to the great work Simon! (And enslaved basement team…?)

[@chaosXP3RT]

When people think old and reliable, they think "Russian", but there are many old and reliable, quality American weapons that many people forget about.

[@ezragoldberg3132]

1911, Winchester repeating arms, Garand/M14, Browning M1/M2 HMG. And the list goes on!

[@bobagost3882]

Hello My Dad was with the 17th FA in Korea in 50/51 Charle dattery He's still alive at 92 We just did a interview with him about his time in Korea Will be putting it on KZbin soon As a side note they used a m4 to tow the 8 inch as they were a 8 inch unit When they arrived in Aug 1950 the 3 Battery's were all sent in different areas and were not together until they shipped out in August of 51

[@jameshailerthepostmaster4389]

Just imagine the cost needed to intercept a Single Artillery round compared to the cost of the shell

[@richtravis9562]

I dont think that is even possible without directed energy weapons.

[@adbell3364]

One of the many things I like about this channel is the drum roll at the beginning.

[@menselv7142]

When you use your M1 to shoot at an M1, but you accidentally shoot the M1 right in between the M1 and the M1

[@ExHyperion]

This joke gets funnier the more you understand the us military

[@joshuabessire9169]

M1's are the greatest. Doesn't matter what you are referring to.

[@TS-bj8my]

lol

[@kieranh2005]

This is the downside of repetitive nomenclature...

[@letoubib21]

- Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen hinter Fliegen her. - Du meinst wohl, Du gehörst zu denen Dänen, denen Dänen alles durchgehen lassen? - Wenn ich die See seh', brauch'' ich kein Meer mehr. - Du sollst nicht Meerrettich essen, sondern weniger Rettich.

[@tlozfreak888]

I find it amusing this is the second military system nicknamed the Black Dragon, although calling the other a "system" is a gross understatement. It's more like a floating city. The battleship New Jersey also got the nickname, and I believe the exact reason is also not known but theorized to be a combination of a darker paint color, night time, and the absolutely immense muzzle flares from a 16" gun. I suspect something similar is quite probable here, just on a smaller scale.

[@ThePhoenixAscendant]

Just because they're antiquated doesn't mean they can't do the job.

[@tianzining]

But where they are is not a secret today. If war starts, it would be the target of first wave attack. We Taiwanese know that….

[@anthonyhurst5898]

For clarification.. M65 cannon ( atomic Annie) can fire conventional ammo and the M28 ( Davy Crockett) atomic round .. one was in Germany and the other is at Ft. Sill Ok ..

[@Idahoguy10157]

The US Army probably had the best land artillery of WW2. It use was feared

[@Theggman83]

Yup, And as the old saying goes, US soldiers don't fear the enemy, they only fear God and their own artillery. 👍

[@Idahoguy10157]

@@Theggman83 …. The story is German units preferred using machine guns. British units preference was for accurate long range rifle fire. Fighting an American unit an enemy could expect an artillery barrage

[@kylemack5522]

Idk man soviet artillery was pretty wild

[@alfnoakes392]

The use of proximity fuses (later in the war) enabling horrific air-burst capabilities probably helped.

[@Idahoguy10157]

@@alfnoakes392 … a technology shared with the British

[@nextbizzy]

Thank you for including standard as well as metric measurements

[@giselematthews7949]

God! Check how long his beard is getting! I remember when he didn't HAVE any facial hair!

[@Dr.RichardBanks]

His c**t wife keeps making him shave it 😤 I just want a wild beard ride 🥵

[@MrFlatage]

What beard? Thats his head hair? He just grew too fast is all.

[@DoctorProph3t]

The hair went south for the winter (years).

[@Chris.Pontius]

Haha, the "bald cat look" he used to sport. The past was the worst!

[@vonries]

Didn't he sport a five o'clock shadow for awhile?

[@kevinbarnard3502]

"Hail, o hail artllery. King o battle, follow me." Artillery: the reason the first calculating, programmable "computer" was ever built.

[@stephenbritton9297]

Wonder how many times they've had new liners installed... Cause, otherwise they couldn't hit the broadside of a small country!

[@stephenbost5892]

I've been hoping someone would tell this story. Now I wrote to Taiwan and asked them to look at the rocket propelled shells that are available.

[@prjndigo]

240mm Excalibur base-bleed GPS/Inertial shells able to do things like strike beachballs at 12 miles... are gonna be hard to deal with. So if nothing else we can kinda presume where China _isn't_ going to try to come on-shore.

[@georgeseal8463]

Howitzers have some advantages over missiles: lower cost, higher rate of fire, reliable and generally there are no effective countermeadures. A missile can shoot down another missile. Intercepting an artillery shell would be next to imposible. The biggest weakness of these guns is that, as they are static, their location might already be known, making them vulnerable to preemtive atack or counterbatery fire. Fun fact: In Taiwan they make crafts from the shrapnel from Comunist artillery that bombed them during the Cold War. (Mainland China now relies on missiles, but it also fielded comparable guns, so they could do it again).

[@brooks274]

The biggest improvement with artillery was the proximity fuse in WWII, at the battle of the bulge, the germans were decimated by them. Instead of setting a fuse and hoping for the best, you get an air burst every time, which is more effective.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

The US still had a number of 14 inch coastal defense guns in WW2, both domestic and defending the Panama canal entrances. They were not portable, but they were mostly of the disappearing-gun design and had a range of about 12-15 miles.

[@AnimeFanatic5602]

I may be alone in my opinion, but I think that there's still a place for something like the 75mm pack howitzer in today's military; highly mobile, compact, and still packs a considerable punch.

[@jackdbur]

Which can be forfilled by much lighter and easily deployed mortars and better hitting 155mm artillery from 20+km away with real ballistic computers dropping rounds on target first time and time on target barrages. Have a look at light weight vehicle 120mm mortar systems equivalent hit to 155mm arty with up to a 9km range mounted on everything from a humv to IFV.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

I hate how videos of this firing drills are often not using the legit optimal charges of this gun, making em sound less weaker

[@surfer7264]

And here I thought Gravity was stronger where you are, and it pulled your hair to your chill. :-)

[@k3digichaos]

some really great footage

[@sarcasmo57]

I hope Taiwan will be ok. It's a really nice place.

[@patricko9170]

Yeah, but based on history that probably won't happen.

[@Dragonslice29]

So this is what shakes my screen for 10 minutes straight in cod vanguard

[@shinry1234]

would love to see one of these videos on Fort Drum the concrete battleship

[@erikarneberg11]

There is at least one vid about fort Drum!

[@larsrons7937]

Very interesting. Well good things last. The German MG42 as well is still used today, in a only slightly modified modern version. One remark though: 6:47 "During the Battle of Monte Cassino M1's..." NO, the M1's did NOT "reduce the German monestary stronghold to rubble". The Monte Cassino monestary was not even a German position (but the Allies thought so) when on february 15th 1944 it was almost completely destroyed by American bombing raids ordered by the British. The Germans did not want the historical building to be at risk by being part of the battlefield. The monestary was already reduced to rubble when the Germans moved in to use it as an observation spot.

[@twstf8905]

8:07 "Divided between the 159th and 213th field artillery battalions, the big guns first saw action in early May of 1943, when the first 240mm round was lobbed onto a hilltop target called the donut..."?! In the Korean War? "Airborne observers helped guide in the first shell which nobody thought would hit anything important since fine sighting adjustments hadn't yet been made. To everyone's surprise, however, especially the Korean and Chinese soldiers hunkering down inside the donut, the round struck an ammo dump and, according to first-hand accounts, the entire hilltop blew off in extraordinary fashion." (Yep, sounds like the Korean War, we're talking about still, in these sentences.) 1943? You sure? #ConstructiveCriticism #DontShootTheMessenger ✌