M1917 Howitzer Carriage, Model of 1917 Schneider

155 mm Howitzer Carriage, Model of 1917 (Schneider) was the official name of this howitzer in US Army Service.

The US Army purchased over 1,500 of these and used them in both World War One and World War Two.

In the 1930s the US Army  began to modernize these with rubber tires, because wooden wheels are only suitable for towing by horses.  When towed too quickly wooden wheels will bounce and flip the gun, and maybe the towing vehicle.

The US Marines also used this weapon in the Pacific in World War Two.

These howitzers were organized into batteries of four.

And in companies of 12.  In the Interwar period they were often assigned to Infantry Divisions to make up for the lack of a 105mm gun.  Due to budget restrictions there was no money for 105mm artillery procurement.

A battery of four howitzers.
 

Truck Comparison

This is an HO scale Filament Fighters truck.

I painted it using Rust-Oleum Army Green paint.  I don't normally primer paint 3D printed vehicles since they are gray and don't seem to need primer.

3D printed truck compared to the Roco 2 1/2 ton truck.

The Russian truck looks a lot smaller, but then the design is at least 10 years older than the American truck.

 

Soviet Cargo Truck

This World War Two truck from the Soviet Union is a Filament Fighters model after it has been assembled and painted.

It is 3D printed using filament.

The process can leave striations on some parts of the model but as you can see on this one they are hardly noticeable on most parts.

This was a standard Soviet truck in the early half of World War Two.

It carried a load of 2 1/2 tons.

It was a 4x6 truck and so had limited off road mobility.

Nice detail to the undercarriage.
 

1938 US Army Vehicles

The command car is from Wespe Models.  It think I got it about 25 years ago, or more.

This pick up truck and the previous one were both from Hobby Lobby.  One had a Christmas tree in the back, which I removed, and the other one was covered with glitter.  The glitter came right off with paint remover.  1930s Army vehicles sometimes were procured from civilian vehicles and would retain their chrome.  The staff car with canopy is a toy I got from Disneyland.

The radio tank is Filament Fighters 3d printed from Fidelis Models and the others are resin cast and have been in the collection for decades.

M2 Combat Cars from Filament Fighters.

I like having a pre-war US Army because it is useful for a number of scenarios.  Some can be used in WWII, some can be used to defend the Earth from the 1938 Orson Wells War of the Worlds radio broadcast, and others can be used for alternate history.  What if the US declared war on Germany in September, 1939 like the UK and France did?  This is the Army we might have used.

The last year or so I have been working hard on painting and assembling this collection.

I have more than what is shown here, and others still on the workbench getting built since taking these photos.  Next time there may be Martian War Machines, or Panzer II.

1938 US Army Models

This photo shows a GPF 155mm and Caterpillar tractor from Filament Fighters, a 37mm anti-tank gun from Roco, and a small pick up truck from Hobby Lobby that started life as a Christmas decoration, until it got drafted.

Filament Fighters are 3d printed using filament, and are HO scale.

Cast trucks, old time Mac cabs.

I have a lot of these with different wheels, this type of spoked wheel with the hard rubber tire is the oldest version.  Later ones have pneumatic wheels and then more off road wheels as the tire technology improved and the Army updated their mobility.

FT17 tanks, M2 tanks and other vehicles from at least 10 different manufacturers.  The oldest is a car I got at Disneyland at least 25 years ago, and the newest is less than two months old.

The artillery, and tractors, one of the staff cars, the radio tanks and a couple other pieces are Filament Fighters from Fidelis Models.

I have wanted this bulldozer for decades and I finally got one!  This model is so well done it's hard to tell it is 3d printed.

The US Army Coast Artillery used these big tractors to tow GPF 155mm and later Long Tom 155mm guns since most of their weapons were permanently emplaced and Coast Artillery is not generally all that mobile.  These tractors towed Long Toms in combat in North Africa.  That experience showed the need for larger tractors that could carry the crew, some ammunition and provide at least weather protection for the men.
 

1938 US Army Maneuvers

Radio tank, command car, and command van to coordinate the efforts of a vast and mobile army.

The commander with his field glasses observes the action.

A platoon of the new M2 tanks.

They drive past the older M1917 tanks.

Radio tank with a fixed superstructure.

Pick up truck with light anti-tank gun, GPF 155mm and tractor in the distance.

The heavy vehicles and the light vehicles can all tow guns that pack a punch.
 

1938 US Army

Light tanks drive along the beach.

Mobile defense to plug any gaps if the enemy penetrates to the beach.

155mm GPF guns form the backbone of the mobile beach defense artillery.

A might guy first used by the French and later Americans in the Great War.

The Caterpillar bulldozer can scrape together beach defenses much faster than men with shovels.

Staff car and light anti-tank gun.
 

1938

1938 and war clouds are building in Europe and Asia.

US troops are on a major exercise.

GPF 155mm Coast Artillery guns are set up along the shoreline.

Large trucks bring in supplies.

Smaller vehicles bring in officers and other materials.