Direct proof of use
The M-46 is documented in the 2003 Iraq War through Iraqi government artillery units and battlefield imagery from southern Iraq. A U.S. Marine Corps History Division account of the invasion lists Iraqi 51st Division artillery around Az Zubayr as including medium-range Type-59-1 and M-46 towed-howitzer battalions before 1st Marine Division crossed into Iraq.
The same Marine Corps history records a newly located Iraqi Type 59-1 artillery battery north of Safwan before the ground attack and later Type 59-1 artillery pieces remaining in and around Al Kut as Marine units destroyed Iraqi indirect-fire assets. A public-domain National Archives/DVIDS-derived image record dated March 22, 2003 separately identifies the remains of an Iraqi 130 mm M-46 field gun and other artillery pieces near At Tubah al Hamra, near Al-Basrah, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sources: With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003, NARA/DVIDS Iraqi M-46 Remains
Timeline
Before the 1st Marine Division crossed the line of departure on March 20, 2003, Marine intelligence identified Iraqi artillery in the division's zone, including a Type 59-1 battery north of Safwan. The opening fire plan also treated Iraqi artillery around Az Zubayr as a high-priority threat, including Type-59-1 and M-46 battalions in the 51st Division area.
On March 22, 2003, a U.S. military image record placed destroyed Iraqi M-46 remains near At Tubah al Hamra, near Al-Basrah. By early April, Marine reporting still described Type 59-1 artillery pieces in and around Al Kut while Marine units conducted counterbattery and observed fires against Iraqi indirect-fire assets.
Sources: With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003, NARA/DVIDS Iraqi M-46 Remains
Operational role
In this conflict record, the M-46 family appears on the Iraqi government side as long-range towed artillery rather than as a coalition weapon. The sources support Iraqi deployment and battlefield presence of M-46 and Chinese Type 59-1 130 mm guns during the invasion phase; they do not identify each firing unit's full order of battle or every engagement in which an M-46 fired.
The documented role was defensive artillery and fire support for Iraqi formations trying to oppose the coalition advance in southern and central Iraq. Coalition records show those guns primarily through intelligence reports, target lists, counterbattery activity, and destroyed battlefield materiel.
Sources: With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003, NARA/DVIDS Iraqi M-46 Remains
