The M114 is a U.S.-origin 155 mm towed howitzer first fielded as the M1 during World War II and later redesignated M114. Official U.S. Army history identifies it as the standard 155 mm howitzer of the Korean and Vietnam wars, while recent catalog evidence centers on legacy stocks reappearing with Houthi-aligned forces in Yemen and Ukrainian forces during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Ukrainian artillerymen publicly showed M114A1 155 mm howitzers in April 2025 after earlier Portuguese and Greek transfer reporting; the sources support Ukrainian fielding and aid channels, not exact donor attribution for each observed gun.
Role detailsU.S. Army history describes the M114 family as the standard issue 155 mm howitzer during the Vietnam War, and FAS likewise lists the system as used in Viet Nam; this row tracks documented U.S.-side use within the catalog's combined United States and South Vietnam side.
Open-source inventories list M114 howitzers among pre-war Yemeni Army towed artillery available to battlefield parties, and a 2022 Houthi parade in Hodeidah was identified as displaying U.S.-made 155 mm M114 howitzers; the available sources support legacy-stock context and display, not a specific firing incident.
Role detailsThe M114 family sits between World War II U.S. heavy field-artillery design and later NATO 155 mm logistics. Rock Island Arsenal assembled the system and produced the carriage and recoil mechanisms, while Watervliet Arsenal made the cannon barrel. The design stayed useful because it fired separate-loading 155 mm ammunition, but its short barrel and towed layout make modern front-line use dependent on prepared positions, ammunition availability, and careful exposure management.
General supporting fire from a split-trail towed carriage, with high-explosive, smoke, and other 155 mm shell types documented in U.S. Army background material.
Rock Island Arsenal assembled the howitzers and built the carriage and recoil mechanisms; Watervliet Arsenal supplied the barrel.
Ukrainian reporting describes the M114A1 as short-ranged by contemporary 155 mm standards, pushing crews toward conservative siting and prepared firing positions.
The page covers the U.S. 155 mm Howitzer M1/M114 family, whose M1 and M1A1 designations were later folded into the M114 sequence.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 155 mm Howitzer M1 | Original wartime designation | Rock Island Arsenal and WeaponSystems.net identify M1 as the original designation before the post-World War II M114 name. Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: M114 155MM Medium Towed Howitzer, 155mm M114 |
| M114A1 | M1A1 redesignation with air brakes | WeaponSystems.net identifies M114A1 as the former M1A1 model with air brakes instead of electrical brakes, redesignated in 1962. Sources: 155mm M114 |
| M114A2 | Postwar production model | WeaponSystems.net describes M114A2 as a postwar production model with slightly longer ordnance. Sources: 155mm M114 |
| M114/39 | 39-caliber modernization | Defense Express describes Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian M114 modernization work that replaced the original short barrel with a 39-caliber barrel and improved range with suitable ammunition. Sources: Where Ukraine Got WW2-Era M114 Howitzers and How They Could Be Modernized |
The M114 is a separate-loading 155 mm howitzer documented with NATO-standard ammunition and the M107 high-explosive projectile family.
| Ammunition | Ammunition type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 155 mm high-explosive projectile | WeaponSystems.net identifies the M114 as firing the M107 range of 155 mm NATO-standard ammunition. Sources: 155mm M114 |
 | 155 mm artillery ammunition family | FAS describes the M114 as using NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition, and WeaponSystems.net similarly describes the gun as firing 155 mm NATO-standard ammunition. Sources: The M114 155mm Howitzer, 155mm M114 |
The U.S. Army and WeaponSystems.net both place M114 family development in the 1939-1941 period.
Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: M114 155MM Medium Towed Howitzer, 155mm M114
Rock Island Arsenal assembled the M1/M114 family from 1941 through 1953, with carriage and recoil work produced in-house.
Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: M114 155MM Medium Towed Howitzer
U.S. Army history identifies the M114 family as a standard issue 155 mm howitzer during the Korean War.
Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: M114 155MM Medium Towed Howitzer
WeaponSystems.net records the former M1A1 model as redesignated M114A1 in 1962.
Sources: 155mm M114
Rock Island Arsenal notes that the M198 began replacing the M114 in U.S. service in 1979.
Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: M114 155MM Medium Towed Howitzer
UNITED24 reported that Ukrainian forces had begun fielding M114A1 155 mm howitzers during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
Sources: American M114 Howitzers from WWII Era Appear on Ukraine's Frontlines for the First Time
