This M1A1 75 mm Pack Howitzer is located on the northwest corner of the Lauderdale County Courthouse Grounds. The artillery piece is on display in a landscaped raised brick and concrete circle. There are no additional plaques or memorials. The stamping above the breech of the howitzer states:
How. Pack 75 mm. M1A1 PA-R1A
Ord. Dept. U.S.A.
General Elec. Co. No. 142
1940 121 Lbs. Insp. P.G.B.
From Wikipedia about the M1A1 - (
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"The 75mm Pack Howitzer M1 (redesignated the M116 in 1962) was an artillery piece used by the United States. It was designed in the 1920s to meet a need for a howitzer that could be moved across difficult terrain. The gun and carriage was designed so that it could be broken down into several pieces to be carried by pack animals. The gun saw combat in World War II with the United States Army (primarily used by airborne units), with US Marine Corps, and was also supplied to foreign forces.
In addition to the pack / air portable configuration, the gun was mounted on a conventional carriage to serve as a field artillery piece. The M2 and M3 are derived vehicle mounted howitzers used in the 75mm HMC M8 and some LVT models. In addition, the M1 in its original version was mated to a number of other self-propelled carriages, though only one of those – 75mm HMC T30 – reached mass production.
75 mm pack howitzer on carriage M8 during the Battle of Tinian.
In the Second World War era US Army, 75 mm howitzers were issued to airborne and mountain units.
An airborne division, according to the organization of February 1944, had three 75 mm howitzer battalions – two glider field artillery battalions (two six-gun batteries each) and one parachute field artillery battalion (three four-gun batteries), in total 36 pieces per division. In December 1944, new Tables of Organization and Equipment increased the divisional firepower to 60 75 mm howitzers (as an option, in glider battalions 75 mm pieces could be replaced with more powerful 105mm M3).
The only mountain division formed, the 10th, had three 75 mm howitzer battalions, 12 pieces each. The gun was also used by some separate field artillery battalions. These included mule-packed field artillery battalions seeing service in Burma.
The M1A1 also saw use during the Battle of Anzio, 39th Field Artillery Regiment.
In the US Marine Corps, under the E-series Tables of Organization (TO) from 15 April 1943 divisional artillery included three 75 mm howitzer battalions, 12 pieces each. The F-series TO from 5 May 1944 reduced the number of 75 mm battalions to two, and the G-series TO removed them altogether, completing the shift to 105 mm and 155 mm howitzers. Although the G-series TO was only adopted on 4 September 1945, in practice in some divisions the change was introduced early in 1945.
The M116 is still used by the US military for ceremonial purposes as a salute gun firing blanks."