Like so many inter-war American artillery pieces, the 155 Howitzer was a French WW1 design, the Schneider M1917. The carriage for this gun was updated in the 1930's and in 1941 the weapon received a longer barrel and new breech to become the 155mm Howitzer M1. Minor modifications to gun and carriage resulted in the M1A1, which was to serve as the standard medium artillery piece of the US Army for many years. It was capable of firing a 43kg shell out to 15,000 meters, ammunition included HE, Smoke and Chemical, though the later were not used in combat. The gun weighed 5,800kg and was normally served by a crew of 11 men. It was towed by 2.5 ton trucks or the M3 Half Track. The M1A1 served with many nations after WWII and saw action in Korea, Indo-China and Vietnam. Total production reached over 10,000 pieces manufactured from 1941 to 1953.