Return of the one-o-five: the 105 mm gun might be regarded as the shooting star of the 20th century--its passage across the skies being a brief blaze of glory followed by oblivion. Yet, far from fading away, this ordinance is flaring back and becoming attractive for a wide range of duties.(Large Calibre: 105)

Armada International,  October, 2005  by Hooton, E.R.

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At the beginning of the 20th Century the 105 mm howitzer was regarded as a means of augmenting smaller calibre (75 mm) field guns, but the first World War showed that these weapons were actually superior to field guns in terms of lethality. During the Second World War both the American and German armies made 105 mm howitzers the basis of their divisional artillery and afterwards many Western armies benefited from the cornucopia of American industry and continued to receive this ordnance.

During the Cold War the need for even greater ranges, lethality and increased mobility ...

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