gun-howitzer

plural gun-howitzers · alternative gun howitzer · alternative howitzer-gun

1. governmentAn artillery piece designed both for direct fire and indirect fire at a wide range of angles of elevation, thus capable of fulfilling the roles of a traditional field gun and howitzer.

   The Pattern of 1857 12-pounder Napoleon gun-howitzer was one of the most versatile and popular field pieces used during the Civil War. […] Although technically a gun, the Napoleon was often referred to as a gun-howitzer for its ability to also fire explosive shell.

   2007, Jeff Kinard, “Nineteenth-century U.S. Artillery, 1800–1865”, in Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact

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   Sometimes the distinction between an artillery gun and a howitzer becomes blurred due to the development of gun-howitzers that can perform both roles. The best-known Allied gun-howitzer used during World War II was the British 25-Pounder Gun, which had a caliber of 87 mm.

   2000, Michael and Gladys Green, “Artillery Weapons”, in Weapons of Patton's Armies