The US Army and WWII - Sel. Pprs from Commem. Confs by J. Bellafaire

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Howitzers , the War Department initiated action to acquire its own. Pressed by expediency, the Ordnance Department mounted an M2 105-mm. howitzer on a medium tank chassis, designated the weapon the M7 self-propelled 105-mm. howitzer, also known as the Priest because of its pulpit-like machine gun turret, and rushed it to the British in North Africa late in 1942. The adoption of self-propelled and towed artillery opened a new era. " Simultaneously, the war in Europe caused Congress to increase funding for defense.

Later Maj . ) H. L. C. Jones, who became the director of the Gunnery Department in 1939, and his staff made the fire direction center acceptable. They centralized all computation for observed and unobserved fire at the fire direction center and made the battery commander responsible for observed fire and the battalion commander for unobserved. S. ARMY AND WORLD WAR II : SELECTED PAPERS Unlike the fire direction center that improved the field arti llery'S capacity to perform its traditional role of supporting the other combat arms, using field pieces to fight tanks had the potential of forging a new and controversial mission.

63. , Sec. 3, p. 37. 64. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave him credit for coining the expression " Hemi sphere Defense" in a February 1939 report. MHI , Russell Maxwell Papers (see I"quirer, 12 Aug 45). His papers include correspondence, official papers, and newspaper clippings showing hi s interest in Gennan, Japanese, and Italian penetration of Latin America, 1938- 1941 . 65. Hi s papers include a copy of President Roosevelt 's 14 April 1939 speech on PanAmerica Day before the Governing Board of the Pan-American Union.