These photos of a 4.5-in. Gun M1 at Fort Leonard Wood were taken by Michael Powell. Note the "two-toned" gun tube in the first photo in the fourth row. This was due to the tapered barrel; the section of tube that recolied back through the cylinder was unpainted, while the area from the point where the taper began to the muzzle was painted olive drab..

The gun shared the same carriage and recoil as the 155mm howitzer. The tires are a typical pattern for WWII; unfortunately, neither this style nor the diamond pattern are currently available for modelers.

This series was very valuable in my research for detailing my Italeri howitzer, as were the pictures from Kurt Laughlin of the M1A2 howitzer. Many thanks to Mike for allowing me to share these photos with you.