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Modern howitzers are commonly either self-propelled or towable. During World War II, a 75 mm "pack" howitzer was in common use. The 75 mm howitzer could be disassembled into several main components and carried by mule through very difficult terrain. Howitzers of such small caliber have generally been abandoned in favor of larger guns with greater capabilities. Modern howitzers fire 105 to 155 millimetre diameter shells at a maximum rate of approximately 10 per minute.

Small howitzers can be towed by a utility vehicle such as a humvee or airlifted by helicopter. Most are towed by five-ton or larger trucks. Recent developments favour self-propelled artillery because of its shrapnelShrapnel in the strict sense, is shot deliberately included in a landmine or shell intended to be scattered by the explosion. The pellets in the Claymore mine used by the United States meet this definition. More loosely, the term is used to refer to any f protection.

Howitzers used by the United States armed forcesUnited States armed forces Military manpower Military age18 years of age Availabilitymales age 15-49: 70,819,436 (2001 est. Reaching military age annuallymales: 2,039,414 (2001 est. Military expenditures Dollar figure$399. 1 billion (FY2004 est. Percent o include:

• M102 howitzerFirst introduced during the Vietnam War, the M102 was the light-towed 105 mm howitzer used by the United States Army in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. It fires a variety of conventional munitions and traverses rapidly through 360 degrees. (105mm, towed)
• M198 howitzerThe M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece. It can be dropped by parachute or transported by a CH-47 Chinook. The M198 is deployed in separate corps- and Army-level field artillery units, as well as in artillery battalions of light and air (155mm, towed)
• M109 howitzerThe M109 "Paladin self-propelled 155 mm howitzer was first introduced in the early 1960s. Continually upgraded and improved, it is still the primary indirect-fire support weapon of maneuver brigades of armored and mechanized infantry divisions of the US A (155mm, self-propelled)
• M110 howitzerThe M110A2 8-inch howitzer is the largest available self-propelled howitzer in the United States Army's inventory. It is deployed in division artillery of general support battalions and in separate corps- and Army-level battalions. Missions include genera (8-inch, self-propelled)

The Dutch, German, Italian and Greek armies have been using or will be using PzH 2000 howitzerThe PzH 2000 Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled 155mm howitzer was first introduced in 1996. It will be used by the Dutch, German, Greek and Italian armies. The loading of shells is automated, two operators should be able to load 60 shells in 12 minutes. (155 mm, self-propelled) shortly.

The Big BerthaBig Bertha is the name under which some pieces or families of WW1 artillery cannons were known. It's usually associated exclusively with one specific gun, the Kaiser Wilhelm Geschutz (also known as the Paris Cannon) created to bomb Paris from a safe dista was a large, 42 centimeter howitzer used in the German push of 1914. The gun was based on a similar 42 centimeter gun used for a short while by Krupp for the German military.

thumb 19th century 12-pounder mountain howitzer displayed by the National Park Service at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, USA

That similar, older 42 centimeter gun was based almost completely on a gun designed by Louis Gathmann in the late 1800s. Louis was known as the inventor of the "Big Berthas" up through his death in June of 1917. Even the New York Times labeled Louis Gathmann as the inventor.

In November 1990 British customs officers seized parts of a 1000mm howitzer destined for the Iraq Project Babylon "supergun", which, had it been built, would have been the largest gun ever constructed.

The term "howitzer" is also used metaphorically for a brutal, merciless attack. Example: New York Times MARCH 28, 2004, "Most recently, Ms. Hughes was an advocate of the howitzer treatment of Mr. Clarke, the former counterterrorism chief who was attacked by the White House as politically motivated and dishonest."