Thanks for the reference...I will poke around and see if that surfaces anywhere in my library network...
Holy smokes. I watched a video to see the loading process for a 155mm weapon, and that looked like dangerous, back-breaking work to me (bunch of Marines out in Iraq). Trying to find out how much the shell weighs, it looks like 100+ lbs, and watching a guy pick one up, hump it over to the breech looking somewhat crab-legged...
I could see how average guys might be able to do it, but I am skeptical that average women (not pumped up by exercising constantly, taking steroids and/or drinking protein drinks all the time could do it.
That looked dangerous...lots of big, moving parts with lots of force to sever limbs behind them.
Depends on the time of the month. : )
IIRC, 95# for the 155mm HE round. The Marines use only towed 155 howitzers, the Army has a mix of towed and self-propelled (SP). The SP M109 has only power for ramming the shell, not picking it up, unless that's changed with some of the newer variants. Then, the difficulty depends on whether the loader is working out of the on-board racks or having to lift it from the tailgate when the shell is brought from the ammo vehicle. With the on-board racks, you work from about chest-high to belly-high on the ramming table.
Depending on the load or explosive charge, projectiles are 90 or 100 pounds. My battle station was first loader (projectileman) on a 5" 38 naval gun. The projectiles weighed 55 pounds IIRC. We used to train on a mockup of the gun on the boat deck. Fired a few for real in training, at floating targets but never one in anger.
That shell is 98 pounds and is supposed to be picked up by two cannoneers on a tray under ideal crew conditions. However, under reduced gun crew conditions or drills, it is not uncommon for one cannoneer to hump the shell up to the breech.
The really heavy parts are the base plate the gun sits on and the spades at the end of the trails. Those take two guys to seat. Spreading the trails is rough to if you only have six guys to do it. Not to mention when you have to hook the gun to the prime carrier...
Summary, not for women.