Škoda 149 mm howitzer model 14
The Škoda 149-mm howitzer model 14 was a gun of the middle artillery of the Austro-Hungarian artillery in the First World War .
history
In 1914 the Austro-Hungarian Army had to quickly reinforce its medium and heavy artillery. The Škoda works hastily developed various models. Some achieved great success. Take the Mod. 14 149mm howitzer, for example. It was introduced in 1914 and used on all fronts. Within a short time, the robust gun advanced to become the army's standard howitzer. With the designation Mod. 14/16 the howitzer was improved again in 1916. They were also used in the armies of Austria , Czechoslovakia , Hungary and Italy (which was able to capture some artillery) well into the 1940s .
The gun
The howitzer, like many others of the time, was of conventional design. The carriage was carried by two steel spoke wheels. On top of it lay the cradle with the relatively short barrel typical of howitzers. The pipe itself was anchored in a guide on the cradle, which could not prevent warping of the pipe during prolonged, intensive use, but it did reduce it considerably. The single-axis spar was provided with an earth spade, which dug into the earth when it was fired and which slowed the recoil with the hydropneumatic pipe return system. A quick release was used as the closure, which was easy to use and enabled rapid fire.
For transport, the gun was split into two partial loads. For this purpose, the cradle including the pipe was lifted from the carriage and transported separately. On the one hand, this relieved the draft horses , on the other hand, the gun could also be used on the Alpine front , where the terrain made the use of heavy guns mostly impossible due to the lack of transport options.
Technical specifications
- Caliber: 149 mm
- Combat weight: 2765 kg
- Elevation range: –5 ° to + 70 °
- Side straightening range: 8 °
- Ammunition: high explosive and shrapnel
- Bullet weight: 42 kg
- Muzzle velocity: 350 m / s
- Maximum range: 8000 m
literature
- Ian Hogg: Artillery of the 20th Century , Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6
