15 cm SK C / 28
| 15 cm SK C / 28 | |
|---|---|
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 15 cm SK C / 28 |
| Manufacturer country: |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire German Empire.svg){kind=small}
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Rheinmetall |
| Development year: | 1928 |
| Production time: | 1934 to? |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 8200 mm |
| Caliber : |
149.1 mm |
| Caliber length : | 55 caliber |
| Number of trains : | 44 |
| Cadence : | 6-8 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | + 40 / -10 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | +/- 360 ° |
| Turning speed: | 9 ° / s |
| Increase speed: | 8 ° / s |
The 15 cm SK C / 28 (SK = Schnellladekanone ) was a ship gun of the German Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine which was used in World War II .
History of origin
The reason for the development of the C / 28 was the requirement of the Navy for a gun that would achieve the performance data of the previous model and at the same time be lighter. Produced in series from 1934, the new model developed into the standard gun for the medium artillery of capital ships . It was used on the ships of the Germany , Scharnhorst and Bismarck classes in various mountings and armor thicknesses. While the guns in the Germany class were still set up in single mounts, the other ships were fitted with different models of double mounts with or without a range finder. Other uses should the planned battleships of the H - and O class , the cruisers of P - and M class and the aircraft carriers of the Graf Zeppelin class done. However, due to the war, none of these ships was completed.
Technical specifications
Mount
- Description: 15 cm wire length. C / 34
- Weight: 108 - 120 t (depending on the version)
- Caliber: 15 cm
- Tube length L / 55: 8,200 mm
- Core length: 6,588 mm
- Number of tubes: 2
- Type of pipe: 2 layers with vertical wedge lock
- Number of straightening axes: 2
- Muzzle velocity: 875 m / s
- largest increase: 40 °
- greatest depression: −10 °
- maximum firing range: 23,000 m
- maximum altitude: 6,800 m
- Lifespan: 900 shots
- Rate of fire: ~ 8 rounds per barrel and min.
- Max. Swivel speed: 9 ° / s
- Max. Elevation speed: 8 ° / s
Source:
ammunition
- Bullets
- Tank explosive grenade with bottom detonator and ballistic hood - Psgr L / 3.7 m Bdz (with hood) to 45.5 kg
- High explosive grenade with bottom fuse and ballistic hood - Spgr L / 4.5 m Bdz (with hood) to 45.5 kg
- HE grenade with head detonator and ballistic hood - Spgr L / 4.4 Kz (with hood) at 45.5 kg
- Propellant charge
- Main cartridge weight 23.5 kg
Source:
Use as a coastal gun
In the wake of the outbreak of World War II , construction was suspended for all heavy navy units that could not be completed within a year. In many cases, the 15 cm armament had already been partially completed and delivered. These surplus guns were then used for coastal defense as part of the Atlantic Wall . For example, four 15 cm SK C / 28 were installed in two twin mounts that were actually intended for the Graf Zeppelin in Petsamo , Finland . Two more twin mounts were used in northern Norway near the Finnish border. This battery was moved to Tromsø shortly before the end of the war in 1945 and was later taken over by the Norwegian armed forces . Four more guns stood on the English Channel, two of them in gun bunkers and another in an open bed, in order to be able to fight land targets on the French mainland. For the last, a rotatable reinforced concrete tower was constructed in April 1944, the first of its kind. This was placed on the bedding of a gun turret of the French battleship Provence . Due to the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 , this construction was never completed, but the tower could already be turned by hand.
The 15 cm twin mounts of the battleship Gneisenau , which was decommissioned in 1942 , were set up on the island of Fanø in Denmark and relocated to Stevnsford fortress in 1952. Although the batteries were downgraded to reserve status in 1984, the guns fired regularly for training purposes until the summer of 2000. The military use of the fortress ended in 2001, after which a museum was set up on the site.
Use in the army
The use of the 15 cm SK C / 28 as an army artillery gun was originally intended to be only a temporary solution, as on the one hand the coastal gun bunkers were not yet completed and on the other hand the production of the standard 17 and 21 cm guns of the army was not combined with the production of the associated ones Carriages could keep up. As a result, a total of eight 15 cm C / 28 were placed on army mounts and used under the designation 15 cm SK C / 28 in mortar mounts at the 620 heavy artillery division. As a rule, the units were re-armed as soon as the 15 or 17 cm army guns were available in sufficient numbers.
reception
The 15 cm SK C / 28 was regarded as a successful design due to its high precision and reliability and corresponded to the doctrines of the Navy, which provided for the use of the battleships as a single driver. However, the space and weight requirements were u. a. at the expense of anti-aircraft armament and was in contrast to other navies, which preferred a uniform medium artillery from multi-purpose guns and - with the exception of the USA - had more bad than good experiences.
literature
- Mike J. Whitley: German cruiser in World War II . 1st edition. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 978-3-613-01207-3 , p. 201 .
- Mike J. Whitley: German Capital Ships of World War Two. Arms & Armor Press, London 1989, ISBN 0-85368-970-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Main information about the artillery on board for the handbook for Admiralstabsoffizier, status 1.1.1939
- ↑ M.Dv. No. 185.2 Dimensions, weights and space requirements of ammunition and their packing containers
- ↑ High Command Navy; Artillery issues; Main information about guns on board for the handbook for admiral staff officers as of 1.1.1939; BAMA RM 20/1909