17 cm cannon 18
| 17 cm cannon 18 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 17 cm cannon 18 in a mortar mount |
| Manufacturer country: | German Empire |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Krupp / Hanomag |
| Production time: | 1941 to? |
| Number of pieces: | 338 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 8.60 m |
| Caliber : |
172.5 mm |
| Caliber length : | L / 50 |
| Cadence : | 1-2 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | 0 ° to +50 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | Base plate 360 °, mount 16 ° |
The 17 cm cannon 18 in mortar mount was a cannon of the German Wehrmacht during World War II .
Development and production
The gun was developed by Krupp in Essen and, due to the great demand from 1941, also produced by Hanomag in Hanover .
description
The barrel of the 17 cm cannon 18 was identical to that of the 21 cm mortar 18 introduced in 1939 . It had a double barrel return mechanism, both the gun barrel and the upper mount had separate return mechanisms. Thus, the entire recoil energy was absorbed and there was practically no movement of the mount relative to the ground. This increased the accuracy in no small way. In contrast to the lifting of the heavier mortar, the base plate could be pivoted much more effectively around the pivot in the center by means of three intermediate pieces equipped with rollers, which could be done by a single operator. The weapon was introduced into the army artillery in 1941. Soon after the cannon's appearance, its ammunition was found to be only slightly less effective than that of the mortar, with a range of about 29.6 km compared to 16.7 km for the mortar. Thus, from around 1942, the cannon was given priority and the production of the mortar was stopped. Due to the high weight of 23,375 kg in the driving position, the gun was transported in two part loads and brought into the firing position (weight then 17,520 kg) via a system of winches and ramps. Over short distances it was possible to move the gun in the firing position as a total load with a heavy half-track vehicle .
The life of the tube was approximately 1500 rounds. The weight of the grenades was 71 kg (tank shell) or 68 kg (HE shell).
commitment
The gun was used in the heavy cannon departments 557, 763, 764, II./84 and in the independent cannon batteries 435, 1./817, 2./817 and 3./817. The departments with nine cannons and the independent batteries with three cannons were used at the corresponding focal points of the front. Individual captured artillery pieces were used by the Allied troops during their advance.
Gunner at the cannon
17 cm cannon 18 in the firing position
literature
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945 , Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .
- Chris Bishop (Ed.): Weapons of the Second World War, Weltbild, ISBN 3-8289-5385-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leo Niehorster : GERMAN WORLD WAR II ORGANIZATIONAL SERIES, Volume 5 / II, HIGHER HEADQUARTERS AND MECHANIZED GHQ UNITS (July 4, 1943). P. 41 , accessed on December 29, 2019 (English).
- ↑ Chris Bishop (ed.): Weapons of the Second World War . Weltbild, Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5385-9 .