28 cm howitzer L / 12
| 28 cm howitzer L / 12 | |
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| General Information | |
| Manufacturer country: |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Croup |
| Start of production: | Howitzer: 1892 Coastal Howitzer : 1907 |
| Weapon Category: | Coastal, fortress and siege artillery |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 3.39 m |
| Caliber : |
283 mm |
| Caliber length : | L / 12 |
| Cadence : | 0.25 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | 0 to +65 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 360 ° |
The 28 cm howitzer L / 12 was a howitzer that was used by the German army during the First World War and by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War . Mainly used in coastal defense and fortress artillery , it was also used as a siege gun.
The 28 cm howitzer L / 12 should not be confused with the 28 cm howitzer L / 10 developed by the Armstrong company .
history
development
Towards the end of the 19th century, Friedrich Krupp AG in Essen developed a 28 cm howitzer with a central pivot mount , which was used in coastal protection and for fortresses from 1892. From 1907 the revised coastal howitzer version with hydraulic reverse brake was introduced, which was able to better absorb the recoil. Ultimately, the howitzer was manufactured in two versions: a coastal howitzer version, which was mounted on a 360 ° swiveling rotating mount, and a howitzer version, which was exclusively installed on a mount and had a small straightening range. The coastal howitzer was used, among other places, at the fortress Helgoland , where eight howitzers were installed from 1892 and had a range of 10,400 meters.
First World War
In the German colony of Kiautschou , four 28 cm coastal howitzers with a 360 degree range of action, known as the Bismarckberg battery , were built into the rock in armored domes. From September to November 1914, Tsingtau was besieged by Japanese and British troops . Shortly before the surrender, the garrison blew up the howitzers and all other artillery so as not to let them fall into the hands of the enemy.
After the First World War, 17 howitzers and 13 coastal howitzers were still in use in seven coastal batteries in Germany, the use of which was permitted by the victorious powers. In addition, two howitzers of each type were provided as a reserve.
Second World War
Before the beginning of the Second World War, some of the 28 cm howitzers (Position Artillery Department 799) were installed in permanent positions in the south of the western wall . After hostilities began on September 1, 1939, targets on the Maginot Line were fired at.
During the siege of Sevastopol in 1942, six 28 cm howitzers (heavy artillery departments 741, 742 and 743 with two howitzers each) and three 28 cm coastal howitzers (heavy artillery departments 744) were used. Between June 2 and July 1, 1942, the howitzers fired 2,300 rounds and the coastal howitzers 750 rounds. After two weeks use of six had the in the tooths howitzers cracks in the pipes or non-starter and failed. While the artillery divisions 741, 742 and 743 were disbanded after the battle, the heavy artillery division 744 was relocated to the Leningrad area.
technology
Howitzer L / 12
The barrel of the 28 cm howitzer was stored on a carriage that rested on a slide that rose towards the rear. When firing, the gun carriage slid up the mountain and thereby slowed the recoil. The mount and sledge were mounted on a rotating mount that had a side straightening range of around 30 degrees. In order to load the howitzer with the 350 kg projectiles, the barrel had to be brought into a horizontal position. With the help of an ammunition crane that was attached to the sled, the grenades were guided to the barrel and pushed in. The rate of fire was one shot in four minutes. The range was 10,400 meters. Since the gun assembly took between three and four days, the howitzer was mainly used for coastal defense and as a fortress gun.
Coastal howitzer L / 12
Several improvements have been made to the Coastal Howitzer. The side straightening area was increased, in which the mount and slide were mounted on a central pivot mount that could be swiveled through 360 degrees. To reduce the recoil, a hydraulic reverse brake was installed on both sides of the mount. The complete gun weighed 50,300 kg and had a muzzle velocity of 350 m / s. The 17.3 kg propellant charge was pushed into the barrel separately after the grenade had been inserted. HE shells were used as projectiles.
Web links
- Heligoland fortress. festungsbauten.de, accessed on August 20, 2018 .
- 28cm howitzer L / 12 in wheel carriage (iR). historyofwar.org, accessed August 20, 2018 .
- Book of the German Colonies. CA Voskamp, accessed August 21, 2018 .
literature
- Fleischer, Wolfgang (2014). German Artillery: 1914-1918. Pen & Sword Military, ISBN 978-1-47382-398-3 .
- Scheibert, Joachim and Engelmann, Horst (1974). German artillery 1934–1945. Documentation in text, sketches and pictures. Equipment. Structure. Education. Guide. Commitment. Strength
- Forczyk, Robert (2014). Where the Iron Crosses Grow: The Crimea 1941-44. Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-1-78200-625-1
- Forczyk, Robert (2016). Sevastopol 1942: From Manstein's triumph. Osprey Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84603-221-9
- Kuhnert, Sascha and Wein, Friedrich (2017). The naval guns of the Siegfried Line on the Upper Rhine. ISBN 978-3-937779-29-4
- Hogg, Ian (2013). German Artillery of World War Two. Frontline Books.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helgoland Fortress. festungsbauten.de, accessed on August 21, 2018 .
- ^ The troops of the Central Powers in the Far East and their defense preparations. Austrian military newspaper, accessed on August 21, 2018 .
- ↑ Kuhnert and Wein, p. 27
- ↑ Forczyk (Where the Iron Crosses Grow), appendices
- ↑ Forczyk (Sevastopol 1942), p. 28
- ↑ a b c Hogg, p. 106