6 pounder field cannon C / 64
| 6 pounder field cannon C / 64 | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Military designation: | 6 pounder field gun C / 64 |
| Weapon Category: | Field cannon |
| Technical specifications | |
The 6 pounder field cannon C / 64 was a Prussian field gun and a successor to the 6 pounder field cannon C / 61 . The correct name for the gun was: drawn. Cast steel 6pfdr. with wedge lock .
In 1871, as part of a reorganization, the type designation was changed to 9 cm steel cannon with wedge lock C / 64 .
history
With the C / 61 series, which also included a 6-pounder field cannon, the age of rifled breech-loading guns began in Prussia around 1859 . The guns of this series were all still equipped with the Wahrendorff piston lock, which required two soldiers to operate. Around 1862 the first guns in Prussia, here the 12- and 24-pounder of the fortress and siege artillery, were for the first time equipped with a wedge lock, which only required a soldier to operate. With the construction of the 4-pounder field cannon C / 64 , this principle was applied to the field artillery for the first time . At the same time, new mounts and limbs were introduced with the 4-pounder , which should give the gun the greatest possible accuracy, ease of use and maneuverability. Based on these considerations that the Artillery Examination Commission (AKP) had made for this purpose, it seemed sensible to transfer these to a new 6-pounder as well. After the misery of 1866 with the rifled cast steel field guns that were equipped with the Wesener wedge lock, production of this type of gun was discontinued. The existing guns were given to the fortress artillery. The other C / 64 pipe blanks with a square bottom piece that were already in place were completed with the Wahrendorff piston cap. These guns were drawn with the type designation . Cast steel 6pfdr. with piston lock, forged for wedge lock put into service. In 1871 the name was changed to 9 cm steel cannon with a piston lock (square) .
technology
In addition to the redesign of the mounts and limbs already mentioned above, which already resulted in a weight reduction of 136 pounds, the tubular construction of the 4-pounder was also transferred to the 6-pounder. Since a wedge lock was also to be used with this model, the base piece had to be designed with a square shape to facilitate the insertion of the wedge hole. The so-called "Wesener wedge lock" was then used, which was structurally identical to the wedge lock of the 4-pounder field cannon C / 64. This clasp was also equipped with the copper eyelid. After 1866, this version was no longer manufactured and they went back to the Wahrendoff piston lock. However, this differed from the version C / 61 in that the end piece of the sealing piston was now designed as a smooth pin with a transverse hole into which a so-called “split pin” could be inserted. In addition, a ball was attached to the crank arm on the right when the lock was closed, which was supposed to prevent the lock from loosening automatically. With this design, pressboard disks had to be used again for leaning, which were not connected to the cartridge. In contrast to the 4-pounder, these had to be inserted separately. The train system was also redesigned.
Operation: Six soldiers were required to operate the gun. This consisted of the gun leader plus five gunners. The tasks were distributed as follows:
- No. 1: revises the ignition hole after every shot with the cartridge needle, pierces the cartridge with the same and fires.
- No. 2: handles the cap, places the cartridge and aligns it.
- No. 3: wipes out, applies the projectile and supports No. 2 in taking the lateral direction with the help of the straightening tree.
- No. 4: brings the ammunition to the gun after the gun leader has fitted the grenade with a locking pin and ignition screw
After No. 3 has pushed it forwards with the squeegee, No. 4. inserts the cartridge (as well as, in the case of a high bow shot, possibly the separate pressboard base).
- No. 5: opens and closes the limber, removes the bullets from it and gives them to No. 4. He also greases the wiper with glycerine oil.
Carriages: The walls of the field carriage C / 64 were shaped similarly to those of the field carriage C / 61, but were only cut out for the trunnion bearing. The cutouts for the axle chuck and the wall openings for the straightening shaft were omitted. This enabled the wall thicknesses to be significantly reduced, which ultimately led to the above-mentioned weight reduction. A shaft straightening machine with a double threaded spindle was now built into the mount. This had the great advantage over the C / 61 version that the set-up time was significantly reduced due to the double spindle. In addition, the straightening sole no longer stood on the straightening spindle in this version, but was arranged hanging, which offered great advantages in terms of durability. The axle was now made of cast steel. Because the axle chuck was no longer needed, it had to be stabilized by diagonal struts attached to the side. So-called "Thonet's wheels" were now used as wheels. These consisted of a bronze hub, twelve spokes and the rim with the iron wheel tire. The diameter of the wheels was 59.20 inches. The 6 pound carriage had a bearing height of 3 feet 7.20 inches with a track width of 58.50 inches.
Technical specifications
The numerical values of the Prussian order of measurements and weights from May 16, 1816 were used as the basis for the conversion.
- Caliber: 3.5 inches = 9.15 cm
- Pipe length: 78 inches = 2.04 m
- Ammunition type / weight
- Grenades consisting of: iron core, lead jacket, explosive charge, detonator. Total weight: 13¾ pounds, of which the charge was 15 loth.
- Incendiary grenades. These contained only 12 Loth explosive charges. In addition, there were six fires of 1.5 solder each. The total weight increased by 6 loth.
- Grapes: These were filled with 41 zinc balls of 5 solder each. Total weight: 9 pounds.
- Charge: Typically 1.2 pounds of powder in the cartridge pouch were used for shooting. Cartridges with a weight of 0.6 and 0.3 pounds were still available for the so-called high bow shot.
- Trains: The 6 pounder had 16 wedge trains. The width at the cargo bay was 0.59 "and 0.44" at the mouth, with a depth of 0.05 ". The panels were 0.10 and 0.25 inches wide, respectively. The twist length was 16 feet.
- Weight: The gun weighed 4,120 pounds fully equipped.
- Field tripod without equipment: 992 pounds
- Field men without equipment: 889 pounds
- Five men (170 pounds each): 850 pounds
literature
- W. Witte: The rifled field guns C / 61, C / 64 and C / 64/67. 3rd edition, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867. (Reprint: J. Olmes, Krefeld 1971)
- J. Schott: Outline of the weapon theory. Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt / Leipzig 1868.
Individual evidence
- ^ War Ministry (Ed.): Army Ordinance Sheet. 5th year, No. 18 v. August 14, 1871, p. 195, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin.
- ^ W. Witte: The rifled field guns C / 61, C / 64 and C / 67. 3rd edition, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867, p. 1. (Reprint: J. Olmes, Krefeld 1971)
- ^ W. Witte: The rifled field guns C / 61, C / 64 and C / 67. 3rd edition, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867, p. 2. (Reprint: J. Olmes, Krefeld 1971)
- ^ War Ministry (Ed.): Army Ordinance Sheet. 5th year, No. 18 v. August 14, 1871, p. 195, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin.
- ↑ J. Schott: Plan of the weapon theory. Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt / Leipzig 1868, p. 127.
- ↑ J. Schott: Plan of the weapon theory. Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt / Leipzig 1868, pp. 218–220
- ↑ 1 Prussian foot = 12 inches = 31.385 cm; 1 Prussian inch = 2.615 cm; 1 Prussian pound (inch pound) = 30 Loth = 500 g; 1 Loht = 16.67 g.
- ↑ W: Witte: The rifled field guns C / 61, C / 64 and C / 64/67. 3rd edition, Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867, pp. 13-16.
- ↑ The information applies to the 6-pounder with a wedge lock.
- ↑ J. Schott: Plan of the weapon theory . Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt / Leipzig 1868, p. 127.
- ↑ There are different information on this. Sometimes the gun leader is not included in the information.