Artillery - TheHistoryFiles.com

Cross Channel Duel

This map shows the fire pattern and coordinates of the four heavy batteries in the Pas de Calais at A. Sangatte, B. Framzelle, C. Haringzelle and D. La Treserorie. One of the lesser known campaigns of WW II was the cross channel bombardments in the Pas-de-Calais and Dover area between German and British large gun […]

Artillery, Germany

3.7-cm Pak 35/36

The original 3.7-cm Pak 35/36 produced during the late 1920s had spoked wheels for horse traction, but by the mid-1930s these had been replaced by steel disc wheels for motor traction. It was a light and low gun that was at first issued to all arms of the Wehrmacht. In 1943, the introduction of the […]

Artillery

Eighteenth-Century Artillery

Swedish Artillery of Charles XI- 17th-18th Century. American colonial artillery crew. 18th-century cannon projectiles. Spurred by evolving technology, organization, and tactics, smoothbore artillery achieved its maturity during the eighteenth century. Constantly improving metallurgy allowed for lighter and shorter gun tubes that did not sacrifice safety or accuracy. In addition, new gun carriages greatly aided the […]

Artillery, Germany

K5(E) BATTERY

Damian Milas online portfolio The K5(E) battery with one gun was transported with two separate trains. The ‘gun train’ consisted of the following: 1 locomotive 1 K5(E) gun 1 ventilated ammunition car 1 diesel switching locomotive [Orenstein-Koppel model C14 diesel] for moving elements into position 2 shell cars each carried 113 shells 2 propellant charge […]

Artillery

Artillery of the American War of Independence

REBEL GUN CREW A well-trained crew could swiftly load, aim, and fire; these artillerymen swab their gun’s hot muzzle with a damp sponge to eliminate sparks before reloading Gunpowder was invented in China and in widespread use in Europe by the end of the fourteenth century. It was used almost exclusively to provide the explosive […]

Artillery, Soviet

100mm Field Gun M1944 (BS-3)

Beginning in 1932 with the 45mm M1932 and the 45mm M1937, the Soviet Union followed the same path of calibre escalation. Adopted in 1942, the 45mm M42 was essentially a larger-bore copy of the German 37mm antitank gun. The M42 was quickly superseded in 1943 by the more potent calibre 57mm ZIS-2. The excellent ZIS-2 […]

Artillery

Desert 8.8-cm –Terror of British Armour

This gun was the 8.8-cm Flak 18 (Flak standing for Fliegerabwehrkanone, or anti-aircraft gun), and it was an immediate success. It was a long-barrelled gun mounted on a pivoted cruciform carriage which was in turn carried on the move by twin axles that allowed the gun to be rapidly placed into the firing position. The […]

Artillery, Germany

7.5 cm PaK 40 Antitank Gun

German antitank guns of the normal type. At the left is the 3.7-cm Pak; at the right, the 5-cm Pak 38; in the rear, the 7.5-cm Pak 40. The German army issued a specification for a 75mm antitank gun (or Panzerahwehrkanone) to Krupp and Rheinmetall in 1939, but development was given low priority until the […]

Artillery, Germany

15 cm SK C/28 Land-weapon

Küsten-Marinepivotlafette (Küst. MPL C/36) Coast defense mountings The Küsten-Marinepivotlafette (Küst. MPL C/36) was a highly successful mobile coast defense mount fitted with a gun shield. The gun traversed on a six-legged firing platform that allowed 360° of traverse. It could depress -7° and elevate to a maximum of 47° 30′, which gave it a range […]

Artillery, Germany

German WWII Super Heavy Guns

24cm Kanone 3 When rearmament began the Germans decided to design and develop a series of super heavy guns. These large guns built in a gun mounted mortar (Mörser) style were primarily designed for high-elevation, long-range, counter-battery fire. One of the first of these guns to see its debut during the war was the 17cm […]