Landships II

 

It's a 305mm coastal defence howitzer mounted on a de Stefano carriage to turn the howitzer into a (mobile?) siege gun. This is only the

towed gun - when emplaced the wheels were stripped of the girdles and the carriage was mounted on two inclined rails. The howitzer also had a massive

pyramidal base which was dug into the ground. It took about a day to emplace the howitzer.

The howitzer in the de Stefano carriage remained in service after WW1.

Regards,

Charlie

 

 

The 305/17 used different carriages.

Yes, it was used in the Isonzo front. Up to October 1917, 38 pieces were built, 9 were lost during the Caporetto battle. Another 18 guns were build later on (up to 1919).
It may be interesting for you to know that 5 pieces were used during the Spanish Civil war.

One of these days I will post pictures of the one preserved in Trieste.

Massimo Foti wrote:

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The 305/17 used different carriages.

Yes, it was used in the Isonzo front. Up to October 1917, 38 pieces were built, 9 were lost during the Caporetto battle. Another 18 guns were build later on (up to 1919).
It may be interesting for you to know that 5 pieces were used during the Spanish Civil war.

One of these days I will post pictures of the one preserved in Trieste.

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 Thanks Massimo: The short Italian newsreel  included some printed captions , which according to my contact, indicated their deployment in the Isonzo Front .I simply did not recall seing those captions when we visited his home back in 2012...That must have been a truly  Herculean labor to bring these weapons up there! !

 

Yes they were -they were probably among the first articulated (or is it reticulated in this case?) extant. How many were required to tow that 305 mm howitzer?



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Apparently only one (first image). The Italian Army certainly got the de Stefano carriages well into the mountains (2nd image).

The third image is an Obice da 305/17 deployed.

Regards,

Charlie

 

 

Another photo of the same model. Yours Chris.

Chris, Ausgezeichnet!