Another WW1 gun walkaround - a 15cm M13/17 schwere Feldhaubitze at the ANZAC Park, Rosewood, Queensland.
www.ammsbrisbane.com/reference/sFH13.html
The gun appears to have been built by Rheinmetal in 1918.
This gun looks to have had significant shrapnel damage when it was captured - or rather the holes in the gun shield don't look like the result of rifle rounds from the locals using the gun as a target. The torn metal isn't thinned as you would expect from extensive rusting. The trail is extensively damaged and the spade is missing.
( Rosewood is a small town about 60km West of Brisbane )
Regards,
Charlie
-- Edited by CharlieC on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 08:13:39 AM
-- Edited by CharlieC on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 08:14:01 AM
-- Edited by CharlieC on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 08:14:20 AM
-- Edited by CharlieC on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 02:09:26 PM
The piece is a German 15cm lg.s.F.H.1913. These came out in July 1917 but "17" does not appear in the designation. The 15cm s.F.H. 13 would have a much shorter barrel.
The piece is a German 15cm lg.s.F.H.1913. These came out in July 1917 but "17" does not appear in the designation. The 15cm s.F.H. 13 would have a much shorter barrel.
R/
Ralph Lovett www.lovettartillery.com
Thank you for the correction Ralph - I'll fix up the website titles. I presume the "lg." in the designation is an abbreviation for "lange" or "long" in English. I have seen this gun referred to as "M13 lange" which tries to express the same idea, but incorrectly.
Yes, "lg" is the abbreviation of lang (long). You might enjoy looking over an article on my web site "Development of the German 15cm". It is on the main page:
www.lovettartillery.com
The 15cm sFH series is the focus of my collection. I have an example of every standard variation of the sFH patten that went into production. If you click onto the pages for: 15cm sFH 1893, 15cm sFH 1902, 15cm sFH 1913 (15cm lg.sFH 13 I have not loaded yet) then the finial patten of the war---the 15cm lg.sFH 1913/02 you can view the ones I have. Also, the "Completed Artillery Restorations" will show the process of restoring several of these pieces.
the Dutch army obtained a lot of artillery after the Armistice, when the Germans were allowed to march home through a small strip of Dutch territory, under the condition of leaving their heavy equipment there. Could you confirm that the "15 houwitser lang 17 (15 hw L 17)" is the same as bespoken here? The Dutch took them in service in 1919. As actual calibre is given 14,97 cm. I presume that this gun came in Dutch property because of the year, but as many countries they ordered Krupp guns in a 'normal' way too of course.
I have seen the "sFH 17" designation applied also to a Swiss Artillery piece made by Krupp. Another possible way these designations could become confused is that the howitzers can also be named by their barrel length.
don't ask me why, but the Dutch measured the barrel length in calibres, as follows: (in this case) 15cmx17=255 cm long. Their Krupp "12 Houwitser lang 12": barrel length 144 cm. Or, at least some types were named like that. They gave that up after the second world war. They had a Krupp "12 lang staal" too, taken in service in 1878 and still in use in 1940...
