10.5 cm leFH 18/40

10.5 cm leFH 18/40 10_5_cm_leFH_18_Sapun_M_2009_G3.jpg 300 10.5 cm leFH 18/40 at the Sapun Mountain memorial near Sevastopol. Nazi Germany Howitzer yes 1943–1945 See users World War IINigerian Civil War 1942–1943 1943–1945 10,265Haubitzen und Mörser de M18/49 1,955 kg (4,311 lbs) 2.94 m ftin on 2.941 m ftin on 1 (28 calibers)3.271 m ftin on 1 (with muzzle brake) Separate QF (6 charges)105 x 155mm Rhttp://www.quarryhs.co.uk/ammotable11.html 101 www.quarryhs.co.uk 2017-09-04 2015-02-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20150226010317/http://www.quarryhs.co.uk/ammotable11.html dead 105 mm (4.13 in) 6-8 rpm 540 m/s (1,772 ft/s) 12,325 m (13,479 yds) Horizontal sliding-block Hydro-pneumatic Split-trail -6° to +40° 56° The 10.5 cm leFH 18/40 (de leichte Feldhaubitze "light field howitzer") was a German light howitzer used in World War II. History The 10.5 cm leFH 18/40 supplemented the 10.5 cm leFH 18 and the 10.5 cm leFH 18M as the standard divisional field howitzer used during the Second World War. It was designed in an effort to lighten the weight of the 105 mm artillery piece and to make it easier to produce. Generally it did not equip independent artillery battalions until after the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. Some were also exported to Finland, where they were known as 105 H 33-40. The Romanian Army acquired a number of leFH 18/40 in 1943, to make up for the losses in artillery suffered during the Battle of Stalingrad.Adrian Stroea Gheorghe Băjenaru 2010 http://www.rft.forter.ro/17_bibvirt/pdf/004-artileria-romana-in-date-si-imagini.pdf Artileria româna în date si imagini Romanian 978-606-524-080-3 98 Editura Centrului Tehnic-Editorial al Armatei 2015-05-21 2012-03-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20120320182805/http://www.rft.forter.ro/17_bibvirt/pdf/004-artileria-romana-in-date-si-imagini.pdf dead It again saw action during the Nigerian-Biafran war when Czechoslovakia gifted Biafra some pieces left|thumb|The leFH 18/40 on a fire mission on the Eastern Front. Description In March 1942 a requirement was issued for a lighter howitzer by the Wehrmacht that must also be ready as soon as possible and capable of rapid production. This requirement was met by mounting the barrel of the leFH 18M on the carriage for a 7.5 cm PaK 40 antitank gun. The new carriage used torsion bars running the full length of the carriage to suspend the wheels. The original wheels of the PaK 40 mounting were too small for use by the howitzer and were replaced by larger pressed-steel wheels with solid rubber tires. The new mounting increased the rate of fire as well as making the howitzer somewhat lighter. The leFH 18/40 shared the different muzzle brakes used by the leFH 18M. M18/49 After World War II, Czechoslovakia modified the design, replacing the spoked wheels with solid wheels and pneumatic tires intead of solid rubber tires. before pressing it into service under the M18/49 designation. These guns were towed by a Praga V3S 6×6 or a Tatra 111R 6×6 truck and were kept in strategic reserve as late as 1981.Foss 1981 12 Users Foss 1981 26 Biafra Kingdom of Bulgaria Czechoslovak Socialist Republic − M18/49, kept in strategic reserve as late 1981Foss 1981 12 Finland Nazi Germany Kingdom of Romania Foss 1981 26 See also 10.5 cm leFH 18 10.5 cm leFH 18M References Sources Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974 Foss Christopher F. Christopher F Foss Artillery of the world 1981 Charles Scribner's Sons New York 978-0-684-16722-0 3rd https://archive.org/details/artilleryofworld0000foss_1981/ registration Internet Archive Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 0-385-15090-3 Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 1-85367-480-X External links 10.5 leFH 18/40 at the Imperial War Museums Category:World War II artillery of Germany Category:World War II field artillery Category:105 mm artillery Category:World War II howitzers Category:Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1943