10 cm K 14

10 cm Kanone 14 K14rear.jpg 300 A K 14 at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK German Empire Field gun yes 1915–1918 German EmpireBulgaria World War I Krupp 1912−14 Krupp 1915−18 724 2,820 kg (6,217 lbs) 4.725 m ftin on 1 L/35 separate-loading, cased charge 105 mm (4.13 in) 12,085 m (13,092 yards) semi-automatic horizontal sliding-wedge hydro-spring variable recoil box trail -5° to +45° 6° The 10 cm Kanone 14 (10 cm K 14) was a field gun used by Germany and Bulgaria in World War I. Design The 10 cm Kanone 14 was designed by Krupp and was intended to replace the 10 cm K 04. It was essentially a heavily modified version of the gun it was intended to replace, but it was designed to be able engage targets on the ground and in the air. Its firing platform was intended to give it a fast 360° traverse. Its elevation was 15° greater than the 10 cm K 04, and due to recoil problems associated with firing at high angles, it was designed with a heavy and complicated variable recoil system. To improve its accuracy when employed in the anti-aircraft role, it was fitted with a double elevation sighting system.Skaarup 2012 184 Production It was placed into production on the outbreak of World War I and the first guns had been delivered by May 1915. It was used as a field gun by both Germany and Bulgaria. It could be transported in one load by a team of six horses, with the baseplate carried on the trails. Two batteries worth were modified to be broken down for use in mountainous terrain. Despite the modifications for its intended dual role as an anti-aircraft gun, it proved to be a complete failure in that respect.Skaarup 2012 184 Footnotes References Skaarup Harold A. 2012 Shelldrake: Canadian Artillery Museums and Gun Monuments https://books.google.com/books?id=CYIw0x5y7s8C Bloomington, Illinois iUniverse 978-1-4697-5000-2 External links Category:World War I guns Category:World War I artillery of Germany Category:105 mm artillery