Skoda 305 mm Model 1911

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Škoda 305 mm Model 1911
Škoda 305 mm Model 1911

Škoda 305 mm Model 1911 was siege mortar produced by Škoda Works and used by the Austrians during World War I.

Contents

[edit] Development

Development began in 1906 with a development contract being placed by the Austro-Hungarian high command with Skoda-Werke in Pilsen to develop a weapon capable of penetrating the concrete fortresses being built in Belgium and Italy. Development work continued until 1909 when the first prototype was fired secretly in Hungary.

The weapon was able to penetrate 2 meters of reinforced concrete with its special armour piercing shell weighing 384 kg. There were a few technical problems, but an order was placed for 24 of the new weapons in 1911.

[edit] Description

The mortar with its transport cart; for transport, the barrel would be removed from the body and placed on the cart
The mortar with its transport cart; for transport, the barrel would be removed from the body and placed on the cart

The weapon could was transported in 3 sections by a 15 ton model 12 Skoda-Daimler Road Tractor, it could be assembled and readied to fire in around 50 minutes.

The mortar could fire two types of shell, a heavy armour piercing shell with a delayed action fuse weighing 384 kg, and a light 287 kg shell fitted with an impact fuze. The light shell was capable of creating a crater 8 meters wide and 8 meters deep, as well as killing exposed infantry up to 400 meters away.

The weapon used a crew of 12, and could fire 10 rounds an hour.

[edit] History

A grenade; note the 5 Serbian dinar coin (24 mm in diameter) near the base for size comparison.
A grenade; note the 5 Serbian dinar coin (24 mm in diameter) near the base for size comparison.

The weapon was first fired in anger on the Western front at the start of World War I. It was used with German Krupp 38 cm howitzers to destroy the ring of 12 Belgian fortresses around Liege.

By the end of the war approximately 40 of the weapons were in service, and an improved version had been developed, the 30.5 cm/M16, which had greater range than the original weapon.

[edit] Specifications

  • M11
    • Caliber: 305 mm.
    • Elevation: +40 to +70 degrees.
    • Traverse: +60 to -60 degrees.
    • Weight: 20830 kg.
    • Muzzle velocity: 340 m/s.
    • Range: 9600 m to 11300 m (depending on the shell).
  • M16
    • Caliber: 305 mm.
    • Elevation: +40 to +75 degrees.
    • Traverse: 360 degrees.
    • Weight: 23150 kg.
    • Muzzle velocity: 448 m/s.
    • Range: 12200 m.

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