Ordnance QF 15 pounder
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| Ordnance QF 15 pounder Mk I | |
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 QF 15 pounder Mk I with standard British wooden wheels, original axle-tree seats and no shield |
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| Type | Light field gun |
| Place of origin |  German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1901 - 1916 |
| Used by |  United Kingdom |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Heinrich Ehrhardt |
| Manufacturer | Rheinische Metallwáaren und Maschinenfabriek |
| Number built | 108[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | Barrel & breech 737 pounds (334 kg); Total 2,272 pounds (1,031 kg)[2] |
| Barrel length | Bore 86 inches (2.184 m); Total 90 inches (2.286 m)[2] |
| Crew | 10[2] |
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| Shell | separate loading QF. Shrapnel, 14 pounds (6.35 kg) |
| Calibre | 3-inch (76.2 mm) |
| Breech | single motion, tapered block with interrupted collars |
| Recoil | hydro-spring, constant, 48 inches (1.22 m)[2] |
| Carriage | wheeled, pole trail |
| Elevation | -5° - 16° |
| Traverse | 3° L & R |
| Rate of fire | 20 rds/min[3] |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,674 feet per second (510 m/s) ?[4] |
| Maximum range | 7,000 yards (6,400 m) s ? (percussion fuze) 6,600 yards (6,040 m) (time fuze)[5] |
The Ordnance QF 15 pounder gun, commonly referred to as the Ehrhardt, was a modern German field gun purchased by Britain in 1900 as a stopgap measure to upgrade its field artillery to modern QF standards, while it developed its own alternative. It bore no relation to the British BL 15 pounder other than a common shell.
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[edit] History
The gun as originally designed and supplied to Britain had a sprung telescoping trail to assist with recoil control, all-steel wheels, axle-tree seats and no shield. The British found the trail unsatisfactory in service, so they permanently pinned it in the closed position. The British also immediately replaced the original all-steel wheels with standard British wooden spoked wheels.
It replaced the obsolete BL 12 pounder 6 cwt gun in Royal Horse Artillery service until the QF 13 pounder became available from 1904.
When the Territorial Force was formed in 1908 the guns were assigned to its cavalry units, known as Yeomanry. The axle-tree seats were removed as unnecessary because the gunners rode horses, and gun-shields were added. The modified carriage was designated Mk I+.[6]
This gun is the "15 pounder" to which writers are referring in World War I if they are referring to RHA (attached to cavalry units) batteries of the Territorial Force, or Yeomanry. The other "15 pounder", the BLC 15 pounder, was used by RFA (attached to infantry units) Territorial Force, and is an unrelated gun.
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[edit] Combat service
The first guns were rushed out to South Africa in June 1901 to provide the British field artillery with modern guns to supplement the existing BL 15 pounder and BL 12 pounder, which were being outclassed by the Boers' modern German and French artillery.[6]
The gun was used by Royal Horse Artillery batteries of Territorial Force cavalry units (Yeomanry) early in World War I, most notably in the campaign in Egypt against the Senussi by A Battery Honourable Artillery Company and Nottinghamshire Battery RHA.[7]
B Battery of Honourable Artillery Company and Berkshire Battery, RHA were in action with these guns in the recapture of Sheik Othman (key to the water supply to Aden) from the Turks on 20 July 1915, part of the Aden campaign.[8]
From 1916 the QF 15 pounder was replaced by the modern 13 pounder and 18 pounder.
[edit] Ammunition
54,000 complete rounds (i.e. shell, fuze, cartridge) of German design and manufacture were originally supplied with the guns.[9] These were replaced by British manufactures when used up. The following diagrams show British-made ammunition available in 1914.
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[edit] See also
[edit] Surviving examples
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] Notes
- ^ This is the number purchased by Britain.
- ^ a b c d Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 73
- ^ Hall 1973
- ^ Hall quotes 1,640 ft/s (500 m/s). Hogg & Thurston quote 1,674 ft/s (510 m/s). As the British initially used German ammunition and later their own, performance may have differed with ammunition
- ^ Hall quotes 7000 yds maximum with percussion fuze and 6600 yds with time fuze, apparently referring to Boer War use. Hogg & Thurston quote 6,400 yards (5,850 m) for WWI. As the British initially used German ammunition and later their own, performance may have differed with ammunition
- ^ a b Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 72
- ^ Farndale 1988, Page 61-67
- ^ Farndale 1988, Page 357
- ^ Clarke 2004, Page 23
[edit] References
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Field Army Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2004
- General Sir Martin Farndale, History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The Forgotten Fronts and the Home Base, 1914-1918. London: Royal Artillery Institution, 1988.
- Major D Hall. "Field Artillery of the British Army 1860-1960 Part II, 1900-1914" in The South African Military History Society. Military History Journal - Vol 2 No 5, June 1973
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston. British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972
