26 cm Minenwerfer M 17

26 cm Minenwerfer M 17

Böhler model at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna
Type Heavy trench mortar
Place of origin Austria-Hungary
Service history
In service 1917-?
Used by Austria-Hungary
Austria
Wars World War I
Production history
Designer Skoda
Designed 1917
Manufacturer Skoda, Böhler, Hungarian Gun Factory
Produced 1917-18
Number built 300
Specifications
Weight 1,550 kg (3,420 lb)
Crew 6

Shell 83 kg (183 lb)
Caliber 260 mm (10 in)
Elevation 34° to 80°
Traverse
Maximum firing range 1,450 m (1,590 yd)

The 26 cm Minenwerfer M 17 was a heavy trench mortar used by Austria-Hungary in World War I. It was developed by Skoda as an alternative to copying captured Italian 240 mm Trench Mortars. Skoda presented two versions, one with a rigid barrel, and the other with a recoil system. The former was chosen as it was simpler to produce. It was a muzzle-loading, rifled mortar that had to be levered around to aim at new targets. It disassembled into four pieces for transport.

First deliveries began in March 1918. Production averaged between thirty-six and forty a month for the rest of the war.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 26cm Minenwerfer M 1917.

References

External links