14 cm Minenwerfer M 15
14 cm Minenwerfer M 15 |
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Type |
Medium trench mortar |
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Place of origin |
Austria-Hungary |
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Service history |
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In service |
1915–1918 |
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Used by |
Austria-Hungary |
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Wars |
World War I |
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Production history |
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Designer |
Skoda |
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Designed |
1914-5 |
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Manufacturer |
Skoda |
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Produced |
1915-8 |
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Variants |
M 16 |
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Specifications |
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Weight |
220 kilograms (490 lb) |
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Shell |
16 kilograms (35 lb) |
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Caliber |
140 mm (5.5 in) |
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Traverse |
0° |
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Maximum firing range |
860 metres (940 yd) |
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The 14 cm Minenwerfer M 15 was a medium mortar used by Austria-Hungary in World War I. It was developed by Škoda Works as an alternative to a German design from Rheinische Metallwarenfabrik/Ehrhardt for which ammunition could not be procured. It was a rigid-recoil, rifled, muzzle-loading weapon that had to be levered around to aim at new targets. It was lifted onto a two-wheel cart for transport.
The M 16 version added a central barrel ring and cutouts on the side of the carriage. Rotation within the barrel was improved, greatly increasing accuracy. It weighed an extra 20 kilograms (44 lb), but had a maximum range of 1,080 metres (1,180 yd). Its transport cart was also improved.
The first batch of 100 mortars was ordered in May 1915 and a second batch in spring 1916, but deliveries were slow; only 88 of the second batch could be sent to the front by May 1916. A third batch of 300 was ordered in November 1916, but production was such that only 30 had been delivered by the spring of 1917.
References
- Ortner, M. Christian. The Austro-Hungarian Artillery From 1867 to 1918: Technology, Organization, and Tactics. Vienna, Verlag Militaria, 2007 ISBN 978-3-902526-13-7
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| Infantry and mountain | |
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| Mortars | |
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| Field, medium and heavy | |
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| Superheavy and siege | |
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