Obice da 75/18 modello 34

Obice da 75/14 modello 34

Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	Italy
Service history
In service	1934-1945
Used by	Italy Portugal
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Sergio Belese
Manufacturer	Ansaldo
Specifications
Weight	1,832 kilograms (4,039 lb) (travelling) 1,050 kilograms (2,310 lb) (action)
Length	1.557 metres (61.3 in)

Shell	6.4 kilograms (14 lb)
Caliber	75 mm (2.95 in)
Carriage	box trail (modello 34) split trail (modello 35)
Elevation	-10° to +45°
Traverse	50°
Muzzle velocity	425 m/s (1,395 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	9,564 metres (10,459 yd)

Obice de 75/18 modello 35 on display at the Musée des Blindés in Saumur

The Obice da 75/18 modello 34 was an Italian artillery piece used during World War II.

History

Much of Italy is mountainous, so the Italian army has always had an interest in mountain artillery. In the 1930s much of Italy's mountain artillery was obsolescent and overdue for replacement.

In 1934, the Italian firm of Ansaldo produced a new mountain howitzer design, the Obice da 75/18 modello 34, designed by Lt. Colonel Sergio Berlese who served in the Italian artillery. The modello 34 could be broken down into eight loads for transport. In the interest of standardization and logistics a version of the 75/18, the modello 35, was also used as the light howitzer component of normal field batteries. The modello 35 did not break down into smaller loads and had a split, rather than box, trail.^[1]

The Italians sold the modello 35 abroad in order to obtain foreign currency. In 1940 a sizable batch was sold to Portugal, and more went to South American countries in exchange for raw materials. The gun was also used as the main armament of the Semovente 75/18 self-propelled gun where, due to its "Effetto Pronto" (HEAT) ammunition, it also had a good anti-tank capability.

In 1941 some captured pieces were used against the Germans by the forces of the Commonwealth during the Battle of Crete and were probably present in the defence of Maleme airfield. Two of them are nowadays displayed next to the Battle of Crete monument in Heraklion.

References

↑ Google Books: The Encyclopedia of Weapons

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Obice da 75/18 modello 34.

Italian artillery of World War II

Tank guns	Breda Model 35 Cannone da 37/40 Cannone da 47/32 modello 35 Cannone da 47/40 Cannone da 75/34

Anti-tank guns	Solothurn S-18/1000 Cannone da 47/32 modello 35 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/32 modello 37 Cannone da 75/34 Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 90/53 Cannone da 105/25

Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannone da 47/32 M35 Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 70/15 Obice da 75/18 modello 34

Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Cannone da 149/28 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Obice da 149/19 modello 37 Obice da 210/22

Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S.

Railroad artillery	Cannone navale da 381/40

Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) Breda Model 35 Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda) Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 75/49 Cannone da 90/53

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.