10.5 cm leFH 18M

10.5 cm leFH 18M

The leFH 18M being used in Yugoslavia during World War II.
Type Howitzer
Place of origin Germany
Service history
In service 1941–45
Used by  Nazi Germany
 Finland
 Syria
Wars World War II
Syrian Civil War[1]
Production history
Designed 1940–41
Manufacturer Rheinmetall
Produced 1941–45
Specifications
Weight 1,985 kg (4,377 lbs)
Barrel length 3.308 m (10 ft 10 in)
Shell cased separate-loading (6 charges)
Shell weight 14.81 kilograms (32.7 lb) (HE)
15.71 kilograms (34.6 lb) (AP)
Caliber 105 mm (4.13 in)
Breech horizontal sliding block
Recoil hydropneumatic
Carriage split trail
Elevation -6° 30' to +40° 30'
Traverse 56°
Rate of fire 4–6 rpm
Muzzle velocity 540 m/s (1,772 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 12,325 m (13,479 yds)
Filling TNT
Filling weight 1.38 kilograms (3.0 lb)

The 10.5 cm leFH 18M (German: leichte Feldhaubitze "light field howitzer") was a German light howitzer used in the Second World War. The gun, less the carriage and shield, was also used as the armament of the SdKfz 124 Wespe self-propelled artillery vehicle.

History

The 10.5 cm leFH 18M superseded the 10.5 cm leFH 18 as the standard German divisional field howitzer used during the Second World War. It was designed and developed by Rheinmetall after the war broke out in an effort to get more range from the basic leFH 18 design. A muzzle brake was fitted and the recoil system adjusted to allow the use of a more powerful charge and new long-range shell. Generally it did not equip independent artillery battalions until after the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. 53 were also exported to Finland, where they were known as 105 H 33.

The 10.5 cm leFH 18M was also in service with the Syrian Army, one example being preserved in the Military Museum in Damascus.[2] The type has seen occasional service with rebel groups during the Syrian Civil War, in July 2013 and May 2015.[3]

Description

Many were converted from the 10.5 cm leFH 18 and retained their original wood-spoked or pressed steel wheels. The former were only suitable for horse traction. Initially, it was fitted with a single-baffle muzzle brake of relatively low efficiency. This was later improved by welding two protruding ears to the rear of the port. However this style of muzzle brake proved troublesome with the early designs of fin-stabilized and discarding-sabot shells and a new cage-type muzzle brake was designed and fitted.

The new FH Gr Fern long-range shell was about 25 millimetres (0.98 in) longer than the normal shells used by the leFH 18 guns, but had a shorter streamlined section behind the driving band to accommodate the larger powder charge required. This fit in the standard cartridge case, but protruded about 50 millimetres (2.0 in) past its mouth.

Ballistically, the 10.5 cm leFH 18M and the leFH 18/40 are identical.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 10.5 cm leFH 18.

Notes

References

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