BL 15-inch howitzer

BL 15-inch howitzer Mk I
In action at Englebelmer Wood, Somme, 7 August 1916
Type	Heavy siege howitzer
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1915 - 1918
Used by	British Empire
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Coventry Ordnance Works^[1]
Designed	1914
Manufacturer	Coventry Ordnance Works
No. built	12
Variants	Mk I
Specifications
Weight	94 tons

Shell	HE 1,450 lb (657.7 kg)^[2]
Calibre	15 inches (381.0 mm)
Breech	Welin interrupted screw
Recoil	Hydro-spring 31 inches (790 mm) constant^[3]
Carriage	siege carriage
Muzzle velocity	1,117 ft/s (340 m/s)^[3]
Maximum firing range	10,795 yd (9,871 m)^[3]

The Ordnance BL 15-inch howitzer was developed by the Coventry Ordnance Works late in 1914 in response to the success of its design of the 9.2-inch siege howitzer.

Winston Churchill describes the events that led to the production of this weapon and its role in the subsequent development of the tank in Chapter IV of The World Crisis, 1915. Churchill concluded the howitzer was difficult to employ since it was transported in eight sections on giant caterpillar tractors. When he saw the tractors, he asked if one could be modified to cross a trench while carrying a mounted gun and troops. According to Churchill, The development of test vehicles using this concept contributed to the development of the tank.

History and use

The weapon was operated by Royal Marine Artillery detachments of the Naval Brigade, with 1 gun per battery. One gun was sent to Gallipoli but not used there. They were later transferred to the British Army.

It operated successfully where it was needed to destroy deep fortifications on the Western Front, but was limited by its relatively short range compared to other modern siege howitzers. The size and weight made it difficult to move and emplace. No further development occurred after the first batch of 12, and instead Britain continued to develop and produce the 12-inch howitzer and 12-inch railway howitzer.

Image gallery

Rolling shell along rails, Englebelmer Wood, Battle of the Somme September 1916
German soldier posing with unexploded shell
Shell at Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, London
"Granny" in action during the Third Battle of Ypres, 4 October 1917
howitzer inspected by a British delegation in 1916

Notes and references

↑ Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 198
↑ Clarke quotes 1,450 pound shell, Hogg & Thurston quote 1,400 pound shell
1 2 3 Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 199

Bibliography

Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005
I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972. ISBN 978-0-7110-0381-1
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis, Part 2, 1915. (New York: Rosetta Books, 2013), Kindle.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BL 15 inch Howitzer.

British Empire small arms and ordnance of the First World War

No. 1
No. 2 Hales Pattern
Nos. 3, 20, 24, 35 Hales rifle grenades
Nos. 5, 23, 36 Mills
No. 6
Nos. 8, 9 Jam Tin
No. 13 Battye
No. 14 Pitcher
No. 15 Ball
No. 16 Oval
No. 17 Opera hat
No. 18
No. 19
No. 21 "Spherical"
No. 22 Newton-Pippin
No. 25 Sangster
No. 27
No. 28 Chemical
No. 29 Gas
No. 31 Day Signal
No. 32 Night Signal
No. 32 "Spherical E"
No. 34 Egg
No. 37
No. 39 Steuart Pattern

Artillery

Tank guns	QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss QF 6 pounder 6 cwt
Infantry guns	1.59-inch Breech-Loading Vickers Q.F. Gun, Mk II ("Vickers-Crayford rocket gun")
Field Artillery	BL 12 pounder 6 cwt QF 12 pounder 8 cwt QF 12 pounder 18 cwt QF 13 pounder BL 15 pounder BLC 15 pounder QF 15 pounder QF 18 pounder QF 4 inch gun Mk III BL 4 inch gun Mk VII QF 4.5 inch Howitzer
Mountain artillery	RML 2.5 inch Mountain Gun BL 10 pounder Mountain Gun BL 2.75-inch Mountain Gun QF 2.95 inch Mountain Gun QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer
Howitzers, medium, and heavy artillery	QF 4.7 inch Gun BL 5 inch Howitzer BL 5.4 inch Howitzer BL 60 pounder gun BLC 6 inch siege gun BL 6 inch Gun Mk VII BL 6 inch Gun Mk XIX BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk I - V BL 8 inch Howitzer Mk VI - VIII
Siege artillery	BL 7.5 inch Mk III naval gun BL 9.2-inch howitzer BL 9.2 inch Mk X naval gun BL 12 inch Howitzer BL 12 inch Mk X naval gun BL 15 inch Howitzer
Coastal artillery	QF 12 pounder 12 cwt QF 4 inch naval gun Mk I – III BL 6 inch Mk VII naval gun BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X RML 9 inch

Mortars

Grenade launchers

Smoke and chemical weapons

Railway guns

Anti-aircraft guns

Foreign weapon designs
in British Empire Armies use

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