15 cm Schnelladekanone C/28 in Mörserlafette
| 15 cm SchiffsKanone C/28 in Mörserlafette | |
|---|---|
| Type | Heavy gun |
| Place of origin | Nazi Germany |
| Service history | |
| Used by |  Nazi Germany |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Rheinmetall |
| Manufacturer | Rheinmetall |
| Produced | 1941 |
| No. built | 8 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 16,870 kilograms (37,190 lb) |
| Barrel length | 8.195 metres (322.6 in) L/55 |
| Shell | separate-loading, cased charge |
| Caliber | 149.1 millimetres (5.87 in) |
| Breech | horizontal sliding block |
| Recoil | dual-recoil hydropneumatic |
| Carriage | box trail |
| Elevation | 0° to +50° |
| Traverse | 16° on carriage 360° on platform |
| Rate of fire | 2 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 890 metres per second (2,900 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 23,700 metres (25,900 yd) |
The 15 cm SchiffsKanone C/28 in Mörserlafette (SK C/28 in Mrs Laf) was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War.
Development[edit]
Production of carriages for the 21 cm Mörser 18 and the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette exceeded available barrels in 1941 and eight naval 15 cm SK C/28 coast defense gun barrels were adapted for use on the carriages. They were converted to Heer-standard percussion firing (see the articles of those guns for details on the design of the carriage).
Operational use[edit]
For Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union), it equipped Artillerie-Abteilung 625.[1] Most guns were replaced by 17 cm barrels as they became available. However, for Case Blue (the German summer offensive in southern Russia), one battery of Artillery Battalion (Artillerie-Abteilung) 767 was still equipped with them.[2] That same battery retained them through the beginning of the Battle of Kursk in July 1943.[3]
Ammunition[edit]
The 15 cm SK C/28 in Mrs Laf could not be converted to use the Heer's standard 15 cm ammunition and had to use naval ammunition. These included the 15 cm Sprgr L/4.6 KZ m. Hb., the 15cm Sprgr L/4.5 BdZ m. Hb. and the 15 cm Pzgr L/3.8 m. Hb. The former was a nose-fuzed 45.5 kilograms (100 lb) HE shell with a ballistic cap. The second was a base-fuzed 44.8 kilograms (99 lb) HE shell, also with a ballistic cap. The last-named was a standard 45.3 kilograms (100 lb) armor-piercing shell. Only one 14.1 kilograms (31 lb) bag of propellant was used in a separate-loading cartridge case.
References[edit]
- Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
- Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
- Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X
Notes[edit]
- ^ Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 3/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (22nd June 1941), 1992, p. 22
- ^ Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 4/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (28th June 1942), 2004, p. 20
- ^ Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 5/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (4 July 1943), 2005, p. 41