Artillery
8.8cm Flugabwehrkanone 41
8.8cm Flak 41 (Eisenerz) Even while the FLAK 36 was entering service the Luftwaffe began to look ahead. From what they knew of their own aircraft it was obvious that the speed and height of bombers was bound to increase, eventually reaching a point where the Flak 36 would no longer be able to deal with them. The muzzle velocity…
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Self-Propelled Mortar Carriers I
M21 Mortar Motor Carriage An Australian 3 inch mortar carrier Half-track carriers were one of the most versatile designs of all armoured fighting vehicles to be used during the Second World War. The Japanese Army had this type of vehicle, as did the French Army, but it was the German…
Self-Propelled Mortar Carriers II
8cm Schwerer Granatwefer 34 auf Panzerspahwagen AMR 35(f) Type 4 Ha-To 30cm special mortar carrier. The SdKfz 251 was developed into a range of different purposes, from ambulance duties to anti-tank roles. By late 1944, around 16,000 vehicles had been built to serve in no fewer than twenty-three different roles.…
THE KING OFÂ BATTLE
M109A6 Paladin It has been a truism since at least the days of the Prussian king Frederick the Great that artillery is the `King of Battle’. Countless commanders from Napoleon to McArthur have credited the field artillery with both their victories and their survival. The importance of artillery is unquestioned…
Heavy Artillery of WWI
To the sentry standing his pre-dawn duty in the trenches of the Western Front, the sight of a jagged line of light on the opposite horizon cannot have been comforting, for behind such a line lay the fire of the largest concentration of artillery pieces in history. World War I…
French Artillery
The superiority of the French artillery was not due to its equipment, but to its tactical handling and to the efficiency and esprit de corps of its officers and men. That superiority was very marked, for instance, in the Jena-Auerstädt campaign of 1806. The Prussian army had a greater ratio…
Saxon “geschwindstuck” Artillery
The Saxons deployed an interesting artillery design in the 3 and 6pdr geschwindstuck (quick-firing) pieces. These had barrels that could be quickly tipped back to a 65° elevation after loading, which seated the charge without the need for ramming. This was only used for loading canister, but was proven in…