15cm Kanone 16 (15cm K16)

History

During World War I, various field guns were used on all sides to dismantle fortifications and drive out enemy troops entrenched in a network of fortified trenches. For the French, that bill fell on the Canon de 155mm GPF, while for the British the role fell on the BL 6-inch Mk XIX series. In 1917, the German Empire introduced the 15 cm (150 mm) Kanone 16 (K16) made by the famous arms manufacturer Krupp.

Production spanned from 1917 to November 1918 before the armistice. After the war, some of these weapons fell into Belgian hands and were eventually recovered from their German owners during World War II.

The gun has a traditional design using key components of the barrel, mounting/recoil hardware and mounts. The caliber of the barrel is actually 149.3 mm, but it is rounded off in its name. The carriages are in a steel two-wheel configuration and box track arrangement and are moved by pack animals or tractor vehicles. The total weight is 23,960 pounds and the overall length is 21 feet.

The loading and unloading of projectiles is controlled by a horizontally sliding breech block at the rear of the barrel. The weapon mounting hardware has a genetic elevation range of +43 to -3 degrees and a lateral range of 8 degrees.

The K16 fired a 113-pound jacketed high-explosive (HE) shell at 24,000 yards at a muzzle velocity of 2,480 feet per second. A well-trained crew can achieve a rate of fire of about two to three rounds per minute.

Muzzle velocity may vary depending on the amount of charge used and the desired range effect, while in each case the projectile retains its lethality. During transport, the barrel assembly is separated from the carriage, forming two more manageable sections.

The K16 provided reliable service for the remainder of the First World War. They were still in circulation after the war, and when the Germans conquered Belgium, Belgian army stocks were used under the designation 15 cm K429(b) - "b" for their Belgian origin (although they were German). This recovery proved commonplace during the German conquest of the West and East, where all the wartime assets of the former operator were repurposed in every conceivable way.

Some K16 artillery pieces eventually became defensive positions along Hitler's Atlantic Wall to prevent the Allied invasion of Northwest Europe. Some K16 barrels were used in the "15cm K16 Morser Laf" artillery system and combined with the mounts of the 21cm Morser 18 artillery - which became the desperate nature of useful artillery weapons in warfare.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

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Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes