21cm Morser 16 (21cm Mrs 16)

History

Artillery played an extremely important role during the First World War (1914-1918) due to the specific period in history and the nature of trench warfare in general. With both sides digging for a long-term conflict ahead, a network of trenches began to cover the east and west landscapes of Europe in large numbers, setting the stage for a war that could kill tens of thousands of people on any given day. The artillery took many lives and proved just as effective against the new tanks used in Britain.

Artillery in World War I, along with emerging developments such as machine guns and aircraft, set the stage for one of the bloodiest conflicts in European history.

Like other world powers at the time, the German Imperial Army assembled a large number of indirect artillery weapons - from the more portable trench mortars to classic cannons such as the legendary "Big Bertha". In 1916, the German Army introduced its newest area weapon with the 21cm (210mm) Moser 16 series gun - a howitzer basically derived from the existing 21cm Moser 10 series, but now equipped with an extended barrel and shield.

After being used in World War II, the type would serve post-war service. Sweden (12) and later Finland (4 via Sweden) both adopted it in small numbers.

The Morser 16's design is based on a powerful 210mm barrel (officially 211mm, 8.3 inches) and measures 8ft 9in, itself the successor to the 21cm Morser 99. Krupp's long-established Schwermetallwerke took a look at these newer German guns again, adding a longer barrel assembly to the required mounting hardware carried by a multi-spoke two-wheel frame assembly . Added cannon shields to provide some frontline protection for artillery. Like other artillery pieces, this gun became a heavy development -- weighing about 14,730 pounds -- that had to be towed by pack animals or transport vehicles. The fact that the gun can be broken up into two smaller, more manageable ones, facilitates this in part. The breech system is a horizontal sliding wedge system and the recoil is controlled by a hydropneumatic system.

The carriage is a box track design while retaining the gun mounting hardware and has an inherent elevation range of -6 to +70 degrees. Traversal is limited to 4 degrees from the centerline.

In practice, the guns performed as expected. Each has a muzzle velocity of 1,290 feet per second and a range of up to 12,100 yards. Each HE (High Explosive) projectile used weighs 250 pounds, and the "Bunker Destruction" concrete shell weighs 270 pounds. Projectiles carry a TNT filler for maximum firepower at the point of impact, and grenades use a separate charged charge.

The rate of fire is as high as two rounds per minute, as reloading huge shells is a time-consuming process. A rifle squad will have many men, and ammunition supplies must be readily available before any planned offensive.

The Morser 16 series guns were in service and still in circulation long after the First World War wherever production numbers and logistical conditions allowed. The Swedish Army bought the gun outright in 1918, became the gun's operator, and eventually developed its own bunker-destroying shell with a better impact point effect. With the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s and their return to service under Hitler, these guns were refurbished/modernized by installing steel wheels and rear barrels (additional wheel mounts to the frame) to improve transportability.

Weapon shields are often removed to save weight.

The updated guns fought under the Nazi banner during the first phase of the war, then were relegated to training and other second-line missions after the introduction of the large 21cm Morser 18 series guns in 1939. During the 1939-1940 "Winter War" between Finland and the Soviet Union, the Finns purchased four Morser 16 guns from the neighboring Swedes, but their inability to move the larger guns easily limited their usefulness in the conflict . These guns were only used against the Soviets during the "Continuing War" of 1941-1944, when they were now available for transport in the Finnish army's inventory.

The Morser 16 artillery had a short existence in the years following World War II, and by the 1960s they were either all decommissioned, scrapped or put into storage. The final form is a Finnish-owned gun.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes