Help ID German Artillery Gun, Please

**Cougar6** · 10-08-2012, 09:42 PM

This artillery cannon has sat in a local park (Alabama, USA) for years - for so long, no one knows what it is. Can I get some help with the identification? I'm guessing its a war relic/souveneer from a past war, either WWI or WWII. There are two plates/plaques on the gun, both in German language.

One plate on the frame says, "Beim feuern fest Beim Marsch losen bis Grenzlaga." My basic German tells me this says "raise something" before you "do

something".

Thanks for your help!

**jimpy** · 10-08-2012, 10:43 PM

WWII German field artillery piece: 15cm Schwere Feldhaubitze 18 (sFH18)

Rear wheels were removed and the trail spades dug in for firing.

Regards etc

Ian D

AKA: Jimpy

**Cougar6** · 10-09-2012, 12:45 AM

by jimpy

WWII German field artillery piece: 15cm Schwere Feldhaubitze 18 (sFH18)

Rear wheels were removed and the trail spades dug in for firing.

Thanks, Ian! That's it! Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question.
-Brian

**Ralph Lovett** · 10-20-2012, 03:07 PM

It is not a 15cm sFH 18 it is the 10cm Kanone 1918. The barrel diameter is 5cm smaller but does have the same carriage as the 15cm sFH 18.

R/
Ralph Lovett
www.lovettartillery.com

**Cougar6** · 10-20-2012, 04:52 PM

Ian & Ralph,

Since there is a disagreement among you two gentlemen, is there somewhere I can look on the cannon that will definitely confirm which gun it actually is? Thanks!
-Brian

**Ralph Lovett** · 10-20-2012, 07:10 PM

Brian

Just go to the gun and measure the interior bore diameter. It should measure 10cm. (or 3.9 inches)

Also, if you visit Fort Sill, OK the US Field Artillery Museum now has examples of all the German 10cm Kanone series of guns.

By the way, I own the older model to this gun which is the 10cm Kanone 1917:

http://www.lovettartillery.com/10cm_Kanone_1917.html

R/

Ralph Lovett
www.lovettartillery.com

**big ned** · 10-20-2012, 07:22 PM

by Cougar6

Ian & Ralph,

Since there is a disagreement among you two gentlemen, is there somewhere I can look on the cannon that will definitely confirm which gun it actually is? Thanks!
-Brian

Brian, From what I can see by looking at Ralph's fantastic collection displayed in the links here, I'm pretty sure we can take his word on the I.D. of the cannon in your local park.

Welcome to the forum BTW.

**Ralph Lovett** · 10-20-2012, 08:00 PM

There is a similar discussion about the differences between the 10cm Kanone and 15cm sFH 18 from the Axis Forum:

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtop...?f=70&t=144750

By the way, when you measure the bore of the gun, make sure to take the measurement from the inside of the bore on the muzzle end of the barrel.

Ian Hogg's WW2 Artillery reference has information on these two pieces but little worth mentioning other than they have the same carriage but are fitted with different size barrels.

R/

Ralph Lovett

**Ralph Lovett** · 10-21-2012, 01:27 PM

One correction to my earlier post--The German Army in both WW1 and WW2 had Field Artillery pieces with bore diameters of 10,5cm, so Foot Artillery pieces with 10,5cm bores were expressed to 10cm while field artillery pieces with 10,5cm bores kept the actual measure in their designation. For example the 10,5cm lFH (light Field Howitzer) 1918 vs/ the 10cm Kanone 1918. In this way, ammunition was not confused because even though the bore diameters are the same there are significant differences in the projectiles.

The up shot of all this is that the gun will have a 10,5cm bore (or 4.1 inches) not 10cm.

R/

Ralph Lovett