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Germany
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Heavy artillery
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Contributor :
Romain Lapie     
     
     
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Location :
France
Péronnes (80)
Mémorial de la Grande Guerre
Coordinates :
Lat : 49.92892 / Long : 2.93128
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General comments on this surviving gun :
Identical items in the same location :
1
Items covered by this file :
1
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This tube has been found in the Somme river nearby. It comes from a gun sabotaged by the German
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The breech explosion made all the markings vanish
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Historic and technical information
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Denomination :    
15cm RK 72
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Origin :    
  (
Krupp)
         
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Historic context :
The 15 cm RK 72 ('RK' = 'Ring Kanone') appeared in 1872 as a susbstitution of the old bronze guns 25 pdr and 15 cm K C/64. Krupp's mastering of the steel forged rings tubes allowed this company to propose a more perfroming alternative to the guns that dominated the French artillery in 1870, offering also a taller carriage.
Of course, this gun was obsolete in 1914, but it was used on the front by the FussArtillerie in order to fulld=fill the increasing needs of heavy Artilery by the positions war side to side with the modern materials. Its relative short range probably has been a handicap though in the fighting conditions met during WW1.
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Technical data :
- Complete description : 15c Ring Kanone M 72
- Design year : 1872
- Calibre : 149.10 mm
- Weight in firing position : 4930 kg
- Weight for transportation : 2 loads 4560 kg and 2780 kg
- Tube length in calibres : 23.00 (total length - 16.2 grooved part)
- Grooves : 24
- Projectile weight : 35.53 à 42 kg
- Initial speed : 396 m/s
- Fire rate :
- Range : 7900 à 8050 m
- Elevation range : -5 to +29 degrees
- Direction range : none
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Sources
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German Artillery of World War One           Herbert Jager                   Crowood   2001
 
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Das Geraet der Schweren Artillerie vor, in und nach der Weltkrieg       Herman Schirmer                   Bernard und Graefe, Berlin   1937
 
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