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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 656)
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Germany

24cm schwerer FlügelMinenWerfer Albrecht

incomplete

Trench artillery

Contributor :
Bernard Butet     
Bernard Plumier      http://www.passioncompassion1418.com
     
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Location :
France
Vindecy (71)
Monument aux Morts
Coordinates : Lat : 46.35250 / Long : 4.01040
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 2
Items covered by this file : 2

There are two identical mortars exposed there.

The removable upper tube has disappeared

Markings : '1917 - Albrecht - FLM.W. - Nr 128' and '1917 - Albrecht - FLM.W. - Nr 129'


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     24cm sFlMW Albrecht Origin :       ( Albrecht)          

Historic context :

While the Ingenieur Komittee ('IKO') designed at the end of 1916 and ordered the manufacture of a smoothbore mortar firing heavy fin tail projectiles as an answer to the French and British 240 mm mortars, another design was conducted in parallel and appeared on the front in early 1917 as the '24cm schwerer FlügelMinenwerfer Albrecht' ('s.Fl.M.W. Albrecht'), bearing the same name as the 25 cm Albrecht mortar that succeeded to the Erde Mörser.

Although answering the same need than the IKO equivalent weapon, this mortar was clearly more sophisticated, and and performabces somehow better in range (2 km instead of 1.5 km for the same impressive 100 kg projectile).

The tube was an assembly of a cast iron lower barrel (including a propulsive charge room, a threaded hole for the primer) with a removable (for transport) upper barrel that was screwed on it. The carriage was more robust, particularly with a directionnal aiming system allowing a 360 degrees range and a strong elevation aiming system screw. The whole assembly was attached to a massive wooden platform similar to the one used for the IKO mortar.

Because of the lack of reference documents, the exact characteristics of this weapon are unknown. The origin of the 'Albrecht' name is also unclear. However, it is clear that 700 available mortars (total number for both Albrecht and IKO types) in January 1918 were used with the same bombs and in equivalent tactical conditions

Technical data :

  • Complete description : 24cm smoothbore heavy trench mortar Albrecht
  • Design year : 1917
  • Calibre : 240.00 mm
  • Weight in firing position : 1600 kg
  • Weight for transportation : Unknown
  • Tube length in calibres : 0.00 unknown
  • Grooves : 0 smooth bore
  • Projectile weight : 100 kg
  • Initial speed :
  • Fire rate :
  • Range : 2000 m
  • Elevation range : unknown
  • Direction range : 360 degrees total range


Sources
  • German Artillery of World War One           Herbert Jager                   Crowood   2001  
  • Die deutschen Minen- und Granatwerfer im Ersten Weltkrieg 1914-1918       Dr Tillmann Reibert                   epubli GmbH   2014  
  • Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen Pioniere       Major Paul Heinrici                   Verlag Tradition, Berlin   1931  
  • German Trench Mortars and Infantry Mortars 1914-1945       Wolfgang Fleischer                   Schiffer Military / Aviation History   1996