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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 323)
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Great Britain

BL 8-in. Mk.VI, VII and VIII howitzer

Mk VII

Heavy artillery

Contributor :
(Wikimedia commons) Balcer      http://commons.wikimedia.org/
     
     
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Location :
Finland
Hameenlinna
Finnish Artillery Museum
Coordinates : Lat : 61.00550 / Long : 24.45880
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 1
Items covered by this file : 1

Second example of the 8 inches howitzer in that huge museum, this one is a Mk VII (elongated tube).

Rear view on this massive gun

Zoom on the interrupted screw breech.


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     BL 8-in. Mk.VI, VII, VIII howitzer Origin :       ( Vickers)          

Historic context :

The need for a 8 inches howitzer had been detected by Great Britain before the war. But it is only in 1914 that this calibre was introduced in the British weapons, by shortening and re-boring to 8 inches existing 6 tubes. Numerous carriages versions gave birth to different marks.

In 1916, Vickers proposed a new 8 howitzer, keeping the good ballistic properties of its predecessors, but with a more sophisticated recoil system (hydro-pneumatic with variable recoil), and a lighter weight. This 'BL 8 inches Mk VI howitzer', quickly associated with a prefabricated platform for use on unstable grounds, was followed successively by the 'BL 8 inches Mk VII', with an elongated tube for longer ranges, and the 'BL 8 inches Mk VIII' with thicker tube walls.

678 such howitzers were built during WW1, including some used by the USA. Some Mk VII survived into the WW2, sometimes modified in 7.2 inches howitzers.

Technical data :

  • Complete description : Ordnance Breech Loading 8 inches Mark VI to Mark VIII howitzer
  • Design year : 1916
  • Calibre : 203.00 mm (8 in)
  • Weight in firing position : 8867 kg (Mk VI) - 9017 kg (Mk VII-VIII)
  • Weight for transportation :
  • Tube length in calibres : 16.00 calibres (Mk VI) - 18.5 calibres (Mk VII-VIII)
  • Grooves : 0 unknown
  • Projectile weight : 90.7 kg
  • Initial speed : 396 m/s (Mk VI) - 457 m/s (Mk VII-VIII)
  • Fire rate :
  • Range : 9840 m (Mk VI)- 11250 m (Mk VII-VIII)
  • Elevation range : 0 / + 50 degrees (Mk VI) - +45 degrees (Mk VII-VIII)
  • Direction range : 8 degrees total range


Sources
  • Allied Artillery of World War One           Ian V. Hogg                   Crowood   1998  
  • British Artillery 1914-19, Heavy Artillery       Dale Clarke                   Osprey Publishing   2005