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Germany
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Fortress artillery
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Contributor :
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Location :
France
Metz (67)
Feste Kaiserin (Groupe Fortifié Jeanne d'Arc)
Coordinates :
Lat : 49.11636 / Long : 6.06534
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General comments on this surviving gun :
Identical items in the same location :
6
Items covered by this file :
3
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One of the 15cm TH of the two batteries south of the Plappeville fort (each of the batteries aligns 3 such cupolas)
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Historic and technical information
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Denomination :    
15cm TH
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Origin :    
  (
Krupp)
         
  (
Schumann )
         
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Historic context :
The explosive shell 'crisis' shook the fortification world in 1885, demonstrating the superiority of the new steel high explosive shells on the existing forts made in concrete or masonery, whose artillery was exposed at open air on parapets.
Each nation then began reinforcing works of their fortresses, including the shielding of their artillery. In Germany, the Major Schumann proposed a heavy cupola made of thick steel, similar to a turtle shell. This first received in 1888 a 21 cm Krupp howitzer, then from 1893 a 15 cm Krupp howitzer. This weapon is named 15 cm TH ('Turm Haubitze' - Cupola howitzer), sometimes named 15 cm PTH ('Panzer Turm Haubitze' - Shielded cupola howitzer).
These howitzers had no recoil recuperation system, so that the whole shot energy was only taken back by the considerable mass of the cupola and its gun, as well as their static link to the ground. The Schumann cupola had to be elevated some 2 inches above the ground before firing, disconnecting it from the static sheild ring and therefore avoiding any damage to the joint. As a counter-part, the cupola oscillated some moments after the shot.
In 1914, the Metz German fortifications included 26 cupola howitzers 15 cm TH.
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Technical data :
- Complete description : 15cm howitzer in armoured cupola
- Design year : 1893
- Calibre : 149.70 mm
- Weight in firing position : 83000 kg totally
- Weight for transportation :
- Tube length in calibres : 11.50 (total tube length)
- Grooves : 0
- Projectile weight : 42 kg
- Initial speed : 329 m/s
- Fire rate :
- Range : 7200 m
- Elevation range : -5 to +42 degrees
- Direction range :
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Sources
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German Artillery of World War One           Herbert Jager                   Crowood   2001
 
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