Historic context :

In 1911, the APK (German Artillery Test Commission)requires new expectations for an evolution of the 10 cm K 04. Rheinmetall and Krupp both present a gun, and once again it's Krupp who wins with its design in 1914.

This '10 cm K 14' differs a lot from the 1904 previous gun. An elongated tube (35 calibres instead of 30), a modified recoil system, a new breech, a firing platform to allow a rapid direction aiming upon 360 degres, and two separate elevation aiming systems, one for the flat trajectories, and the other one for the indirect fire. Finally, a shield is now protecting the crew, very welcome against the counter-battery shelling.

As a consequence of the longer tube, the K04 range performance was kept but with a heavier shell. This 10cm K 14 prooved to be an excellent weapon on the battlefields, polyvalent but more and more specialised in the counter-battery fire. On the other hand, the expectations of getting this weapon abilities in anti-aircraft fire were never met.

724 such guns '10 cm K 14' ('K' = Kanone = Gun) were manudactured by Krupp during the war. 368 were still in service in November 1918. This gun was still in use in the IIIrd Reich armies during WW2.

Technical data :

• Complete description : 10cm gun M 1914
• Design year : 1914
• Calibre : 105.20 mm
• Weight in firing position : 2820 kg
• Weight for transportation : 3530 kg - single load
• Tube length in calibres : 35.00 (total tube length)
• Grooves : 32
• Projectile weight : 16 a 18.75 kg
• Initial speed : 583 to 585 m/s
• Fire rate :
• Range : 11400 to 13100 m
• Elevation range : -5 to +45 degrees
• Direction range : 6 degrees total range

• German Artillery of World War One           Herbert Jager                   Crowood   2001  
• http://www.lovettartillery.com/      Ralph Lovett                      
• Das Geraet der Schweren Artillerie vor, in und nach der Weltkrieg       Herman Schirmer                   Bernard und Graefe, Berlin   1937