German 105 mm Gun

German 105 mm Gun - Howitzer

"New German 105-mm Gun-Howitzer" from Tactical and Technical Trends

NEW GERMAN 105-MM GUN-HOWITZER

A report on the Wehrmacht's standard light field artillery piece, the 105-mm gun-howitzer 10.5-cm L.F.H. 18 and 10.5-cm L.F.H. 42, from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 30, July 29, 1943.

[DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

The standard German light field artillery piece is the 105-mm gun-howitzer, generally similar in appearance to the U.S. 105. It weighs about 5 1/2 tons, fires a projectile weighing about 32 pounds, and has a maximum range of about 11,000 yards. The German designation for this gun is "10.5-cm L.F.H. 18."* A few months ago, however, what appears to be a modification of this weapon was captured in Africa; it is believed to be the "10.5-cm L.F.H. 42." The "42" may also exist as a self-propelled gun; if so it is the first German field artillery piece so mounted.

German 10.5 cm Howitzer in action

In external appearance the most apparent difference in the two guns is the muzzle brake on the "42", a feature not known to be included in the "18", though it has been reported that there is an "18" with a muzzle brake which may possibly be designated "10.5-cm L.F.H. 18M."** The muzzle brake is of the standard double-baffle type, quite similar to the muzzle brake on the 50-mm antitank gun.

While the wheels of the "18" are made of a light alloy (current models may be of wood) the "42" has wheels at least partially constructed of wood; both types are rimmed with solid rubber tires as is usual in German artillery guns.

The main differences between the "18" and "42 are as follows:


	10.5-cm L.F.H. 18	10.5-cm L.F.H. 42
Length of gun (including breech ring)	106.8 in	117.75 in
Length of gun (including breech ring and muzzle brake)		130.87 in
Length of barrel	97.1 in	108.5 in
Length of bore	94.2 in	95.62 in
Length of chamber	8.35 in	12.87 in
Twist of rifling	Increasing 6° to 12°	Not Available

The "42" with its longer bore and chamber would appear to have a higher muzzle velocity than the "18." This seems to be borne out by the fact that captured "42's" are provided with a muzzle brake and have range table corrections painted on the shield of the gun. These tables, giving corrections for various charges, vary from minus 2 mils for an elevation of 100 mils to minus 70 mils for an elevation of 750 mils; presumably no range tables for the "42" exist or were available and it was necessary to use the "18" range tables with the above noted corrections to compensate for the greater muzzle velocity of the "42" gun. In addition to these necessary corrections it is also of interest to note that a special table for charge 6 (hollow charge ammunition) was also painted on the shield as follows:

Range (meters)		Elevation (Strich--mils)
400		7
600		11
700		14
800		16
900		19
1,000		22
1,100		24
1,200		27
1,300		30
1,400		33
1,500		36
Leichte Feldhaubitze--light field howitzer *Abbreviation for Mundungbremse meaning "muzzle brake"

105-MM FIELD HOWITZER (10.5 cm Leichte Feld Haubitze 18).

General description. This is the standard divisional field artillery howitzer developed during World War 2. It has a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and a heavy, simply designed breech mechanism with a horizontal sliding block and cartridge case obturation. The first modification of the original model appeared in 1941 when a muzzle brake of conventional design was fitted to permit a new long-range charge to be fired, increasing the range by 1,800 yards. This version is known as the le. F. H. 18 (M). By 1944 a second modification had appeared, the le. F. H. 18/40. The tube of the le. F. H. 18 (M) was mounted on the carriage already in large scale production for the 7.5 Pak 40 (75-mm AT gun). By modifying the elevating and firing mechanisms, the rate of fire was increased, and a more efficient muzzle brake decreased the recoil load. The 10.5 cm le. F. H. 18 (M) and the le. F. H. 18/40 are ballistically identical and have the same firing tables. Characteristics (of 10.5 cm le. F. H. 18/40).

Caliber		105 mm (4.14 inches)
Length of tube (including breech ring and muzzle brake)		10 feet, 8.252 inches
Weight in action		4,320 pounds.
Maximum range		13,480 yards.
Muzzle velocity		1,772 feet per second
Traverse		56°.
Elevation		-6° to +40°
Traction		Tractor

Ammunition. HE, smoke, incendiary, illuminating, propaganda, hollow-charge, HE sabot, and AP sabot shells are fired. (Sabot shells may not be fired from guns equipped with existing muzzle brakes, however.) The weight of HE projectiles is 32 pounds, 11 ounces.

German 10.5 CM Howitzer Ammunition