15 cm sFH 02
| 15 cm sFH 02 | |
|---|---|
 A German 15 cm sFH 02 howitzer from 1917 | |
| Type | Heavy field howitzer |
| Place of origin |  German Empire |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1903 - 1918 |
| Used by | German Empire |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Krupp |
| Designed | 1902 |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,035 kg (4,486 lb) |
| Barrel length | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Height | 1.23 m (4 ft) |
| Shell | 40.5 kg (89 lb) |
| Caliber | 149.1 mm (5.87 in) |
| Recoil | hydro-spring |
| Elevation | 0° to +45° |
| Traverse | 4° |
| Muzzle velocity | 325 m/s (1,070 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 7,450 m (8,150 yd) |
The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 1902 was a German heavy field howitzer introduced in 1903 and served in World War I.
Design and history
It was the first artillery piece to use a modern recoil system in the German Army. Some 416 were in service at the beginning of the war[1]. Its mobility, which allowed it to be deployed as medium artillery, and fairly heavy shell gave the German army a firepower advantage in the early battles in Belgium and France in 1914 [2] as the French and British armies lacked an equivalent.[dubious – discuss]
External links
- Lovett Artillery Collection
- sFH 02 on Landships
- List and pictures of WW1 surviving 15cm sFH 02 howitzers
Notes
References
- Jäger, Herbert. German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86126-403-8
- General Sir Martin Farndale, "History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery. Western Front 1914-1918". Published by The Royal Artillery Institution, 1986. ISBN 1 870114 00 0
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