7.7 cm FK 96
| 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 | |
|---|---|
 A FK 96 a.A. on parade, probably before 1907. | |
| Type | Field gun |
| Place of origin | German Empire |
| Service history | |
| Used by | German Empire |
| Wars | World War I Second Boer War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Krupp |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| Variants | 7.7 cm FK 96 n.A. |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 919 kilograms (2,026 lb) |
| Barrel length | 2.15 metres (7 ft 1 in) |
| Diameter | 77 mm |
| Shell | separate-loading, cased charge |
| Caliber | 77 mm (3 in) |
| Breech | horizontal sliding block |
| Carriage | fixed trail |
| Rate of fire | 8 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 465 m/s (1,525 ft/s) |
| Filling | picric acid |
The 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 (7.7 cm FK 96) was a field gun used by Germany before World War I.
History
It was a thoroughly conventional gun, being a modernized version of Krupp's FK 73 gun, but failed to incorporate any recoil system other than a partially effective spade brake, and fired a 12 pound projectile. Thus it was rendered obsolete when the French introduced their Canon de 75 modèle 1897 the following year. Most guns were rebuilt to modern standards (only the barrel was retained) in 1904 as the 7.7 cm FK 96 n.A. (neuer Art) [new model] which served throughout World War I as one of Germany's main light field guns. The remaining unmodified guns were then known as the 7.7 cm FK 96 a.A. (alte Art or old model).
A number of 7.7 cm Feldkanone C/96 (FK 96 a/A) guns were sold to the Boer republic of Transvaal. These guns were used against the British in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902.
See also
- C64 (field gun), roughly its predecessor in the Franco-Prussian and Second Schleswig War.
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- Ordnance BL 15 pounder, British equivalent
References
- Jäger, Herbert. German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86126-403-8
- Ortner, M. Christian. The Austro-Hungarian Artillery From 1867 to 1918: Technology, Organization, and Tactics. Vienna, Verlag Militaria, 2007 ISBN 978-3-902526-13-7
External links
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