105 mm gun. Artillery ammunition. Light gun HAWKEYE

“It harnesses for a long time, but it drives fast” - perhaps this saying best characterizes the history of the creation of the main weapon of the American field artillery times of World War II. The long development culminated in the creation of the 105-mm M2A1 howitzer, a very successful artillery system that went through the entire war and was produced until 1983.

Long road to a new howitzer

By the end of the First World War, the foundation American artillery were French-designed guns - the famous 75-mm field guns, as well as (in much smaller numbers) heavier systems. The battles in Europe barely had time to die down, when on December 11, 1918, on the orders of the Chief of Staff of the US Army, the Caliber Commission (better known as the Westervelt Commission, after the brigadier general who led it) was created, whose task was to develop recommendations for further development artillery weapons. On May 5, 1919, the commission presented a report that determined the development of American artillery for the next two decades.

The Caliber Commission's conclusions covered almost all types of artillery, but we will only consider those that concerned light field guns. On the one hand, the commission confirmed the conclusion made back in 1916 by the American military agent in France, Colonel C. Summerall, about the advisability of switching from 75-76-mm guns to 100-105-mm howitzers in the divisional level, more suitable for positional warfare. On the other hand, the commission did not consider it possible to completely abandon light guns. As a result, it was proposed to develop both classes of guns in parallel.

In the view of the members of the commission, a light field howitzer was supposed to have a caliber of about 105 mm, a projectile weight of 30–35 pounds (13.62–15.89 kg) and a firing range of up to 12,000 yards (10,980 m). The elevation angle was supposed to be 65 °, which would allow mortar firing. A circular horizontal shelling was desirable. True, this idea was almost immediately abandoned due to the complexity of the carriage design. The gun was supposed to have a semi-unitary loading, the main type of projectile was high-explosive fragmentation, the auxiliary was shrapnel.

The light gun was supposed to have a caliber of about three inches (76.2 mm). It was proposed to lay the principle of universality in the basis of its design - the use of guns as not only field, but also anti-aircraft guns. However, after testing several prototypes, the US military realized that nothing good would come of it, and the idea was abandoned, limiting itself to the modernization of the existing 75-mm French-style M1897 guns.

As for the conclusion about the advisability of switching to howitzers at the divisional level, it has withstood the test of time: in 1920, four prototype 105 mm M1920 howitzers. The barrel length was 22 caliber. The guns were tested on two different carriages: M1920E with sliding beds and box-shaped single-beam M1921E. The first of them provided an elevation angle of 80 ° and a horizontal aiming angle of 30 °. A single-bar carriage was simpler and cheaper to manufacture, but had significantly worse characteristics: the elevation angle was no more than 51 °, and the horizontal aiming angle was only 8 °. According to the test results, the Bureau of Field Artillery made disappointing conclusions: all variants of the M1920 howitzer, as well as both carriage models, were found to be overly complex and heavy.

In the second half of the 1920s, two more models of 105-mm howitzers appeared in the United States. The M1925 gun on a single-bar carriage M1925E was developed in accordance with the requirements of the Bureau of Field Artillery. At the same time, the designers of the Rock Island arsenal, on their own initiative, designed the T2 howitzer on the T2 carriage with sliding beds. The initiative development has so much surpassed its “competitor” in terms of tactical, technical and performance characteristics that the Bureau was forced to recognize its superiority by refusing to fine-tune the M1925 howitzer. The T2 gun was standardized as the Howitzer M1 on Carriage M1 (“M1 howitzer on the M1 carriage”), in January 1928 it was adopted by the US Army, but everything was limited to the release of a small batch of 14 units. Mass deliveries of the new howitzer were hampered by limited budget funds, therefore, having worked out the technology of mass production, its release was curtailed, while maintaining the ability to resume production.

Meanwhile, the improvement of the 105-mm howitzer continued. In 1933, the development of a new carriage adapted for towing by mechanical means began - the former M1 carriage with wooden wheels allowed the use of only horse traction. Since 1936, the T3, T4 and T5 carriages have been consistently submitted for testing. The latter was standardized in February 1940 as the M2 carriage. In the same year, 1933, the refinement of the artillery unit began in order to adapt the howitzer for firing unitary shots with a shrapnel projectile. The design of the charging chamber has undergone a change. The modified howitzer was standardized as M2, but in the end, the use of unitary shots was abandoned - the semi-unitary shot with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile became the main type of ammunition.

By laying the M2 barrel on the M2 (T5) carriage and making a few minor changes, American engineers got a new gun, and in March 1940 it was standardized as the Howitzer M2A1 ("M2A1 howitzer").

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105 mm M2A1 howitzer.
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General device M2A1 howitzers
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As of June 1940, the divisional level of the US Army had 4,236 75-mm M1897 guns (including those in warehouses), 91 75-mm mountain-pack howitzers and only 14 105-mm M1 and M2 howitzers. The M2A1 howitzer was launched in mass production in April 1941. Until September 1945, the Rock Island Arsenal manufactured 8536 such guns (including 597 in 1941, 3325 in 1942, 2684 in 1943, 1200 in 1944, 730 in 1945) , which formed the basis of the divisional artillery of the Army and Corps marines USA during World War II.

M2A1 howitzer on M2A2 carriage.
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During production, the design of the howitzer underwent only minimal changes that affected the gun carriage. In November 1942, senior officials from the Department of Defense decided that for trailers weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,273 kg), brakes were useless. As a result, in May next year The M2A1 carriage, devoid of brakes, was accepted for supply. In August of the same year, the M2A2 carriage was standardized, featuring an improved shield design. It was planned to upgrade all M2 and M2A1 carriages to this level, but these plans were never implemented.

The design of the 105-mm howitzer M2A1

The M2A1 howitzer had a simple and rational design, optimized for mass production conditions. The 22-caliber barrel had 34 right-hand grooves; rifling pitch - 20 calibers. Horizontal wedge gate, hydropneumatic recoil devices. The mass of the barrel with the bolt was 483 kg, the mass of the entire system in combat position was 2259 kg.

After the refusal in 1935 of the use of shrapnel in the ammunition of American 105-mm howitzers, only two types of shells remained: high-explosive fragmentation M1 and smoke. Already during the Second World War, the pointed armor-piercing projectile, sighting projectile (with colored smoke) and cluster fragmentation projectile(used mainly in the Pacific theater of operations). Loading is semi-unitary. There were seven variable charges. The weight of the propellant in the first charge was 238.42 g, in the seventh - 1241 g. The seventh charge provided a high-explosive fragmentation projectile weighing 14.96 kg initial speed at 472 m / s, the maximum firing range at the same time reached 11,270 m.

Noteworthy is the M1 projectile itself. Adopted in 1941, it is still used by the US Army and Air Force (on AC-130 gunship aircraft). The length of the projectile is 494.8 mm, there are two modifications: standard and "deep penetration" - with a reinforced body, but a reduced explosive charge. For equipment, two types of explosives are used: trinitrotoluene and the so-called "composition B" - a mixture of trinitrotoluene and RDX. The weight of the explosive for standard projectiles is 2.3 kg of “composition B” or 2.177 kg of trinitrotoluene, for “deep penetration” projectiles - 2.087 kg or 1.93 kg, respectively.

The howitzer carriage has a pneumatic wheel travel, sliding beds and a small shield. The barrel is shifted as far forward as possible to ensure firing at high elevation angles (because of this, a powerful spring balancing device had to be introduced into the carriage design). The vertical aiming angle was considered quite sufficient and ranged from -5 to + 66 °. The horizontal aiming angle was also relatively large: 23 ° to the right and left. The only drawback of the carriage was considered to be the insufficient length of the beds, which made it difficult to roll the gun and take it on a hook.

The short carriage beds made it difficult to roll the howitzer and take it on a hook.
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In 1962, the M2A1 howitzer on the M2A1 carriage was given the designation M101, and on the M2A2 carriage - M101A1. In both versions, trunks of two modifications (M2A1 or M2A2) could be used, as well as recoil devices of one of five modifications - from M2A1 to M2A5. At the same time, the carriages were different: M2A1 for the M101 howitzer or M2A2 for the M101A1. Sighting devices improved and included a telescopic sight for direct fire "Elbow" M16A1D (3x magnification, field of view - 13 °); panoramic sight "Panoramic" M12A7S (4x magnification, field of view - 10°); quadrant M4A1. Ammunition still consisted of semi-unitary shots, but their range was expanded and included the following types of shells:

• M1 - high-explosive fragmentation;
• M60 and M84 - smoke (M60 could also be used as a chemical one - in this case it was equipped with mustard gas);
• M314 - lighting;
• M327 - semi-armor-piercing (armor-piercing with enhanced high-explosive action);
• M444 - cluster, containing 18 M39 fragmentation submunitions;
• M546 - armor-piercing tracer;
• M548 - high-explosive fragmentation with improved ballistics.

Mass production of howitzers at the Rock Island Arsenal continued until 1953, the total number of manufactured M2A1s was increased to 10,202 units. However, in subsequent years, the production of M101A1 howitzers was periodically resumed to meet export orders. The last such order (for 133 howitzers) was received in 1981 from Indonesia, the company completed it by November 1983.

Service

In the late 1930s, the US Army began to transfer its infantry divisions to a new, "triangular" structure. The artillery of such a division was to consist of three divisions of 75 mm guns and one division of 105 mm howitzers (12 guns per division). Since there were no serial samples of 105-mm howitzers yet, instead of these guns, a division of old 155-mm howitzers M1917 of the Schneider system was introduced into the division. As a result of the German blitzkrieg in France, the US military decided to replace 75-mm guns with 105-mm howitzers, leaving divisions with 155-mm howitzers - such an organization of divisional artillery existed throughout World War II.

An important innovation was the organization in each division of the fire control center (TsUO, English FDC - Fire Directio Center). It made it possible to concentrate the fire of the division on one target, and after its defeat, quickly transfer it to the next one. The equipment of the TsUO provided communication with batteries and advanced artillery observers, as well as the generation of data for the installation of gun sights. In 1941, the TsUO appeared at the level of divisions.

Operation "Torch" (landing in North Africa in November 1942) was the first campaign in which 105-mm M2A1 howitzers were widely used.
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In 1937, the US Army had only 25 field artillery battalions. By December 1941 (the moment the US entered the war), their number reached 142, and by 1945 it exceeded 700. 264 of them were armed with M2A1 howitzers: 161 divisions (147 in divisions and 14 separate) in the European theater of operations , 71 (respectively, 62 and 9) in the Pacific and 32 divisions in the United States.

Calculation of the M2A1 howitzer for combat work.
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In 1942, the M2A1 howitzers appeared in the Marine Corps: one division of such guns was introduced into the artillery regiments of divisions along with three divisions of 75-mm howitzers. To the top of the big landing operations on Saipan and Guam, artillery regiments already had two divisions of 105-mm and 75-mm howitzers, and by the time of the landing on Iwo Jima in 1945, three and one, respectively.

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LVT tracked carriers were not regular tractors for M2A1 howitzers, but were sometimes used as such. In the photo - howitzer towing on the island of Iwo Jima, 1945.
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The main recipients of American aid under the Lend-Lease program - Great Britain and the USSR - did not show much interest in American artillery systems, making do with their own guns. The USSR did not receive a single such howitzer, only 16 units were handed over to the British. Much more needed American howitzers were China and the Free French, which received, respectively, 476 and 223 М2А1. Another 223 of these howitzers were handed over to a number of Latin American states that entered the war on the side of the Allies, but only the Brazilians used them in battle, who sent an infantry division to Italy, which had three divisions of 105-mm howitzers.

Private Francisco de Paula of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force loads an M2A1 howitzer. The inscription on the shot translates as "cobra smokes" (a cobra smoking a pipe was the emblem of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force). Massarosa area in Tuscany (Italy), September 29, 1944
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Very widely 105-mm howitzers were used during the war in Korea, and on both sides of the front: both by the armies of the United States and South Korea, and by parts of the Chinese volunteers who fought on the side of the DPRK.

M2A1 howitzer from the artillery of the 25th Infantry Division in position in the Wirson area. Korea, August 27, 1950
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last campaign american army, in which M101A1 howitzers were widely used, became Vietnam War. Their main task in this war was the direct support of infantry units; howitzers acted relatively rarely as part of divisions. Much more often they were used by battery, platoon, or even by individual guns. Quite exotic was the use of howitzers of the 1st division of the 7th artillery regiment as weapons for the LCM-6 landing craft. Subsequently, AMMI pontoons assembled from standard sections were used as floating batteries. For two M101A1 howitzers, a pontoon measuring 27.45 x 8.66 m was used, at the ends of which there were ammunition depots, in the center - living quarters, and between it and the artillery cellars - positions of howitzers (all this was protected by armored plates). Each battery had three AMMI pontoons and five LCM-8 landing craft (three of them served as pontoon pusher tugs, one as a TsUO, and one more carried additional ammunition).

Since 1966, new 105-mm M102 howitzers began to replace the M101A1. Old systems were gradually transferred to the allies - by the end of 1969 South Vietnam received 730 M101A1 howitzers (only 60 new M102 systems were transferred). A year later, the South Vietnamese army had 40 divisions of 105-mm howitzers (30 as part of infantry divisions, 7 separate and 3 airmobile), as well as a hundred separate M101A1 platoons in fortified areas. There were also considerable losses, especially during the reflection of large-scale offensive operations. So, for the period from March 31 to April 10, 1972, 81 howitzers were lost.

Last operation, in which US troops used M101A1 howitzers, was the invasion of Grenada in 1983.
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Abroad

AT post-war years American 105-mm howitzers entered service with the armies of several dozen countries - primarily NATO members (Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, Germany, France). Non-bloc Austria and Yugoslavia also received them, and after the collapse of the latter, new ones independent states. In Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the M101A1 replaced the 25-pound British model. If in Australia and New Zealand the American howitzers have already been replaced by a licensed version of the English L118 gun, then the Canadians in 1997 subjected their 105-millimeters to modernization (replacing the barrel with a longer, 33-caliber one) and, under the designation C3, retain a number of these systems in service. The original version of the M101A1 was designated in Canada as C1 and was produced under license in the 50s of the last century.

Of the Latin American countries, it is easier to mention countries that did not operate American 105-mm howitzers - these are Costa Rica and Panama. In all other states of the region (from Mexico in the north to Argentina in the south, as well as in the islands of Haiti and the Dominican Republic), these guns are in service. Their number in different countries varies and ranges from a few units to several hundreds (for example, in Brazil - over 250 units).

In Africa, M101s are less common, but there are a good dozen countries in this region that have received these systems. Ethiopia, Libya and Liberia received 105mm howitzers as military aid from the USA, and Mozambique and some other states got them "inherited" from the colonialists.

In the Middle East, M101s were used by both sides of the Israeli-Jordanian and Iranian-Iraqi conflicts, were used in the Lebanese armies, Saudi Arabia, Yemen. American 105-graph paper is quite widespread in Indo-China and Far East(Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan). In Taiwan, licensed production of the M101A1 was launched, and in Thailand, these guns were modernized with the help of Dutch specialists.

Literature:

1. Hogg I. V. Allied Artillery of World War Two. - London: Crowood Press, 2007.
2. McKenney J. E. The Organizational History of Field Artillery 1775–2003. --Washington: CMH US Army, 2007.
3. Sayern J. J. US Army Infantry Divisions 1942–43. - Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2006.
4. Zaloga S. US Field Artillery of World War II. - Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2007.
5. Haruk A. American 105-mm howitzer // Science and technology. - 2014. - No. 10.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese army felt the need to urgently replace the 105-mm field gun of the Krupp company, which was very outdated by that time, which was in service with it. By order of the Japanese Ministry of War, the German company Krupp developed in 1904 a new 105-mm cannon, which was soon adopted by the Japanese army under the designation "105-mm field gun type 38" (1905). Structurally, it was somewhat different from the new generation of guns of this company. While a wedge breech was installed on the new German guns, a piston breech was used on this gun. In the trough-shaped cradle, recoil devices were mounted, consisting of a hydraulic recoil brake and a hydropneumatic knurler. The lifting mechanism of the gun is a sector type. Carriage - single beam. Wheel travel (without suspension), consisted of wooden wheels with metal rims (for horse traction).

The ammunition of the gun included separate loading shots with a high-explosive fragmentation grenade, armor-piercing and incendiary projectiles as well as shrapnel. Combat charge - variable. Maximum range when firing was 10,000 m.

The production of the cannon began at the Arisaka arsenal in 1907, and it began to enter the troops from 1911. The 105-mm field gun type "38" was widely used in the Japanese army, and primarily in heavy field artillery, which consisted of artillery brigades of two regiments (one cannon and one howitzer regiment each). Each regiment consisted of two divisions of two batteries (4 guns in each battery). By 1939, the Japanese army had 10 heavy artillery brigades, 10 separate heavy artillery regiments and 5 separate divisions, which were stationed, among other things, on the Kuril Islands.

The heavy gun regiments were armed with 105-mm Arisaka guns (model 1905), 105-mm heavy guns type "14" (model 1925) and 105-mm heavy howitzers type "92" (model 1932). By the beginning of the Second World War, the 105-mm cannon type "38", although morally obsolete, continued to serve faithfully until the end of the war. During the Soviet-Japanese War Soviet soldiers I had to directly collide with 105-mm type "38" field guns, which were in service with Japanese coastal batteries in the Kuril Islands.

One of these guns, type "38", used by the Japanese when repulsing the Kuril landing on August 18, 1945 as casemate gun in the bunker installed on Mount Shirey-San (height 171) in the north of Shumshu Island, exhibited at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War. In 2010, truly unique exhibits were delivered to the museum - samples of Japanese military equipment discovered during a search expedition on Kurile Islands Shumshu and Paramushir. After the restoration work, these exhibits, including the 105-mm field gun type "38", took their place in the open armament area, military equipment and engineering structures on Poklonnaya Hill.

Years of issue - 1907 - 1930s

Total issued - no data

Caliber - 105 mm

Weight in combat position - 2594 kg

Barrel length - 3325 mm

The length of the threaded part - no data

Calculation - 10 people

Movement speed - up to 12 km / h

Rate of fire - 4 - 8 rds / min

longest range shooting -10000 m

Direct shot range - no data

Shooting angles:

Horizontal - 3°

Vertical - -2° +35°

KwK46 on Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B

Description

105 mm tank gun KwK L/68 - german gun the end of the Second World War, designed on the basis of anti-aircraft gun 10.5 cm FlaK 38/39. It was never made, although there are reports of firing.

Separate cartridge case loading of the gun increased the reload time of the gun. The increased caliber and length of the gun, according to the developers, should have increased armor penetration and damaging effect.

Vehicles equipped with these weapons

The game is installed on the following models of equipment:

Main characteristics

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of a gun or machine gun.

Available projectiles

The following shells are available for the cannon:

• PzGr.Rot- an armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap (BS).
• Sprgr.L/4.4 - high-explosive projectile(OFS).
• PzGr.40- armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile (BPS).

The technical characteristics of the projectiles are given in the following table:

BB* - Explosive in TNT equivalent

Use in combat

Describe the gun/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of use against the main opponents. Refrain from creating a "guide" - don't impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.

Advantages and disadvantages

Separate loading of this gun gives us a long reload time. A very insignificant armor effect of a sub-caliber projectile, which nullifies its penetration.

The length of the gun and the speed of the projectile add up to good ballistics.

Advantages:

• Good armor penetration.
• Good projectile ballistics.
• Good vertical aiming angles (-8/+15)

Flaws:

• Long cooldown (20s)
• Expensive sub-caliber projectile (610 lions)

History reference

The gun was developed on the basis of the 10.5 cm FlaK 38/39 anti-aircraft gun to replace 88 mm guns KwK 43. The shells were taken from an anti-aircraft gun.

It was assumed that the weighted projectile, in addition to increasing armor penetration, would contribute to the formation more fragments in the reserved space. The downside of increasing the caliber would be separate-sleeve loading.

However, by the end of the war, the developments were not implemented.

Some sources mention the Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. B (H) 105 mm L/68 gun. Indeed, this version of the vehicle was proposed by Krupp in November of 1944, along with variants of other tanks and self-propelled guns.

However, the conclusion of the tank weapons testing department (WaPruf 6) on this option, sent in January 1945 to the weapons department ground forces, was negative: "The proposed 10.5-cm gun was not adopted by the army. Therefore, the decision to install such a gun in the tank is not reasonable. In any case, this will require the installation of new sights, and it will probably be necessary to make changes to the design turrets. The use of separate loading ammunition in the first place will lead to a significant decrease in the rate of fire. In addition, a second loader is required to service the gun, which has no place to accommodate. "

Media

Review of Tiger II 10,5 cm: "Top of Germany" - Realistic fights

Tiger II 10,5 cm review: Thunderstorm 54-k - Realistic fights

see also

• link to an article about the cannon/machine gun variant;
• links to approximate analogues in other nations and branches.

And the like.

Links

• Hitler's last tanks. Panzerwaffe 1945. (Kolomiets M. ed. Eksmo, 2010)

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the French concern "Schneider and K." acquired the assets of the Russian Putilov Arms Plant, including the plant itself in St. Petersburg. At the factory, the Schneider representatives found a fairly large and superbly executed cannon, designed to take the standard Russian 107mm projectile.

Subsequent calculations showed that this gun was capable of firing at a great distance, and the company decided to offer this gun to the French army. Soon the gun was transported to France and modified for the French 105-mm projectile, in addition, a number of changes were required.
Unfortunately for Schneider & Sieu, the French army was not interested in this proposal. She was already armed with a large number of 75 mm guns, and according to the French strategy, nothing more powerful was required, although the 105 mm gun was offered as a medium-caliber support gun. It required the Axis to make a lot of efforts to lobby for the purchase of at least a small batch of guns by the French army in 1913. As a result, the gun entered service under the designation 105-mm gun of the Schneider concern mod. 1913, but in the army it was better known as L13S.
Despite the purchase of the first batch of guns, the French army remained indifferent. After the confrontation of the fronts during the First World War and the transition to trench warfare, the shortcomings of the 75-mm gun showed themselves to the full: the mass of the projectile was insufficient, and the destructive effect on field fortifications, including the trenches, left much to be desired.
As for the L135s, they could fire heavier rounds that did much more damage to such fortifications, which soon led to an increased demand for these guns. Of course, the firing trajectory of this gun, which had a high initial velocity of the projectile, was flatter compared to the howitzer and did not allow the projectile to accurately hit the trenches, but the effectiveness of the gun manifested itself in the counter-battery war. Shortly thereafter, the Schneider concern tried to speed up mass production of the L13S.

In combat position, the L135 was much more bulky compared to the compact 75mm gun. The long box frame was heavier, but it stabilized the gun during prolonged firing. The bolt with a piston with rifled and smooth sectors worked easily, but a lot of time was spent on a tray of 15.74-kg shells, especially during prolonged hostilities.
A team of eight horses was required to tow the gun into position. During the battle, the calculation of the gun should have consisted, at least. of eight people, most of whom were busy with a tray of shells.
During the First World War, many L135 guns were transferred to the Belgian army, which used them in the battles on the River Lees. After 1918, the guns - L135 were partially transferred, and partially sold to Italy and Yugoslavia, some copies ended up in the new Polish army.

Most of these World War I guns found their way into use in 1939. After 1940 most of French guns L135 was captured by the Germans, they could soon be seen in the Coast Guard artillery on the Atlantic Wall under the designation 105-mm K 333 (f).

The original version in the Belgrade Military Museum

105 mm Schneider gun model 1913(fr. Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider listen)) is a French gun used during the First World War. After its completion, it was exported to Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia and Italy, where it was also produced under license and used by these countries during World War II, as well as by Germany, which uses them as captured guns.

Story

At the beginning of the 20th century, the French company Schneider gained control of the Russian Putilov factory. Among the projects that were being created at the plant at that time was the project of a 107-mm field gun. At that time, it was an unusually large caliber with huge development prospects. It was assumed that the gun would have a much greater range than the then existing similar guns and Schneider's engineers happily set about fine-tuning the project for Russian army. The resulting gun entered service with the Russian army under the name “42-line gun of the 1910 model of the year”, and the French engineers, with the consent of the customer, decided to offer the gun to the French army, while undertaking to reduce the caliber to 105 mm.

The French military at first reacted rather coolly to the proposal, since they believed that, having 75-mm guns, they did not need more heavy guns. However, Schneider still managed to sell his invention, and in 1913 the Russian development entered service with the French army under the index Canon de 105 modele 1913 Schneider, however, the gun became more widely known under the index L 13 S.

Compared to its Russian counterpart, the gun had a stronger (and heavier) carriage, gun shield, a barrel consisting of a pipe and a casing, and a piston valve. (English) Russian . The recoil devices, mounted on a single-beam carriage, included a hydraulic recoil brake and a hydropneumatic knurler, independent of each other. Shooting was carried out with unitary cartridges weighing 15.74 kg at a distance of up to 12,000 meters. The rate of fire of the gun was about 4 rounds per minute. The gun was equipped with wooden wheels with steel hoops and was intended to be towed by horses at a speed of 10 km/h. The front end was attached to the gun, placing 14 shots.

World War I

With the outbreak of the First World War, the gun fully proved its effectiveness, especially in contrast to the fact that 75-mm guns could not fully fulfill their combat missions and completely destroy targets. In this regard, during the war years, mass production of the gun began, with a gradual upward bias compared to competitive systems of a smaller caliber. In total, during the war, the French armed forces used about 1300 guns.

Export

After the end of the First World War, the gun began to be widely exported. It was supplied to Belgium, Poland, Yugoslavia and Italy.

Poland

In service with Poland, which soon acquired a license for production, the gun came under the name Armata 105mm wz. 13 Schneider, and in 1930 the Poles produced a modernized version of the Armata 105 mm wz. 29 Schneider by equipping it with sliding beds, which made it possible to increase the angle of horizontal guidance. The guns of both models took part in World War II.

Italy

In Italy, the gun was also put into production, turning into an Italian gun Cannone da 105/28 modello 1913, later shortened to just Cannone da 105/28 (Italian) Russian and remained one of the main Italian field guns until September 1943, when Italy withdrew from the war.

Finland

By the beginning of the Winter War, French guns were also delivered to Finland, where they received the name 105K/13. In total, Finland managed to buy 12 guns and 20,000 shells for them. They arrived in February 1940 and were sent to the 9th Heavy Artillery Battalion 9, where they were used in the last weeks of the war.

In the Continuation War, the guns were sent to the 28th Heavy Artillery Battalion 28. Among the Finnish soldiers, the gun gained a reputation for being good and reliable.

The Second World War

In France itself, guns also remained in service by the beginning of World War II, by May 1940, when the Germans invaded France, there were 854 of them. Most of them (about 700 pieces), after the end of the campaign, they fell into the hands of the Germans.

In addition to the French, guns from other countries previously exported, as well as produced outside France, fell into the hands of the Germans. In the Wehrmacht, they received the names:

• 10.5 cm K 331(f)- French guns
• 10.5 cm K 333(b)- guns captured from Belgium
• 10.5cm K 338(i)- guns captured from Italy
• 10.5cm K 338(j)- guns captured from Yugoslavia
• 10.5 cm K 13(p)- Polish non-modernized guns
• 10.5cm K29(p)- polish modernized guns

As a result, having received almost a thousand 105-mm guns and a huge amount of ammunition for them, the Germans installed these guns on the positions of the Atlantic Wall to defend the northern coast of France. The Germans removed the 105-mm guns from the carriages and installed them on turntables with armored shields to protect the servants. In concrete bunkers on the coast of France and neighboring countries, numerous