15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16

The 15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16 was a heavy field gun used by Austria-Hungary in World War I. Guns turned over to Italy as reparations after World War I were taken into Italian service as the Cannone da 152/37. Austrian and Czech guns were taken into Wehrmacht service after the Anschluss and the occupation of Czechoslovakia as the 15.2 cm K 15/16(t). Italian guns captured after the surrender of Italy in 1943 were known by the Wehrmacht as the 15.2 cm K 410(i). Due to their unique ammunition, the Germans did not use them that much, and generally served on coast-defense duties during World War II.

15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16
A 15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16 at Vittorio Veneto in 1918
TypeHeavy field gun
Place of originAustria-Hungary
Service history
In service1916—1945
Used by Austria-Hungary
 Austria
 Czechoslovakia
 Nazi Germany
 Italy
WarsWorld War I
World War II
Production history
DesignerSkoda
Designed1913—16
ManufacturerSkoda
Produced1916—18
No. built44
Variants15 cm Autokanone M. 15
Specifications
Mass11,900 kilograms (26,200 lb)
Barrel length6.0 metres (19 ft 8 in) L/39.5
Crew13
Shellseparate-loading, cased charge
Caliber152.4 mm (6 in)
Carriagebox trail
Elevation-6° to +45°
Traverse6°
Rate of fire1 rpm
Muzzle velocity692 m/s (2,270 ft/s)
Effective firing range16,000 metres (17,000 yd) (M. 15)
Maximum firing range21,840 metres (23,880 yd) (M. 15/16)

Design

The M. 15 was a thoroughly conventional design for its day with a box trail, iron wheels and a curved gunshield. It was notable as being the first Austro-Hungarian gun to be designed for motor transport, towed behind the M 17 'Goliath' artillery tractor, hence the Autokanone designation. For transport the barrel was generally detached from the recoil system and moved on its own trailer. The original M. 15 weapons had a maximum elevation of only 30°, but an elevation of 45° was demanded early in the gun's production run, mainly to engage high-altitude targets in the mountains. 27 M. 15 guns were completed before production switched to the improved M. 15/16 with greater elevation in the first half of 1917. A total of 44 barrels and 43 carriages were completed by the end of the war.[1]

It seems likely that surviving M. 15 guns were rebuilt after the war to M. 15/16 standards. During the Twenties, guns in Italian service were relined and given new wheels by Vickers-Terni. In June 1940 Italy had 29 Cannone da 152/37 in service. By the time of the Italian capitulation this number had declined to 17.[2]

Notes
  1. Ortner, p. 518-519
  2. Chamberlain, Peter; Terry, Gander (1975). Heavy Artillery. New York: Arco. ISBN 0668038985. OCLC 2143869.

References
  • Chamberlain, Peter & Gander, Terry. Heavy Artillery. New York: Arco, 1975 ISBN 0-668-03898-5
  • Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
  • 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
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