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The 18.5cm V haubitz L/22 (Krupp) was an experimental weapon produced to provide a howitzer with the same range as the 21cm mortar.
It was ordered from Krupp by the Army High Command, ignoring the advice of the Artillery Test Commission. Krupp produced a heavy gun with a 4m long barrel, capable of firing an 80kg shell out to 11,000m. Apart from its weight and size it was a fairly typical gun for the period, with its recoil system carried below the barrel, and a box trail. It could be split into two parts for transport, which required twelve heavy horses.
Enough were produced to equip three batteries each with twelve howitzers. These batteries went to the front at the start of 1918, but the trials were disappointing. In order to achieve the required range with an 18.5cm shell the amount of payload that could be carried had to be reduced, and the howitzers didn't have enough impact to justify their large size. As a result the type wasn't ordered into production.
Name |
18.5cm V haubitz L/22 (Krupp) |
Calibre |
185mm |
Barrel Length |
4,070mm (L/22) |
Weight for transport |
7,210kg |
Weight in action |
5,175kg |
Elevation |
0 to 45 degrees |
Traverse |
5 degrees |
Shell Weight |
80kg |
Muzzle Velocity |
440m/sec |
Maximum Range |
11,000m |
Rate of Fire |
1 round/ min |
German Artillery 1914-1918, Wolfgang Fleischer.
Covers over 100 guns used by the German Army and shore detachments of the Navy during the First World War, a conflict largely dominated by artillery. Each one gets a brief description, a set of technical stats and a good picture. Shows the wide range of gun types and sizes used by the Germans during the First World War, and the way in which they evolved to deal with the unexpected challenges of trench warfare. [read full review]
