21cm Versuchs Morser L/10 (Krupp)

The 21cm Versuchs Morser L/10 (Krupp) was an early attempt to produce a mortar with barrel recoil, but was rejected because it lacked the required range.

Work on a mortar with barrel recoil began in 1899, and the first Krupp prototype was ready in 1903. The barrel was held on top of a cradle that contained the recoil mechanism. This was carried on a box trail carriage. The new weapon had about the same range as the existing 21cm Mortar M1899, but with three times the rate of fire.

For transport purposes a second set of wheels could be installed, making it look as if the mortar barrel was resting on top of a cart.

Three more prototypes were produced between 1903 and 1906, when an order was placed for enough examples of the fourth prototype to equip two batteries (up to eight mortars in total). These were delivered to the Fussartillerie Gunnery School in 1908, but by the time they were ready for tests the Artillery Testing Commission wanted a mortar with a longer range of 9,000m

The same limits also prevented production of the 21-cm Experimental Mortar L/12 (Rheinmetall). Instead work moved onto the 21cm Experimental Mortar L/15 from Rheinmetall and the 21cm Mortar L/12 from Krupp, which was accepted for production.

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]

Books on the First World War | Subject Index: First World War

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