10.5cm leFH 18M - left side
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The 10.5cm leFH 18M was a modified version of the leFH 18 that was given a muzzle brake to reduce the recoil forces.
The leFH 18 was a successful weapon, but there was always a requirement for more range. One solution was to increase the amount of propellant being used, but although this did increase range, the resulting recoil forces were too much for the carriage. The solution was to fit a muzzle brake onto the end of the barrel. The first version of the muzzle brake was a single baffle system, 60cm long. This diverted some of the muzzle gases to the side and rear, reducing the amount of recoil generated when the gun was fired. The muzzle brake also increased the muzzle velocity to 540m/s. Range went up from 10.765m to 12,325m. The new version was designated as the 10.5cm leFH 18M (M for Mundungsbremse or muzzle brake). It was produced in both horse-drawn and tractor-drawn versions.
The first version of the muzzle brake wasn't terribly effective, and it also prevented the use of the discarding sabot rounds that fired an 88mm shell. However a modified design was later introduced which solved this problem.
The 10.5cm leFH 18M only appears to refer to the gun when mounted on the original leFH 18 carriage. All examples of the later leFH 18/40 had a muzzle brake. It isn't clear how many leFH 18Ms were produced, but it must have made up a sizable proportion of the 6,933 leFH 18s with the original carriage, and many that were completed without the muzzle brake were later upgraded.
Name |
10.5cm leFH 18 |
Calibre |
105mm/ 4.134in |
Barrel Length |
3308mm/ 130.23in (with muzzle brake) |
Weight for transport |
2,535kg/ 5,589lb |
Weight in action |
1,985kg/ 4,377lb |
Elevation |
-6 degrees 30 minutes to 40 degrees 30 minutes |
Traverse |
56 degrees |
Shell Weight |
14.81kg/ 32.65lb HE |
Muzzle Velocity |
540m/s/ 1,771ft/ sec |
Maximum Range |
12,325m/ 13,483 yards |
Rate of Fire |
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German Weapons of World War II, Stephen Hart .
Covers a wide range of the weapons used by the Third Reich during the Second World War, from the pistol up to the battleship Tirpitz, and including a wide range of tanks, armoured vehicles, aircraft, artillery etc. All supported by a mix of full colour illustrations and contemporary photographs, giving an idea of vast range of weapons produced by the Germans during the war (Read Full Review)
