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The 21 cm Mörser 18 (21 cm Mrs 18), or 21 cm Mörser M 18/L31,
was a German heavy howitzer used in the
The Mörser 18 was designed to replace the obsolescent 
The Mrs 18 was an enormous weapon that was transported in two pieces, as was common for such large weapons. For travel the barrel was slid on to a separate trailer. The carriage carried an integral firing platform that was lowered to the ground when emplacing the howitzer. The wheels were then cranked up off the ground and it was now ready for firing. A rear castor-wheel jack was used to raise the rear spade off the ground if the gun needed to be traversed more than the 16° allowed by the mount proper.
The Mrs 18 entered production at a low rate in 1939 shortly before the war began. The Germans cancelled production in 1942 in lieu of its smaller brother, the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by Independent artillery battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s and batteries. A number were also used by coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
units.
Design
The Mörser 18 was designed to replace the obsolescent World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
-era 21 cm Mörser 16
The 21 cm Mörser 16 (21 cm Mrs 16), or 21 cm Lange Mörser M 16/L14.5, was a heavy howitzer used by Germany in World War I and World War II (although classified as a mortar (Mörser) by the German military).
History
It was based ...
. The gun design itself was not significantly different from its predecessor but the carriage was improved considerably. It was one of the first artillery pieces that incorporated a dual-recoil system. The barrel retracted naturally in its cradle, and the entire top carriage—which held the barrel and its cradle—retracted across the body of the carriage as well. This system damped out the recoil forces and made for a very steady firing platform. This carriage was also used for the 17 cm Kanone 18
The 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette (English: 17 cm Cannon 18 on Mortar Carriage), abbreviated as 17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf was a German heavy gun used during World War II.
Design
The 17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf was a towed gun with a ...
in Mörserlafette and the 15 cm Schnelladekanone C/28 in Mörserlafette
The 15 cm SchiffsKanone C/28 in Mörserlafette (SK C/28 in Mrs Laf) was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War.
Development
Production of carriages for the 21 cm Mörser 18 and the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette exceeded avai ...
.
The Mrs 18 was an enormous weapon that was transported in two pieces, as was common for such large weapons. For travel the barrel was slid on to a separate trailer. The carriage carried an integral firing platform that was lowered to the ground when emplacing the howitzer. The wheels were then cranked up off the ground and it was now ready for firing. A rear castor-wheel jack was used to raise the rear spade off the ground if the gun needed to be traversed more than the 16° allowed by the mount proper.
The Mrs 18 entered production at a low rate in 1939 shortly before the war began. The Germans cancelled production in 1942 in lieu of its smaller brother, the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette
The 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette (English: 17 cm Cannon 18 on Mortar Carriage), abbreviated as 17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf was a German heavy gun used during World War II.
Design
The 17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf was a towed gun with a ...
, which could fire almost twice as far, but resumed production in 1943.
Beginning in 1942, the 21 cm M 18 was one of a pair of weapons to have been mounted on production Geschützwagen Tiger
The ''Geschützwagen Tiger'' (''G.W. Tiger'') was a German self-propelled gun carrier of World War II that never saw service.
It would have been able to carry either the 17cm ''Kanone'' K72 (Sf) or the short barrelled 21cm ''Mörser'' 18/1 wh ...
self-propelled guns. A prototype was under test at the end of the war and was captured by American forces.
Service
References
Further reading
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:21 Cm Morser 18 World War II artillery of Germany 210 mm artillery Military equipment introduced in the 1930s