The 10.5 cm leFH 18M (german: leichte Feldhaubitze "light field howitzer") was a German light

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

used in 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 ...

. The gun, less the carriage and shield, was also used as the armament of the Sd.Kfz. 124 Wespe

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

vehicle. It was an improved version of the 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer that offered superior range.

History

The 10.5 cm leFH 18M superseded the

10.5 cm leFH 18 The 10.5 cm leFH 18 (german: leichte Feldhaubitze "light field howitzer") is a German light howitzer used in World War II and the standard artillery piece of the Wehrmacht, adopted for service in 1935 and used by all divisions and artillery ...

as the standard German divisional field howitzer used during the Second World War. It was designed and developed by

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

after the war broke out in an effort to get more range from the basic leFH 18 design. A

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

was fitted and the recoil system adjusted to allow the use of a more powerful charge and new long-range shell. Generally it did not equip independent artillery battalions until after the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...

in 1943. 53 were also exported to Finland, where they were known as 105 H 33. The 10.5 cm leFH 18M was also in service with the Syrian Army, one example being preserved in the Military Museum in Damascus. The type has seen occasional service with rebel groups during the Syrian Civil War, in July 2013 and May 2015.

Description

Many were converted from the

and retained their original wood-spoked or pressed steel wheels. The former were only suitable for horse traction. Initially, it was fitted with a single-baffle muzzle brake of relatively low efficiency. This was later improved by welding two protruding ears to the rear of the port. However this style of muzzle brake proved troublesome with the early designs of high velocity anti-tank shells and a new cage-type muzzle brake was designed and fitted.Bishop, Chris. The encyclopedia of weapons of world War II. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2002, p.144 The new FH Gr Fern long-range shell was about longer than the normal shells used by the leFH 18 guns, but had a shorter streamlined section behind the

driving band Russian 122 mm shrapnel shell, which has been fired, showing rifling marks on the copper driving band around its base and the steel bourrelet nearer the front A driving band or rotating band is a band of soft metal near the base of an artillery ...

to accommodate the larger powder charge required. This fit in the standard cartridge case, but protruded about past its mouth. Ballistically, the 10.5 cm leFH 18M and the leFH 18/40 are identical.

Notes

Sources

* Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. ''Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz''. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974 * 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 * Hogg, Ian V. ''German Artillery of World War Two''. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 {{WWIIGermanGuns World War II artillery of Germany World War II field artillery 105 mm artillery Rheinmetall World War II howitzers Weapons and ammunition introduced in 1941

History

Description

See also

Notes

Sources