28 cm Haubitze L/12

28 cm Haubitze L/12
Type Heavy Siege Howitzer
Place of origin Germany
Service history
In service 1900?–45
Used by German Empire
Nazi Germany
Wars World War I, World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Manufacturer Krupp
Specifications
Weight 50.3 tonnes (49.5 long tons; 55.4 short tons)
Barrel length 3.39 m (11.1 ft)

Shell Bag charge
Shell weight 350 kg (770 lb)
Caliber 283 mm (11.1 in)
Breech Horizontal sliding-block
Carriage Box
Elevation 0° to +65° (firing)
Traverse 360°
Rate of fire 1 round per 4 minutes
Muzzle velocity 350 m/s (1,100 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 10,400 m (11,400 yd)

The 28 cm Haubitze L/12 was a German siege howitzer. It was developed by Krupp before World War I and saw service in both World War I and World War II. It may have seen action in the siege of Sevastopol.

Design and description

The 28 cm Haubitze L/12 in Mittelpivotlafette C/92 was a design of the late 19th century initially intended for coastal defence. Recoil forces were absorbed by a combination of the gun cradle moving up an inclined plane and two hydro-pneumatic or hydro-spring recuperator cylinders, one on each side of the carriage. It was mounted on a turntable which was fixed to a wooden firing platform. For transport it broke down into four loads, the barrel, cradle, turntable and firing platform, each carried by a three-axle trailer. It required three to four days to emplace for firing. An ammunition crane was fixed to the carriage for ease of loading.[1]

It fired a 350 kg (770 lb) high-explosive shell to a range of 10,400 metres (11,400 yd).[2]

Combat history

Supposedly it saw action in the assault on Sevastopol in 1942 under the command of 11th Army of Army Group South,[1] but this has not been confirmed.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Gander and Chamberlain, p. 208
  2. Hogg, p. 106

References

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