10 cm K 17

10 cm Kanone 17

A K 17 at the US Army Field Artillery Museum, Ft. Sill, OK
Type Field gun
Place of origin German Empire
Service history
In service 1917–45
Used by  German Empire
 Sweden
 Romania
 Austria
 Nazi Germany
Wars World War I
World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Designed 1916
Manufacturer Krupp
Produced 1917–18
Number built 192
Variants 10 cm Kanone 17/04
Specifications
Weight 3,300 kg (7,275 lbs)
Length 4.725 m (15 ft 6 in)
Barrel length 2.036 m (6 ft 8 in) L/45
Shell separate-loading, cased charge
Caliber 105 mm (4.13 in)
Breech horizontal sliding block
Recoil hydro-pneumatic or hydro-spring variable recoil
Carriage box trail
Elevation -2° to +45°
Traverse 6°
Muzzle velocity 650 m/s (2,132 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 16,500 m (18,045 yds)

The 10 cm Kanone 17 (10 cm K 17) was a field gun used by Germany in World War I and World War II.

Development

The range of the 10 cm K 14 was deemed insufficient in combat and Krupp designed a new, longer (L/45) barrel that was mounted on the K 14's carriage. This made the gun too heavy to be transported as a single load; the barrel had to be removed and stowed on its own transport wagon. The ramps visible in the picture (see right), served to guide the barrel transport wagon into position to align the barrel with the recoil system to allow it to be winched into battery. They are fixed in place on this example, but were generally removable.

The K 17 used either a hydro-pneumatic or hydro-spring recoil system, presumably depending on manufacturer.

Anti-aircraft role

Despite the recognition that the K 17 would not have any anti-aircraft role, most of the heavy and expensive features added to the K 14 in a failed bid to equip it as an AA gun were retained. Presumably this was to hasten the switchover from production of the K 14 to the K 17. A simpler version of the K 17 was designed in 1917 that harkened back to the K 04 in many ways. The complex sighting system was dropped in favor of one based on the sights used on the 15 cm sFH 13, variable recoil was deleted and the gun could not be broken down for transport. This was called the K 17/04; about a thousand were ordered in August 1917.

Counter battery gun

Because of its perceived value as an anti-aircraft weapon, the gun was a difficult piece to manufacture. Despite a few K 04s shooting down balloons during the war, these weapons never fulfilled a useful air defense niche. In 1914, few active army corps had heavy guns within their organization. These pieces were often found in reserve units. By 1918, all corps incorporated heavy guns. A Foot Artillery Battalion was typically organized with two howitzer batteries and one heavy gun battery. Overall it appears that the 10 cm guns did find useful service. They served as an excellent long-range counter battery weapon and were more than passable as an anti-personnel weapon. They were well paired with the 15 cm guns, which more commonly served in the anti-personnel role.

Fate

Germany was forbidden these guns by the Versailles Treaty and was supposed to scrap or sell all existing weapons. Some were sold to Sweden and Romania after the war, but some were hidden and saw service in World War II, mainly in the coastal defense role.[1] Here the Kanone 1917 and K 17/04 soldiered on along with the 10 cm Kanone 1918, these three most modern types saw excellent service throughout World War II.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 10 cm Kanone 17.

References

  1. ↑ "German m14-m17 10cm Kanone". freeservers.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
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