21 cm Mörser 18
Encyclopedia
The 21 cm Mörser 18 (heavy howitzer) (21 cm Mrs 18) was a German heavy howitzer used in the Second World War by independent artillery battalion
s and batteries
. A number were also used by coast defense artillery units.
The Mrs 18 was designed to replace the obsolescent World War I
-era 21 cm Mrs 16
. While the gun design itself was nothing innovative, the same cannot be said for the carriage. It was one of the first weapons, if not the first in quantity production, that used the interesting dual-recoil system. The barrel recoiled normally in its cradle, but, in addition, the whole top carriage, which carried the barrel and its cradle, recoiled across the main part of the carriage. 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
in Mörserlafette and the 15 cm Schnelladekanone C/28 in Mörserlafette.
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 shortly before the war began. The Germans canceled production in 1942 in lieu of its smaller brother, the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette, which could fire almost twice as far, but resumed production in 1943.
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s and batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
. A number were also used by coast defense artillery units.
Design & History
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
-era 21 cm Mrs 16
21 cm Mörser 16
The 21 cm Mörser 16 or langer 21 cm Mörser was a heavy howitzer used by Germany in World War I and World War II.-History:It was based on the earlier 21 cm Mörser 10, but had a longer barrel, a gun shield and other refinements...
. While the gun design itself was nothing innovative, the same cannot be said for the carriage. It was one of the first weapons, if not the first in quantity production, that used the interesting dual-recoil system. The barrel recoiled normally in its cradle, but, in addition, the whole top carriage, which carried the barrel and its cradle, recoiled across the main part of the carriage. 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
17 cm Kanone 18
The 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War. It was intended to be employed at the Corps level in order to provide long-range counter-battery support. It filled the same basic role as the 21 cm Mörser 18 as well as sharing its carriage, and...
in Mörserlafette and the 15 cm Schnelladekanone C/28 in Mörserlafette.
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 shortly before the war began. The Germans canceled production in 1942 in lieu of its smaller brother, the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette, which could fire almost twice as far, but resumed production in 1943.