BL 9.2 inch Howitzer
Encyclopedia
The Ordnance BL 9.2 inch howitzer was the principal counter-battery equipment of British forces in France in World War I
. It equipped a substantial number of siege batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery. It remained in service until about the middle of World War II
.
The origins of a British heavy "siege" howitzer lie in advances in technology and 21 cm Howitzers in the German field army. UK had purchased Skoda 9.45-inch howitzer
from Austria in 1900 for service in South Africa. A practice camp in the 1900s showed this howitzer's high minimum elevation was a major problem. In due course Britain decided to develop its own heavy weapon, but retained the Skoda transport technique of moving it in three loads on wheeled trailers, horse or traction towed. A trial gun was received in 1913 and fired at Woolwich and Shoeburyness during the winter. In July 1914 it was sent to the tactical firing range at Rhyader with a siege company. The assessment was "This equipment is a vast improvement on any other in use in the siege artillery, and is worth taking with an army." Major General Von Donop
, Master-General of the Ordance, immediately ordered 16. A further 16 were ordered in October 1914. The prototype, "Mother", was in action in France on October 31, 1914. Production guns entered service in 1915.
The equipment comprised a segment shaped ground platform assembled from steel section and bolted to a holdfast sunk flush with the ground. An earth box fitted above ground to the front of the holdfast, with 9 (Mk 1) or 11 tons (Mk 2) of earth prevented it 'bucking'. On soft ground extra beams were used under the holdfast. The carriage was mounted on the platform, it was pivoted at the front and traversed up to 30 degrees left and right by a spur gear engaging a curved toothed rack at the breech end of the platform, with the weight of the carriage on rollers.
The tubular cradle pivoted by the trunnions supported the barrel, a wire bound A tube, and connected it to the hydro-pneumatic recoil system with a floating piston(the first British use of this,) and hydraulic buffer. However, the initial design suffered from excessive recoil and was modified in 1916. In 1917 the recoil was further improved by addition of a recoil indicator and cut-off gear. Full recoil (40 inch Mk I, 44 inch Mk II) was allowed at lower elevation, hence absorbing most of the horizontal (i.e. backward) force. A shorter recoil (23 inch Mk I, 20 inch Mk II) was allowed at high elevation where the ground itself could absorb much of the vertical (i.e. downward) recoil force. This prevented the breech from hitting the platform.
It was transported in 3 separate loads - body and cradle, bed, barrel - towed either by heavy horses or a Holt tractor
. The barrel had to be depressed 3° for loading, as can be seen in the photograph of Australian 55th Siege battery.
Mk I's range was relatively limited. On 24 June 1916 the MGRA (Major-General, Royal Artillery), the senior Artillery commander in France, Major General Birch, requested among other artillery improvements an increase in range to 15,000 yards "even if an increase of the weight of the equipment is entailed". This resulted in Mk. II in December 1916 with heavier maximum propellant charge and longer barrel which increased the range to 13,935 yards.
One disadvantage of the dismantling system was an inability to fire directly from the travelling carriage the way the 8 inches (203.2 mm) howitzer could. In addition the time required to bring the weapon into action was increased. However the stability of the siege mounting made it "the most accurate of heavy howitzers".
In World War I British service the gun was used only on the Western Front, 36 British, 1 Australian and 2 Canadian batteries. Batteries increased in size from 4 guns to 6 during 1916-17. Initially batteries were in Heavy Artillery Groups, usually a single battery of 9.2-inch, the other four batteries being differently equipped. Mid-war Groups were renamed Brigades RGA, and there were different types but the pattern of a single 9.2-inch battery in a brigade was retained.
Average barrel life of Mk I was estimated from combat experience at 6000 rounds, while the life of the higher-velocity Mk II barrel was estimated at 3,500 rounds.
44 guns were provided from British stocks to the US Army]].
Some went to France early in World War II
but their main use was as British anti-invasion defences.
. As British manufacturing capacity increased guns became available for export. The US government ordered 100 from Bethlehem and 132 from Britain to equip the US army building up in France. Sevellon Brown states that in fact Bethlehem could not meet the US order but that 40 were delivered from Britain by the end of the war.
The US Ordnance manual of 1920 describes its current stock of Model of 1917 (Vickers Mk I) and Model of 1918 (Vickers Mk II) as being built both in Britain and USA. The US-built guns may have been British orders to Bethlehem which were redirected to the US army.
Brown describes the US acquisition of the 9.2 as based mainly on the need at the time to utilize immediately available manufacturing capacities, and that acquisition of a howitzer based on the French Schneider 240 mm Howitzer for its super-heavy artillery was the main US goal. This view is supported by the 1920 US Ordnance manual which describes the 240 mm howitzer as far superior to the 9.2.
, Trotyl or Lyddite. The standard shell weight was 290 lbs. However, there were 19 Mks of HE shell, some with sub-Mks. Later Mks had a fill varying between about 25 and 40 lbs of HE and shell bodies varying in length between 28 and 32 inches. There was also some use of Common Pointed shell filled with Shellite. Later fuzes included various versions of No 101, 106
and 188.
Chemical shells were introduced in 1918, these were filled with mustard gas, a persistent chemical agent. However, only 7000 shells were produced
, Spike Milligan
describes training to fire 9.2's during the early part of World War II. This included the crews shouting 'bang' in unison as they had no shells to practice with. Eventually they were replaced with BL 7.2 inch Howitzers
.
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...
. It equipped a substantial number of siege batteries of the Royal Garrison Artillery. It remained in service until about the middle of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
24 cm Mörser M 98
The 24 cm Mörser M 98 was a heavy siege howitzer used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. It was designed to attack modern fortifications, but its short range and ineffective ammunition lead to the development of the more deservedly famous 30.5 cm Mörser M 11 and M 16.-History:Based on a...
from Austria in 1900 for service in South Africa. A practice camp in the 1900s showed this howitzer's high minimum elevation was a major problem. In due course Britain decided to develop its own heavy weapon, but retained the Skoda transport technique of moving it in three loads on wheeled trailers, horse or traction towed. A trial gun was received in 1913 and fired at Woolwich and Shoeburyness during the winter. In July 1914 it was sent to the tactical firing range at Rhyader with a siege company. The assessment was "This equipment is a vast improvement on any other in use in the siege artillery, and is worth taking with an army." Major General Von Donop
Stanley Brenton Von Donop
Major-General Sir Stanley Brenton Von Donop KCB KCMG is a former Master-General of the Ordnance.-Military career:Von Donop was commissioned into the Royal Artillery. He served in the Second Boer War and in 1901 was appointed Commanding Officer of Lord Methuen's Composite Regiment of Australian...
, Master-General of the Ordance, immediately ordered 16. A further 16 were ordered in October 1914. The prototype, "Mother", was in action in France on October 31, 1914. Production guns entered service in 1915.
The equipment comprised a segment shaped ground platform assembled from steel section and bolted to a holdfast sunk flush with the ground. An earth box fitted above ground to the front of the holdfast, with 9 (Mk 1) or 11 tons (Mk 2) of earth prevented it 'bucking'. On soft ground extra beams were used under the holdfast. The carriage was mounted on the platform, it was pivoted at the front and traversed up to 30 degrees left and right by a spur gear engaging a curved toothed rack at the breech end of the platform, with the weight of the carriage on rollers.
The tubular cradle pivoted by the trunnions supported the barrel, a wire bound A tube, and connected it to the hydro-pneumatic recoil system with a floating piston(the first British use of this,) and hydraulic buffer. However, the initial design suffered from excessive recoil and was modified in 1916. In 1917 the recoil was further improved by addition of a recoil indicator and cut-off gear. Full recoil (40 inch Mk I, 44 inch Mk II) was allowed at lower elevation, hence absorbing most of the horizontal (i.e. backward) force. A shorter recoil (23 inch Mk I, 20 inch Mk II) was allowed at high elevation where the ground itself could absorb much of the vertical (i.e. downward) recoil force. This prevented the breech from hitting the platform.
It was transported in 3 separate loads - body and cradle, bed, barrel - towed either by heavy horses or a Holt tractor
Holt tractor
The Holt tractors were a range of caterpillar tractors built by the Holt Manufacturing Company, which was named after Benjamin Holt- Military Use :...
. The barrel had to be depressed 3° for loading, as can be seen in the photograph of Australian 55th Siege battery.
Combat use
In World War I British service the gun was used only on the Western Front, 36 British, 1 Australian and 2 Canadian batteries. Batteries increased in size from 4 guns to 6 during 1916-17. Initially batteries were in Heavy Artillery Groups, usually a single battery of 9.2-inch, the other four batteries being differently equipped. Mid-war Groups were renamed Brigades RGA, and there were different types but the pattern of a single 9.2-inch battery in a brigade was retained.
Average barrel life of Mk I was estimated from combat experience at 6000 rounds, while the life of the higher-velocity Mk II barrel was estimated at 3,500 rounds.
44 guns were provided from British stocks to the US Army]].
Some went to France early in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but their main use was as British anti-invasion defences.
US service
Bethlehem Steel was already contracted to manufacture 9.2-inch howitzers for Britain, before the US entry into World War I in April 1917. The order was to be completed by July 1917, they failed to meet the contract timescale and a year later deliveries had not been completed. As British manufacturing capacity increased guns became available for export. The US government ordered 100 from Bethlehem and 132 from Britain to equip the US army building up in France. Sevellon Brown states that in fact Bethlehem could not meet the US order but that 40 were delivered from Britain by the end of the war.
The US Ordnance manual of 1920 describes its current stock of Model of 1917 (Vickers Mk I) and Model of 1918 (Vickers Mk II) as being built both in Britain and USA. The US-built guns may have been British orders to Bethlehem which were redirected to the US army.
Brown describes the US acquisition of the 9.2 as based mainly on the need at the time to utilize immediately available manufacturing capacities, and that acquisition of a howitzer based on the French Schneider 240 mm Howitzer for its super-heavy artillery was the main US goal. This view is supported by the 1920 US Ordnance manual which describes the 240 mm howitzer as far superior to the 9.2.
Ammunition
The primary ammunition was HE (high explosive) shells filled with AmatolAmatol
Amatol is a highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate. Its name originates from the words ammonium and toluene...
, Trotyl or Lyddite. The standard shell weight was 290 lbs. However, there were 19 Mks of HE shell, some with sub-Mks. Later Mks had a fill varying between about 25 and 40 lbs of HE and shell bodies varying in length between 28 and 32 inches. There was also some use of Common Pointed shell filled with Shellite. Later fuzes included various versions of No 101, 106
No. 106 Fuze
Number 106 Fuze was the first British instantaneous percussion artillery fuze, first tested in action in late 1916 and deployed in volume in early 1917.-Background:...
and 188.
Chemical shells were introduced in 1918, these were filled with mustard gas, a persistent chemical agent. However, only 7000 shells were produced
Popular culture
In his memoir, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His DownfallAdolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (book)
Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall, published in 1971, is the first of Spike Milligan's war autobiographies. The book spans from when Britain declares war on Germany to when Milligan lands in Algeria as a part of the Allied liberation of Africa....
, Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
describes training to fire 9.2's during the early part of World War II. This included the crews shouting 'bang' in unison as they had no shells to practice with. Eventually they were replaced with BL 7.2 inch Howitzers
BL 7.2 inch Howitzer Mk.I
The BL 7.2 inch Howitzer Mk.I and subsequent marks were a series of heavy artillery pieces designed by the United Kingdom at the start of World War II. The 7.2 inch was not a new design, but instead a re-lined version of the 8 inch howitzers dating from World War I...
.
Surviving examples
- "Mother" is preserved on a production Mk. I siege carriage at the Imperial War Museum, London.
- Mk I used by the AIF is on display at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra
External links
- Douglas T Hamilton, "High-explosive shell manufacture; a comprehensive treatise". New York: Industrial Press, 1916. Ch. VII : Specifications and manufacturing method for British 9.2 inch howitzer shell.
- Video clips on YouTube
- http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/92%20howitzer.html