Ehrhardt 7.5 cm Model 1904 Nr 1 Type mountain gun Place of origin Germany Service history In service 1904–1917 Used by German Empire South Africa Portugal Wars World War I Production history Designer Rheinmetall Manufacturer Rheinmetall No. built 12 Variants Horse-drawn Specifications Weight 529 kg (1,166 lb) Barrel length 1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) Shell 5.3 kilograms (12 lb) Caliber 75 millimetres (3.0 in) Carriage Pole trail Elevation -7° to +38.5° Traverse 2.5° Muzzle velocity 300 m/s (980 ft/s) Maximum firing range 5,750 m (6,290 yd) 译文 Ehrhardt 7.5 cm 1904型 莱茵金属埃尔哈特1904型 类型 山炮 原产地 德国 服役时间1904 - 1917 所使用的国家 德意志第二帝国 南非 葡萄牙 参与战争 第一次世界大战 设计 Rheinmetall 莱茵金属 制造商 Rheinmetall 莱茵金属 重量 529公斤(1166磅) 弹重 5.3公斤(12磅) 口径 75毫米(3.0英寸) 高低射界 7°+ 38.5° 水平射界 2.5° 初速 300米/秒(980英尺/秒) 最大射程 5750米(6290码)
The 7.5cm Schutztruppe Mountain Gun Photos by C Dale In 1904 Ehrhardt designed a new 75mm mountain gun using the world's first variable recoil system. Variable recoil is still a feature of modern artillery pieces. The Ehrhardt 1904 model was never used by the regular German army and its issue was limited to twelve guns for the Schutztruppe of German South West Africa. Luckily all twelve original guns still survive. Photos of four of the Schutztruppe mountain guns are shown below. Those of Gun No.7 in the Imperial War Museum in London are by Chris Dale, and those of the three guns at Pretoria and the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg are by MC Heunis. Also on this page are contemporary prints showing how the guns were transported and deployed. These were originally published in "Gebirgs- und Kolonialartillerie" by Generalmajor z.D. R. Wille (Berlin 1910) and have kindly been shown to us by Holger Kotthaus. Please respect the owners' generosity in sharing these images with us by not reproducing them without prior permission. Underneath the photographs, MC Heunis and Vincent Wratten tell the full story of the Schutztruppe Mountain Guns. (Click on the pictures to enlarge)
The Story of the Schutztruppe 7.5cm Mountain Gun #MC Heunis and Vincent Wratten #The two small guns in front and one east of the Union Buildings are 7,5 cm Ehrhardt model 1908 mountain guns (German: 7,5 cm Gebirgskanone L/17 M.08, or short: 7,5 cm Geb L/17 M.08), produced by the Rheinische Metallwaaren und Maschinenfabrik of Düsseldorf in Germany. Their German designer, Ehrhardt, was known for his innovative ideas and his 15-pounder Quick Firing (Q.F.) gun was the first long recoil gun issued to the British Army. The Imperial German Army, although it possessed no mountain artillery units in Europe, found a use for such units in the German colonies and purchased mountain guns from both Krupp and Ehrhardt for this purpose. In the colonies these guns proved of great value in mountainous terrain and were also later pressed into normal field gun and infantry support roles during the First World War. #In 1904 Ehrhardt produced a very advanced design - a mountain gun which had a ‘variable recoil’ mechanism, possibly a first in the world of artillery. By the early 1900's, most guns produced had some sort of recoil mechanism which greatly increased the rate of fire by not only absorbing recoil, but also bringing the barrel back to its original firing position ready for re-loading. A problem was however encountered when a high elevation was demanded, as the breech would recoil into the ground or the trail of the carriage. Ehrhardt realised that the higher the angle of fire, the less the recoil and came up with a solution, variable recoil, which is still a feature of modern artillery pieces. In other words, the distance the barrel of the gun recoiled was determined by the angle of elevation, which resulted in a versatile and stable firing platform. Further stability was obtained by using the weight of two gunners who were given small metal folding seats each side of the trails.
#Ehrhardt seemed to favour pole trails for his designs, and these little mountain guns were no exception; its trail consisted of three tubular sections, two at the front and one at the rear. This arrangement made for lightness and if the rear part was folded up, a pair of shafts could be inserted into the Y of the frame for horse towing. Another reason for this arrangement of the carriage was to allow more elevation if the rear pole was left disconnected. Should the gun be towed over long distances, then a small limber was provided and provisioned with some ready rounds for quick deployment. The gun could also, as with most mountain artillery, be carried on the backs of pack animals and for this function it could be broken down into five subassemblies. A closer look at the carriage will reveal several quick release points. #Because of the recoil mechanism, the crew could remain next to the gun throughout firing and protection was given to them by a large folding shield. This shield could also be disassembled and consisted of seven pieces. There is photographic evidence of a shield extension on at least one gun, but this might have been a field modification. At first the shields had a thickness of 3.5 mm but this was later reduced to 3 mm to save on weight
All twelve German guns were surrendered to the South African Union Defence Force (UDF) at Khorab in July 1915 and were brought to South Africa as trophies. At this juncture it came to light that light artillery pieces were needed for the UDF’s campaign in German East Africa and of the twelve, six pieces in better condition were selected and sent to fight against their former owners. In German East Africa they were used until 1917, when they were withdrawn due to poor condition and returned to South Africa. Fortunately, possibly due to their small size, all twelve guns have survived although most are not in a very good condition. It is thought that they were originally painted in a sand colour when delivered to the Schutztruppen, but most now sport other colour schemes. Their current locations are as follow: