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15 cm sFH 18
The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"), was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer of 149 mm (5.9 in) during the Second World War, serving alongside the smaller but more numerous 10.5 cm leFH 18. Its mobility and firing range and the effectiveness of its 44 kg (97 lb) shell made it the most important weapon of all German infantry divisions. A total of 6,756 examples were produced.
It replaced the earlier, First World War-era design of the 15 cm sFH 13, which was judged by the Krupp-Rheinmetall designer team of the sFH 18 as completely inadequate. The sFH 18 was twice as heavy as its predecessor, had a muzzle velocity increase of forty percent, a maximum firing range 4.5 km (2.8 mi) greater, and a new split-trail gun carriage that increased the firing traverse twelvefold. The secret development from 1926 to 1930 allowed German industry to deliver a trouble-free design at the beginning of German re-armament in 1933. It was the first artillery weapon equipped with rocket-assisted ammunition to increase range. The sFH 18 was also used in the self-propelled artillery piece schwere Panzerhaubitze 18/1 (more commonly known as Hummel).
The sFH 18 was one of Germany's three main 15 cm calibre weapons, the others being the 15 cm Kanone 18, a corps-level heavy gun, and the 15 cm sIG 33, a short-barreled infantry gun.
Development work on the sFH 18 began in 1926 and the gun was ready for production by 1933. The model year was an attempt at camouflage the fact that it was illegally developed after the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. The howitzer was a Rheinmetall gun mounted on a Krupp carriage.
The carriage was practically identical to the 10 cm schwere Kanone 18, using a split-trail design with box legs. Spades were carried on the sides of the legs that could be mounted onto the ends for added stability. A horse-towed version which could be broken down into two loads (barrel and carriage) and another version for motorized towing (in a single load) were produced.
The 43.5 kg (96 lb) shell was heavy enough to demolish field fortifications and disrupt enemy armoured formations, giving the gun greater versatility over the 10 cm sK 18, despite the relatively modest range of 13,250 m (14,490 yd), which in practice was limited to 9,725 m (10,635 yd): while the sFH 18 was provided with eight propellant charges, the last two charges were rarely used since they caused excessive erosion on the chamber, compromising the seal between cartridge and breech. Use of charges 7 and 8 were only allowed in emergency cases with the authorization of the field commander, but no more than ten rounds could be fired consecutively with these charges, and their use had to be written down. In an attempt to remediate this shortcoming, the designers added a replaceable chamber liner and a muzzle brake (to reduce stress on the carriage) in 1942. These modified howitzers received the designation sFH 18M, but the restrictions on the propellant charges remained in place.
The only remarkable feature of the sFH 18 was that it was the first weapon to make use of rocket-assisted projectiles (RAP), which in theory would give the howitzer a range equal or superior to the 10 cm sK 18, replacing it and freeing up German production capacity for more important weapons; In practice, the Rückstoßgranate 19 (RGr 19) round was overly complex and inaccurate: the blast of the rocket booster disrupted the airflow over the shell body. Another problem was that the booster decreased the space available for the explosive payload. As result, it was withdrawn from service shortly after being introduced in 1941.
The gun was officially introduced into service on 23 May 1935, and by the outbreak of war the Wehrmacht had about 1,353 of these guns in service. Production continued throughout the war, reaching a peak of 2,295 guns in 1944. In 1944, the howitzer cost 40,400 ℛ︁ℳ︁, 9 months and 5,500 man-hours to make. During WWII, the guns were produced at four different factories: Spreewerk, in Berlin-Spandau; MAN, in Augsburg; Dörries-Füllner, in Bad Warmbrunn (Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój, Poland); and Škoda facility in Dubnica, Slovakia.
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15 cm sFH 18 AI simulator
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15 cm sFH 18
The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"), was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer of 149 mm (5.9 in) during the Second World War, serving alongside the smaller but more numerous 10.5 cm leFH 18. Its mobility and firing range and the effectiveness of its 44 kg (97 lb) shell made it the most important weapon of all German infantry divisions. A total of 6,756 examples were produced.
It replaced the earlier, First World War-era design of the 15 cm sFH 13, which was judged by the Krupp-Rheinmetall designer team of the sFH 18 as completely inadequate. The sFH 18 was twice as heavy as its predecessor, had a muzzle velocity increase of forty percent, a maximum firing range 4.5 km (2.8 mi) greater, and a new split-trail gun carriage that increased the firing traverse twelvefold. The secret development from 1926 to 1930 allowed German industry to deliver a trouble-free design at the beginning of German re-armament in 1933. It was the first artillery weapon equipped with rocket-assisted ammunition to increase range. The sFH 18 was also used in the self-propelled artillery piece schwere Panzerhaubitze 18/1 (more commonly known as Hummel).
The sFH 18 was one of Germany's three main 15 cm calibre weapons, the others being the 15 cm Kanone 18, a corps-level heavy gun, and the 15 cm sIG 33, a short-barreled infantry gun.
Development work on the sFH 18 began in 1926 and the gun was ready for production by 1933. The model year was an attempt at camouflage the fact that it was illegally developed after the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. The howitzer was a Rheinmetall gun mounted on a Krupp carriage.
The carriage was practically identical to the 10 cm schwere Kanone 18, using a split-trail design with box legs. Spades were carried on the sides of the legs that could be mounted onto the ends for added stability. A horse-towed version which could be broken down into two loads (barrel and carriage) and another version for motorized towing (in a single load) were produced.
The 43.5 kg (96 lb) shell was heavy enough to demolish field fortifications and disrupt enemy armoured formations, giving the gun greater versatility over the 10 cm sK 18, despite the relatively modest range of 13,250 m (14,490 yd), which in practice was limited to 9,725 m (10,635 yd): while the sFH 18 was provided with eight propellant charges, the last two charges were rarely used since they caused excessive erosion on the chamber, compromising the seal between cartridge and breech. Use of charges 7 and 8 were only allowed in emergency cases with the authorization of the field commander, but no more than ten rounds could be fired consecutively with these charges, and their use had to be written down. In an attempt to remediate this shortcoming, the designers added a replaceable chamber liner and a muzzle brake (to reduce stress on the carriage) in 1942. These modified howitzers received the designation sFH 18M, but the restrictions on the propellant charges remained in place.
The only remarkable feature of the sFH 18 was that it was the first weapon to make use of rocket-assisted projectiles (RAP), which in theory would give the howitzer a range equal or superior to the 10 cm sK 18, replacing it and freeing up German production capacity for more important weapons; In practice, the Rückstoßgranate 19 (RGr 19) round was overly complex and inaccurate: the blast of the rocket booster disrupted the airflow over the shell body. Another problem was that the booster decreased the space available for the explosive payload. As result, it was withdrawn from service shortly after being introduced in 1941.
The gun was officially introduced into service on 23 May 1935, and by the outbreak of war the Wehrmacht had about 1,353 of these guns in service. Production continued throughout the war, reaching a peak of 2,295 guns in 1944. In 1944, the howitzer cost 40,400 ℛ︁ℳ︁, 9 months and 5,500 man-hours to make. During WWII, the guns were produced at four different factories: Spreewerk, in Berlin-Spandau; MAN, in Augsburg; Dörries-Füllner, in Bad Warmbrunn (Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój, Poland); and Škoda facility in Dubnica, Slovakia.
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