Artillery in the colonies 1914

[Peter H]

Looks like a fixed coastal gun.

AWM Collection Record: H01986

http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/H01986

[Gregorus]

Wow! - Interesting how this gun was found there and when? How is what caliber gun? Interesting stuff.

[Peter H]

I think this gun was on Matupi Island,the entrance of Simpson Harbour.The Australians also established a 4.7 inch gun battery there,with a magazine to gun tram line,in 1915.Replaced with 6 inch guns in 1918,one shown below.Looks very similar to the Krupp gun shown above but without the swagged barrel.Sometimes the AWM has errors in its captions--the gun shown above might in fact be Australian.

[Gregorus]

As you seem what it is?



Südsee - Neuguinea - Kanone Militär

http://www.ub.bildarchiv-dkg.uni-frankf ... frame.html

[Tanzania]

7x 7,85 cm Krupp C.73 field cannon with 2,512 shells (5 were saluting guns; 4 others were lost when the lighter carrying them was scuttled on 5 August 1914 and they were not recoverable)

In DOA, there were several pieces of the same types including the fact that all c/73 guns were 7,85 cm not 9 cm.

At the 3rd Mai 1889 the Schutztruppe have received together 18 guns C/73
12 pieces (8 cm) 7,85-cm L/20 Field guns Model C 1873
6 pieces (9 cm) 8,8-cm L/22,6 Field guns Model C 1873

Two Main sources:
http://www.freiburg-postkolonial.de/Sei ... -01-18.htm

Franz Nikolaus Kaiser Das Ehrenbuch der Deutschen schweren Artillerie, II. Band, Abschnitt VI,
Die schwere Artillerie an fernen Fronten Vaterländischer Verlag C.A. Weller, Berlin 1943

“Zu der Waffenausrüstung der Truppe gehörte ein Artilleriepark von sechs 4,7-cm-Schnellfeuergeschützen, einem 6-cm-Berggeschütz und zwölf Feld-
geschützen C / 73, dem seine Majestät der Kaiser noch eine weitere
B a t t e r i e s c h w e r e r F e l d g e s c h ü t z e als Geschenk beigefügt
hatte (s. 9-cm-Kan.) Diese Batterie wurde der nach Dar-es-Salam gelegten
Abteilung zugewiesen.“

At the 4th August 1914 the Schutztruppe have had only 12 guns C/73 of both types.
Nine guns of the 7,85-cm (8-cm) type, and three of the 8,8-cm(9 cm) type.
Beside, the list of the 12 guns C/73 during the 1.WW in DOA.

Greetings Holger

[Tanzania]

Does anyone have specific details on:
1. "the" 3,7 cm Krupp QF FK
2. "the" unnamed type of 4,7 cm FK/GebK
3. "the" unnamed type of 6 cm GebK

The German Schutztruppe in East Africa (DOA) have in August 1914:

11 pieces 3,7-cm-Schnell-Ladekanone L/30 (FK) Krupp/Gruson Model 1893
The attached photo show two of them, captured by the British at the
9th September 1914 near Kaporo, northwards from Karonga in British Nyasaland.

(Photo: Malawi – lake of stars, F. Johnston and V. Garland, Central African Limited, Blantyre 1993)

3 pieces 4,7-cm-Schnell-Ladekanone (Model ?)
The attached photos shows one of these guns, which was captured by the
British at the 6th June 1916 southwards from Neu-Langenburg in DOA.
.
(Photos: “Corporal Haussmann goes to war”, Colin G. C. Martin, Capetown 2000)
This was not the same type, like the three, 4,7-cm (3 pd) Hotchkiss guns
from the Tug “Adjutant”, recaptured by the Germans in the Rufiji river!

1 piece 6-cm-Kolonial- und Bergkanone Krupp Modell 1870

(Photo: From the original Krupp catalog)

All these three gun types are older models without a recoil system.
Sorry, I have no more real technical details, I collect only the history of every gun,
Perhaps other knows more?

Greeting Holger

[Chris Dale]

I've recently been shown a photograph of the East African Polizeitruppe with artillery. I wasn't aware they had any, or perhaps they're training on Schutztruppe guns? Can anyone identify the gun type?

I've posted the photo at-
http://www.sacktrick.com/igu/germancolo ... illery.htm

Cheers
Chris

[danebrog]

It seems to be a Feldkanone C/73
There are only 16 Pieces altogether in GEA at 1914, so these are Schutztruppe cannons

[Chris Dale]

Hi Danebrog,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for identifying the guns...

Cheers
Chris

[Chris Dale]

Hello chaps,

I've just uploaded some photos sent to me of a field gun from the Dar es Salaam museum to the website at http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk (scroll down the main page to Militaria Photographs/Artillery/East African Field Gun). A plaque on the gun says that it was made at the Railway Workshop at Tabora and later captured in Dar es Salaam during the First World War.

Does anyone know any more about this gun? Ever heard of it before?

Cheers
Chris

[danebrog]

Hi Chris

the DeS gun looks clearly homegrown
It seems to be some kind of muzzle loader very similar to the Ras gun
Have a look at:
http://www.gunnersecrets.co.za/ HISTORY OF TSA

http://www.gunnersecrets.co.za/DwnldGS.htm you find some background information

Thats all I know so far

[Chris Dale]

Hi Danebrog,

Thanks very much for the info and links. So you think its a muzzle loader? I'm trying to work out if the handles on that improvised breech might have been able to open it somehow? Someone did suggest to me that the barrel at least might be from one of the Koenigsberg's two 88mm guns. Does that look possible to you? Here's a couple of photos attached, lots more at http://www.germancolonialuniforms.co.uk

Cheers
Chris

[Chris Dale]

Someone else has just suggested to me that this kind of improvised breech probably wouldn't be strong enough to fire a round and that maybe it was only used for show or as a decoy. Any more thoughts on this gun are very welcome.

Cheers
Chris

[Carl Schwamberger]

Might have been intended for low propellant charges. Perhaps locally made black powder.

[danebrog]

Hi Chris Dale

it is not one of the two 8,8cm guns. (was my first thought, too)
One is in Johannesbg. Museum, captured at Mlali-pass, August, 24th 1916,
the other was destroyed at Likuyu, January, 24th 1917:
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol042jm.html

The ras gun is the closest I´ve found so far.
I think it´s a muzzle loader, if it´s a BL, it would have a "once in a blue moon" ROF, between open all screws, load, and close all screws at the breech