Finnish Artillery

[Juha Tompuri]

Correct, officially 155 K/17 remained in heavy field guns category, although issuing it to Super Heavy Artillery Battalion 1 suggests that from practical viewpoint it was (tactics-wise) quite likely treated as super-heavy artillery.

Yep.
Long range.

Just being curious, do you happen to know were there any other cases "up" (as with this case) or "down", where the artillery piece categorization was different than the unit category?

Regards, Juha

[JTV]

Just being curious, do you happen to know were there any other cases "up" (as with this case) or "down", where the artillery piece categorization was different than the unit category?

There are some examples of such, but the cases are often not as clear-cut and/or presumably not really planned to such degree as the case with Järeä Patteristo 1 and 155 K/17. Namely there were some field artillery units which lost their original equipment - typically heavy guns or howitzers in summer of 1944 and got them replaced with smaller guns/howitzers that were available.

Raskas Patteristo 24 and 25 make good examples of this. As you know Raskas Patteristo (Heavy Artillery Battalion) was typically equipped with 12 heavy field guns or howitzers. Year 1944 Raskas patteristo 24 got two of its artillery batteries re-equipped with combination of 76 RK/27 (infantry) guns and 105 H/37 light howitzers, while Raskas Patteristo 25 was completely re-equipped with 122 H/10-30 light howitzers.

In a wider scale of things, what gets included kind of depends what might be perceived normal equipment for certain type of field artillery unit. In other words one could consider that all field artillery regiments whose one artillery battalion got equipped with heavy howitzers somewhat fit the bill, since this unit type was typically equipped with light field guns & light howitzers. If so, this would involve Field Artillery Regiments 1 - 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16 etc - which might de facto make it a new standard. Very much a matter of "line drawn in water" as the term goes.

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

Thanks Jarkko.

Regards, Juha

[John Hilly]

Also Raskas Patteristo 41 had to abandon 7 heavy howitzers (all they had) with their tractors plus 3 light guns in Liusvaara, in pre-Ilomantsi battles July 1944.
It later received light guns as replacements, but retained its former name.

With best, J-P

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

I am not sure about this: 152mm Canet L45 gun barrel ?? or 120mm Canet ??

Image from SA-Kuva archive (20944)
Sturm78

[Juha Tompuri]

152mm Canet L45 gun barrel ?? or 120mm Canet ??

The photo caption mentions it being a 6'' type.

Regards, Juha

[Sturm78]

Thank you, Juha.

Any idea about this naval gun ?

Image from SA-Kuva archive
Sturm78

[JTV]

Any idea about this naval gun ?

Probably 102/60 O: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/COASTAL_AR ... .htm#10260

Jarkko

[Juha Tompuri]

Probably 102/60 O: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/COASTAL_AR ... .htm#10260

Yep.
The off-side mounting hints towards a icebreaker and the photo caption mention it being the icebreaker Jääkarhu (Polar bear)
It's main armament during Winter War being 4x 102mm.

SA-photo 7785

Regards, Juha

[Sturm78]

Thank you very much for your help, again, Jarkko and Juha.

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all, again

I am not 100% sure about this artillery piece: 120mm M1878-09-31 ex-polish gun ??
It seem that the finnish are used a captured limber of a 76.2mm M1936 soviet field gun !!

Image from SA-Kuva archive (22343)
Sturm78

[JTV]

I am not 100% sure about this artillery piece: 120mm M1878-09-31 ex-polish gun ??

Close, but no cigar. It seems to be 155 H/17 (Canon de 155 C, mle 1917 Schneider). Notice how little gun shield there is on top of the reinforcements and the bulge of counter-weight in the tarp.

Jarkko

[Sturm78]

Jarkko wrote
Close, but no cigar. It seems to be 155 H/17 (Canon de 155 C, mle 1917 Schneider). Notice how little gun shield there is on top of the reinforcements and the bulge of counter-weight in the tarp.

I think you are right, Jarkko.....but I am confused. The howitzer of my image have metal rims with pneumatic tyres and the howitzers that Finland bought in 1920s had wooden wheels with (H17) or without (H15) solid rubber tyres

Regards Sturm78

[Juha Tompuri]

How about 152 H 15?

Regards, Juha

[JTV]

I think you are right, Jarkko.....but I am confused. The howitzer of my image have metal rims with pneumatic tyres and the howitzers that Finland bought in 1920s had wooden wheels with (H17) or without (H15) solid rubber tyres

155 H/17 howitzers were not acquired in 1920's, but in 1940 - 1944. The pneumatic rubber tires are non-standard for any possible howitzer or field gun. Obvious conclusion from non-standard pneumatic tires & the tractor towing the howitzer is that we are dealing with a motorized artillery unit, whose howitzers have been equipped with non-standard pneumatic tires for that purpose.

I have been done bit of searching about this. It seems 152 H/15 and 152 H/17 had similar gun shield as 155 H/17, so they are also possible. If we start looking motorized artillery unit equipped with 152 H/15, 152 H/17 or 155 H/17 in July of 1941 (*), there were only these two artillery units:
- Raskas Patteristo 1 (Heavy Artillery Battalion 1): 12 x 155/17 (motorized)
- Raskas Patteristo 24 (Heavy Artillery Battalion): 8 x 120 K/78-31 (horse towed) + 4 x 152 H/17 (motorized)

Also Raskas Patteristo 25 may have been motorised, Paulaharju's book seems to contradict itselt by listing it as horse-towed with 8 x 152 H/17 + 4 x 120 K/78-31, but on the other hand claims that in 1920's Finland received 4 x 152 H/15 (horse-towed) and 8 x 152 h/17 (intended for motorized towing and equipped with solid rubber tires) - summer of 1941 all these 12 howitzers are listed as 152 H/17. It is possible that the 152 H/15 howitzers could have been equipped with pneumatic rubber tires and renamed as 152 H/17, but books do tell anything that would support that.

I tried looking the matter from another angle - the photo is supposedly taken in Tuupovaara (near Joensuu) 3rd of July 1941. Unfortunately this is where it becomes clear, that the time and location do not help as much as one might have expected. Tuupojärvi is in area from which 5th Division and 11th Division lauched their attack in July of 1941 - and their supporting artillery units included (**):
- 5th Division: Raskas Patteristo 24
- 11th Division: Raskas Patteristo 1

(*) Artillery units listed 1st of July 1941 in Itsenäisen Suomen kenttätykit 1918 - 1995 by Paulaharju, the particular units are listed in pages 169 - 170.
(**) According Suomen Kenttätykistön historia, part 2 page 202 listing supporting artillery units of Karjalan Armeija in 9th of July 1941.

Hence my conclusion - the howitzer in the photo is either 152 H/17 or 155 H/17, but I doubt we will ever find out for sure which one is it.

Jarkko