30,5cm Skoda M16(t)

[jopaerya]

Hello Sturm78

Found a photo of the platform trailer , in the book "Ceskoslovenske Delostrelectvo 1918-1939"from Jiri Janousek

Regards Jos

[Sturm78]

Thank you very much, Jopaerya.

I did not know this book. Any image more?

Regards Sturm78

[Dili]

Skoda built 51 complete guns during WWI and Italy got 16 after the end of the war; they were operational at least up to June 1943 (111° and 112° Group of 4° Army Artillery Regiment).

So all 16 were operated by 111,112 Gruppo? Each with 4 batteries then?

[raspagliosi]

Hi Dili,
my info came from the Filippo Cappellano's book "Le Artiglierie del Regio Esercito nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale".
The passage I just translated in my previous post is all the information I have up to date; any answer to your question with my info is pure speculation, but 8 batteries with 16 guns seems a bit to much, regarding barrels wear.
Ciao
Mario

[Dili]

Yes it seems too much, but i have seen anything in Italian Army .Thanks Mario.

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Another image from Ebay. Carriage and barrel trailer. Probably a captured weapon.

Does anyone have a photo of this howitzer in service with the Italian, Romanian or Hungarian Army during the WW2?

Regards Sturm78

[Luftflotte2]

?
from eBay.de

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Two other images from Ebay:

Sturm78

[Engine capo]

Royal Yugoslav Army used 4 M11 and 6 M16. Germans captured 6 of these howitzers, and 5 in their service obtained designation 30.5 cm Mörser 638(j), while one was designated as 30.5 cm Mörser 639(j). I guess that this designation recived one coastal artillery piece with yugoslav designation M11/30.

[Sturm78]

Hi Engine capo

See http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... a&start=75

Sturm78

[Engine capo]

Thank you Sturm78.

In Mile Bjelajac book about army of Kingdom of SHS/Yugoslavia, on page 27 he wrote:

"Arms procurement program was received in 1926. Funds in the amount of 2-3 billion would be allocated over the next ten years in the form of additional regular budget resources. From these most urgent funds was to acquire 200,000 Mauser rifles from Belgian company Herstal and 120 million rifle bullets for it. Also 1200 mortar shells 305 mm and 25,000 rounds for the 37 mm canon."

During 1929 and 1930 yugoslav army received a lot of artillery from Škoda, so at the beginning of 1931 there was:

Mountain guns 75 mm: 160
Field guns 76,2 mm: 300
AA guns 76 mm: 100
Long guns 150 mm: 20
Long guns 220 mm: 10
Mountain howitzer 100 mm: 72

There was no mention of a 305 mm howitzers received during those years.

[The Edge]

I also have very informative Bjelajac's book, but still lacking some details regarding the weaponry (he is more overall historian). It is obvious from his book that the first orders were changed; the quantity given above is correct (32 pcs of motorized AA M.28A guns are missing - also an later placed order) but these are all NEW guns. Bjelajac doesn't deal with second-hand and repaired/modified guns (like 104mm Skoda M.15 long guns, modified into 105mm M.15/26 guns - to use the same ammo as Schneider L13S guns), also part of the 1928 Czech Deal. In any case, I'm also looking for the definite info (If you have the first book of Bjelajac's triology about Yugoslav Army, no heavy howitzers of 305mm caliber are mentioned for 1919-1921 period - so they must be obtained later, as Dinic's book from 1936 mentions them).

Btw, both field and AA guns were actually 76.5mm caliber - caled "80mm" by Yugoslav Army.

Regards, Edge

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Another image from Ebay. According to photocaption, Poland

Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

An image of a 30.5cm Skoda M16 howitzer.
According to photocaption Romanian but I think Hungarian. Can somebody identifty the soldiers?

Both countries had some of these howitzers:
Hungary: 3 M.11 and 2 M.16
Romania: ??

Image from http://bilder.sz-photo.de via http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Nobody??

Well, I found this image on Ebay. I think the base box trailer of a 30.5cm Skoda M16 howitzer.
See the different pattern of the wheels of trailer.

Sturm78