The 21 cm howitzer including the details of the ammunitions (HU WW II)

Transcription

1 The 21 cm howitzer including the details of the ammunitions (HU WW II) Teil 3 von András Hatala Contents 1. Preface 2. Servicing and producting of the howitzer 3. Ammunition 3.1 History 3.2 Construction (see the drawing at the end of the chapter) 3.3 Technical data 3.4 Italian ammunitions cm heavy howitzer units cm batteries in the WW II 5. Memoirs 5.1 Memoirs about the ammunition 5.2 Memoirs about the ammunition quantity 5.3 Memoirs about fight against tanks 6. Bibliography 7. Sources of illustrations

2 4. 21 cm heavy howitzer units o o o o 1936: 101. motorised heavy artillery class Station: Hajmáskér. Batteries: 2 ( with two 21 cm Howitzer each) Commander: Lt.-Col. János Sallay 1938: 102. motorised heavy artillery class Station: Hajmáskér; from 1942: Zilah Batteries: 3 ( with four 21 cm Howitzer each) /After the fights in the Carpathians the batteries had only 2 guns each./ Commander: Lt.-Col. József Bálint; from 1939: Col. Ödön Czapp 1942: 103. motorised heavy artillery class Station: Margitta Batteries: 3 ( with four 21 cm Howitzer each) /After the fights in the Carpethians the batteries had only 2 guns each./ Commander: Col. Kálmán Stádler; from 1943: Lt.-Col. Brandenstein Antal : 150. motorised heavy artillery class It had 15 cm and 10,5 cm 31M guns. The last one consisted of 2 pieces of guns and was serviced inn the 104. independent mechanised heavy artillery battery. Without details in the Eastern-Front the 150. mechanised heavy artillery class was refilled with 21 cm howitzers. Some other details: 101/2 battery had: Crews: 130 person Guns: 2 pieces of 39M 21 cm howitzer Ammunition quantity: 32 p. HE + powder charges 36 p. CP without delay + powder charges 92 p. CP with delay + powder charges 40 p. rifle ammo 2000 p. machine-gun ammo. 50 p. tracer rifle ammo 50 p. AP rifle ammo 480 p. submachine-gun ammo Petrol: 3000 l. benzin 170 l. lubricating oil 200 l. C oil 170 l. unrefinered oil 100 kg grease for 300 km distance. 23

3 Vehicles: 5 p. Breda 32M for artillery towing (one for the carriage, one for the barrel pro gun; one spare truck) 2 p. car for the commander 2 p. car for the car-commander 2 p. Krupp truck for machine-guns 6 p. Rába Botond truck 6 p. 3 t. truck for the ammunitions 1 p. truck for the spare parts of the guns 1 p. truck for the petrol 1 p. truck for kitchen 1 p. truck for the mending Food: Normal portion weight 1400 g/person/day. It contained all kinds of food like beef, coffee, salt, flour, bread, sugar, onion, fat, spices, tobacco. The "reduced" portion weight 800 g/person/day and its consisted of 300 g tinfood - usually meat 20 g salt, 200 g toast, 15 g tobacco. Water 3-4 l/person/day. Straw: 5 kg/person/day for sleeping. 103/3 battery had: Crews: 187 person Guns: 4 peces 40M 21 cm howitzer Ammunition quantity: 120 p. HE 120 p. CP without delay 80 p. CP with delay Total 320 shell with same powder charges Petrol: 6000 l. benzin 350 l. lubricating oil 300 l. C oil 250 l. unrefinered oil 200 kg grease Vehicles: 9 p. Breda 32M for artillery towing (one for the carriage, one for the barrel pro gun; one spare truck) 1 p. G5 4 wheel drive car for the commander 1 p. Polski Fiat car for the car-commander 8 p. Rába Botond truck 4 p. 10 t. truck for the ammos 4 p. 3 t. Klökner truck 1 p. truck for the spare parts of the guns 1 p. truck for the petrol 2 p. Krupp truck for the machine-gun platoon 1 p. truck for kitchen 1 p. truck for the mending 24

4 cm batteries in the WWII That point when Hungary entered the WWII the heavy artillery batteries with 21 cm howitzer were the only modern units in the Hungarian Army and according to this the most expensive and the most unreplaceable part of it. Knowing this the officers and all the crew felt themselfes like a big family. In 1940 because of the 2nd Vienna Award Hungary took back Transylvania ('Erdély') from Rumania. For the occupation the 21 cm batteries, exactly the 101. and 102. classes stood up into firing position at South-East Bors next to Kisszántó road. Finally there was not a military action. They "just" demonstrated the firepower. Pic. 28 One Hungarian 21 cm barrel car tower by Breda 35M artillery truck when Transylvania occupied. In 1941 when Bácska Yugoslavia was occupied the 101. and the 102. mechanised heavy artillery classes prepared themselfes for the firing command. The firing place was at village Katymár. They started to set it at 3 am and the firing command was planned by 8:30 am. But the defence forces vanished, so the high-command announced the dismissal of the artillery "bombing". Pic. 29 One Hungarian 21 cm howitzer in the occupied Yugoslavian teritory in During the whole Yugoslavian campaign the 21 cm's fired only 40 pieces of 39/34M CP shells. In June 1942 the 101. mechanised heavy artillery class went to the Eastern-Front to the River Don. They were situated so close to the river that the commander's observer bunker was 800 m from the bank. Although they usually did not have infantry cover they survived the fights without serious losses or casualties. They came back before the big Russian breaktrough in 12 January 1943, because of the depleted guns. But later it annihilated during the combat with the 150. mechanised heavy artillery class. Its refilling was never completed. 25

5 The 3 heavy artillery classes were never used together not even in the same sector of the frontline. In March 1944 the 102. mechanised heavy artillery class -, in 18 April 1944 the 103. mechanised heavy artillery class went to the Eastern-Front. The first firing position of the 102. was 8-10 km at South-West Ottynia. The 103. first place was at Sadzawka. Both class were operating until the end of the war. Pic. 30 Assembling of a Hungarian 21 cm howitzer at the firing place in the Carpathians in

6 Their fights backway were mainly in the USSR and Slovakia but sometimes passed the Polish border, too. It is interesting to note, but 21 cm battery never fired in Hungary in combat. But they gave supportive fire to the German forces in Hungary over the River Danube from Slovakia. My EOD unit found a fired Italian 21 mm shell 8 km from Komárom and the Slovakian EOD unit found the same artillery ammunitions in Slovakia, too. The documents understate the stations of the withdrawal classes and this theory is more than possible. The 103. class had all guns in 8 Februar 1945 at Kremsier. The casulties were 17. None of all the 21 cm howitzer finished the war in Hungarian hands. They are all thought to have remained in Austria and Germany. 5. Memoirs Here are some memoirs about the using of the 21 cm s in the war. All came from György Saly: Visszaemlékezések a magyar királyi honvédség nehéztüzérségére; private edition, Montreal, Canada Memoirs about the ammunition Memoirs of v. Pongrácz Bartha György (page 19) The ammunition is very good, reliable. I do not know about unexploded shell or explosion in the barrel I do not know what to think about the fact that the majority of the ammunitions were concrete piercing and once I saw a Russian soldier who got off the carriage because of the sound of a closely impact shell and he just patted his horse's neck and they went on. The possible shooting distance is far enough, although at 14 km range a hit is very difficult to observe even at good sight conditions. In spite of this the 21 cm shells explosion could be observed well because of its strong flame and producing big and solid cloud for long time. Memoirs of Ensign Nándor Lóránt 103/2 vehicle officer (page 46)..."24th Decembre 1944 At dawn we passed the Slovakian border. At Galambos, South- Eperjes one howitzer went into the shooting-stand. Without ammo the Germans took 21 cm Italian ship-gun ammo by helicopter /???/. Our serviced shell had almost double the weight and the Italian one was much shorter. For German request we fired 8 shots "nervously", because of the barrel explosion. We asked the allied forces in front of us to observe the hit and the explosions. There was no report so we gave up the experiments. After midnight we arrived at Pálmafa through Lıcse." Memoirs about the ammunition quantity Memoirs of Lt. Dénes Bárány 101/2 battery commander (page 34) In the morning I opened the fire to the yesterday located battery. My shoots lay well on the target but he the Russian battery - fired back continuously. Of course because I fired with delayed CP shells we always saved on the HE shells. And the CP shell on this loess ground worth nothing. Especially with delay. Its drills into the ground and blows one. With the HE I fired with much greater success against strong bunkers, too. As usual I got a phone 27

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