10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09

The 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09 (10.5 cm FH 98/09), a short barreled (1625 mm) 105mm howitzer, also referred to as the 10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze (light field howitzer) 98/09, was used by the German Empire, Kingdom of Romania as well as the Ottoman Empire in World War I and after. It had a maximum range of 6,300 metres (20,700 ft).^[1]

10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09
A captured F.H. 98/09 in Sayabec, Quebec
Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	German Empire
Service history
Used by	German Empire Ottoman Empire Romania
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Krupp
Designed	1902-04
Manufacturer	Krupp
Produced	1909-1918
Specifications
Mass	1,145 kg (2,519 lbs)
Barrel length	1.625 m (5 ft 4 in) L/15.5
Width	1.53 m (5 ft 0 in)
Shell	Separate loading cased charge and projectile
Caliber	105 mm (4.13 in)
Breech	Horizontal sliding-block
Recoil	Hydro-spring
Carriage	Box trail
Elevation	-13° to +40°
Traverse	4°
Muzzle velocity	302 m/s (990 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	6,300 m (6,890 yds)

History

It was originally built by Rheinmetall as the 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98, an old-fashioned, fixed-recoil weapon delivered to the German army in 1898; between 1902 and 1904, it was redesigned, by Krupp, with a new recoil mechanism and a new carriage.^[2] However, it wasn't accepted for service until 1909, hence the ending designation 98/09. Existing weapons were rebuilt to the new standard. As usual, two seats were attached to the gun shield. There were 1,260 in service at the beginning of World War I.^[3] Romania captured around 64 pieces from the German Army during World War I, and put them into service during the interwar years.^[4]

The 10.5 cm leFH 16 was introduced in 1916 as a successor to 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09, featuring a longer barrel and hence longer range.

Ammunition

The 10.5 cm used three different types of ammunition and the aiming instruments were marked with three different meter scales and a dial sight for both direct and indirect fire. Originally, it used 7 charges of propellant, but this was increased during the war to 8 in an effort to extend its range.^[5]

• Feldhaubitz granate 98: A 15.8 kilogram (35 lb) high-explosive shell.
• Feldhaubitz schrapnel 98: A 12.8 kilogram (28 lb) shrapnel shell.

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• QF 4.5-inch howitzer British equivalent
• 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze M.12 Romanian upgrade of the 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09

Gallery

• 
  German 10.5-cm. light field howitzer with ammunition.
• 
  Sayabec's exposed F.H. 98/09 has received a well deserved restoration in the recent years including a new concrete pedestal, a new paint job and a different set of wheels. ( Uncertain about the historical accuracy of that change.)
• 
  Turkish gunners in action, 1917.
• 
  Gunners of the Royal Marine Artillery by a captured German 105 mm FH 98/09 field howitzer during the Battle of Arras, April 1917.

References

• Jäger, Herbert. German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86126-403-8