10 cm houfnice vz. 30 (howitzer)

10 cm houfnice vz. 30

Type	Howitzer
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Service history
In service	1930-1945
Used by	Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Romania Slovakia
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Skoda
Designed	1928-1930
Manufacturer	Skoda
Produced	1932-39
Specifications
Weight	1,766 kg (3,893 lb)
Barrel length	2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) L/25

Caliber	100 mm (3.94 in)
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-8° to +80°
Traverse	8°
Rate of fire	6-8 rpm
Muzzle velocity	430 m/s (1,411 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	10,600 m (11,600 yd)

The 10 cm houfnice vz. 30 (howitzer model 30) was a Czechoslovak howitzer used in the Second World War. The 158 weapons captured after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 were taken into Wehrmacht service as the 10 cm leFH 30(t). It was used by a variety of German units during World War II, including II. and III./SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 3 between 1939 and 1940^[1] and SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 51 during 1941.^[2] 30 served with the Slovak Army.^[3]

Design and history

It was modified from an earlier Skoda design, the 10 cm houfnice vz. 28, that attempted to combine the field and mountain gun roles into one weapon. The Czechoslovak army decided to adopt it to replace their plethora of aged Austro-Hungarian field guns. They replaced the wheels with modern rubber-tired wheels, but curiously chose to retain the crewman's seat on the gunshield. It used the same carriage that could break down into three pieces for transport as the 8 cm kanon vz. 30. It fired a 16 kilograms (35 lb) shell.

Notes

↑ Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 2/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (10 May 1940), 1990
↑ Niehorster, Leo W. G. German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 3/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (22 June 1941), 1992
↑ Kliment and Nakládal, p. 122

References

Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
Kliment, Charles K. and Nakládal, Bretislav. Germany's First Ally: Armed Forces of the Slovak State 1939-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1997 ISBN 0-7643-0589-1

External links

page on the two vz. 30 weapons

Weapons and military equipment designed in Czechoslovakia 1919–1945

Firearms

Pistols	Pistole vz. 22 Pistole vz. 24 ČZ vz. 27 ČZ vz. 38

Service rifles	Vz. 98/22 vz. 24 vz. 33 ZH-29

Submachine guns	ZK-383

Machine guns	ZB vz. 26 ZB-30 ZB-50 ZB vz.60 ZB vz. 37 machine gun

Artillery

Mortars	8 cm minomet vz. 36

Tank and Anti-tank guns	3.7 cm kanon PÚV vz. 34 37 mm kanon P.U.V. vz. 37 Skoda 37 mm A7 47 mm kanon P.U.V. vz. 36

Field artillery and Mountain guns	Skoda 75 mm Model 1928 Skoda 75 mm Model 1936 Skoda 75 mm Model 1939 8 cm kanon vz. 30 10 cm houfnice vz. 30 10.5 cm hruby kanon vz. 35 Skoda 105 mm Model 1939

Heavy artillery	15 cm hrubá houfnice vz. 25 Skoda K-series Skoda Model 1928 Gun 21 cm Kanone 39 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) 22 cm Howitzer Model 28 24 cm Haubitze 39 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18)

Anti-aircraft guns	7.5 cm kanon PL vz. 37 8 cm PL kanon vz. 37 8.35 cm PL kanon vz. 22 9 cm kanon PL vz. 12/20

Naval artillery	14 cm/56

Armored
Fighting
Vehicles

Tanks	Tančík vz. 33 AH-IV LT vz. 34 LT vz. 35 LT vz. 38 ST vz. 39 40M Turán I

Tank destroyers and Assault guns	T-32 (S-I-D) TACAM R-2

Armored cars and Tankettes	OA vz. 27 OA vz. 30 Tančík vz. 33

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