Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903

03 L/30

A Turkish 7.5cm Krupp field gun M1903
Type field gun
Place of origin  German Empire
Service history
In service

1904-1945

 German Empire
Korean Empire
 Denmark
 Nazi Germany
 Ottoman Empire
 Romania
Wars Balkan Wars
World War I
World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Manufacturer Krupp
Specifications
Weight 1,079 kilograms (2,379 lb)
Barrel length 2.25 metres (7 ft 5 in) L/30
Crew 7

Shell 8.671 kilograms (19.12 lb)
Caliber 75 mm (2.95 in)
Breech horizontal sliding block
Recoil hydro-spring
Carriage pole trail
Elevation -9° to +15°
Traverse
Rate of fire 8 rpm
Muzzle velocity 546 m/s (1,790 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 6,000 metres (6,600 yd)
modified 7-velt
Type field gun
Place of origin Germany
Service history
In service 1925-1945
Used by  Netherlands
 Nazi Germany
Wars World War II
Production history
Designer Krupp
Manufacturer Krupp
Specifications
Weight 1,299 kilograms (2,864 lb)
Barrel length 2.25 metres (7.4 ft) L/30
Crew 7

Shell 8.671 kilograms (19.12 lb)
Caliber 75 mm (2.95 in)
Carriage box trail
Elevation -8° to +40°
Traverse
Rate of fire 8 rpm
Muzzle velocity 500 m/s (1,600 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 10,600 metres (11,600 yd)

The Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 was a field gun used by a number of European armies in both World War I and World War II. The Model 1903 was a "stock gun" from Krupp that could be supplied to customers on short notice with minor alterations to suit the customers needs.

Romania acquired 636 of these guns and used them with a more sophisticated sighting device (than the one offered by the Germans) made locally, known as the Ghenea-Korodi sight. By number of guns, this was largest import of a single type of cannon ever made by Romania. It was the mainstay of the Romanian field artillery in World War I, equipping all artillery regiments of the Romanian infantry divisions. The number of these guns in Romanian service had decreased to 312 by 1926.[1] The Romanians used them until 1942, although by this time they had become obsolete.

The Model 1903 was also bought by Denmark and the Netherlands and used in World War II. The Model 1903 also formed the basis for the Type 38 75 mm Field Gun used by Japan. In Danish service it was known as the 03 L/30 and doesn't appear to have been modified in any significant way before World War II.

The Dutch bought some 204 of the slightly earlier Kanone M.02/03 and purchased a production-license as well. 120 appear to have been manufactured in the Netherlands, where it was known as the 7-veld. During the 1920s, the Dutch rebuilt their guns to increase their elevation. At least 16 were modified for motorized traction, presumably with steel wheels and pneumatic tires, for service with the Light Division. Gander and Chamberlain claim there were three almost identical versions, the M 02/04 vd, OM 04 and NM 10, but this has not been confirmed. The Germans designated these guns as the 7.5 cm Feldkanone 243(h) after the Battle of the Netherlands.

Danish guns were known in German service as the 7.5 cm Feldkanone 240(d).

References

  1. Adrian Stroea; Gheorghe Băjenaru (2010). Artileria română în date şi imagini (PDF) (in Romanian). Editura Centrului Tehnic-Editorial al Armatei. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-606-524-080-3.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 7,5 cm Feldkanone M. 03.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 7-veld.
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