7.62 cm Infanteriegeschütz L / 16.5 ( German: 7.62-cm light infantry gun ) - German 76-mm infantry gun from the First World War.
| 7.62 cm Infanteriegeschütz L / 16.5 | |
|---|---|
| Type of | infantry gun |
| A country |  German Empire |
| Service History | |
| Years of operation | 1916-1918 |
| Adopted | |
| In service | German Empire |
| Wars and conflicts | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Constructor | Krupp |
| Manufacturer | Krupp |
| Specifications | |
| Weight kg | 608 |
| Length mm | 2310 |
| Barrel length mm | 1257 |
| Width mm | 1150 |
| Height mm | 940 |
| Projectile weight, kg | 6 |
| Caliber mm | 76.2 mm |
| Gate | screw with interruption |
| Carriage | freight trailer |
| Elevation angle | from -18.6 ° to + 11.5 ° |
| Angle of rotation | 9.5 ° |
| starting speed projectile, m / s | 295 |
| Sighting range , m | 600 |
| Maximum range, m | 4000 |
Description
In the Reichswehr, the practice of using field guns to support infantry during the assault on fortified positions was often disadvantageous due to the huge mass of each gun. Therefore, the German army needed a gun that would be lighter in mass, but would no less effectively help the infantry to overcome the enemy’s defense line.
At the very beginning of World War I, the Germans fell into the hands of a huge number of Russian 76-mm anti-storm guns , which were placed both in the fortresses and on the armored vehicles of the “ Garford Putilov ”. A significant part of these captured weapons was transferred to the management of the Krupp concern for processing into infantry support tools. Krupp engineers installed the gun’s barrel and bolt on a kind of cargo trailer with two crew seats behind the shield - this is how a new gun appeared, which was marked 7.62 cm Infanteriegeschütz L / 16.5 .
The angle of inclination ranged from -18.6 ° to + 11.5 °, which provided opportunities for using the gun as a defensive fortress gun. However, the firing range did not exceed 2.7 km in a stationary position. As shells, both captured Russian and specially designed German ones were used. The guns were very popular among the soldiers, but they were not reliable due to the low quality of Russian steel, from which the original 76-mm anti-storm guns were made. To eliminate the imperfections of the guns, a new 7.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz L / 20 gun was developed.
Literature
- Jäger, Herbert. German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86126-403-8