15 cm Kanone 39
Encyclopedia
The 15 cm Kanone 39 was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War. First deliveries began in 1940 to the Wehrmacht
. In the Battle of France
only the independent Artillerie-Batterie 698 was equipped with the gun. For Operation Barbarossa
it served with the Artillerie-Abteilungen 680, 731, 740 and 800. A year later for Fall Blau they served with Artillerie-Abteilungen 511, 620, 680, 767 and 800.
as a dual-purpose heavy field and coast defense gun in the late Thirties for Turkey
. Only two had been delivered before the rest were appropriated by the Heer
upon the outbreak of World War II. In the coast defense role it was provided with an elaborate portable turntable. This had a central platform and twelve radial struts that connected to an outer ring. In action the trails would be locked together and put on a small trolley that rode on the outer ring. Coarse aiming was by cranking the trolley back and forth while fine laying was done by traversing the gun on its mount, up to the 6° limit imposed by the closed trails.
For transport it broke down into two loads, the barrel being removed and carried on its own wagon. A third wagon was necessary to carry the firing platform. It could fire the same ammunition as the 15 cm Kanone 18
as well as its own special ammunition designed to Turkish specifications.
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. In the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
only the independent Artillerie-Batterie 698 was equipped with the gun. For Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
it served with the Artillerie-Abteilungen 680, 731, 740 and 800. A year later for Fall Blau they served with Artillerie-Abteilungen 511, 620, 680, 767 and 800.
Design & History
Designed by KruppKrupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
as a dual-purpose heavy field and coast defense gun in the late Thirties for Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Only two had been delivered before the rest were appropriated by the Heer
Heer (1935-1945)
The Heer was the Army land forces component of the German armed forces from 1935 to 1945, the latter also included the Navy and the Air Force...
upon the outbreak of World War II. In the coast defense role it was provided with an elaborate portable turntable. This had a central platform and twelve radial struts that connected to an outer ring. In action the trails would be locked together and put on a small trolley that rode on the outer ring. Coarse aiming was by cranking the trolley back and forth while fine laying was done by traversing the gun on its mount, up to the 6° limit imposed by the closed trails.
For transport it broke down into two loads, the barrel being removed and carried on its own wagon. A third wagon was necessary to carry the firing platform. It could fire the same ammunition as the 15 cm Kanone 18
15 cm Kanone 18
The 15 cm Kanone 18 was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War.-Design & History:In 1933 Rheinmetall began development of a new artillery piece to fulfill a German Army requirement for a replacement of the aged 15 cm Kanone 16, with the first production units received in 1938...
as well as its own special ammunition designed to Turkish specifications.