8 cm FK M. 17
Encyclopedia
The 8 cm Feldkanone M. 17 was a dual-purpose field and mountain gun used by Austria-Hungary
during World War I
. Between the wars it was used by Austria
, Yugoslavia
and Czechoslovakia
. Captured weapons were used by Nazi Germany
under the designations 7.65 cm FK 17(ö) or (t) and 7.65 cm FK 303(j).
It was a conventional design, albeit with some unique characteristics. The carriage was mounted on a double-crank, curved axle which made it lower to the ground, reducing visibility and improving stability. The curved axle allowed the weapon to traverse without movement of the wheels, although traverse was still limited by the need to prevent the recoiling barrel from hitting the carriage. In addition the spade was pivot-mounted allowing the weapon to traverse without disturbing the spade. This movement of the carriage without moving the wheels or spade produced a very accurate weapon.
The cannoneers rode standing on steps in front of the shield rather than sitting in seats attached to the shield, as was normal for the period. It was pulled by three pairs of horses when attached to its limber. The carriage could be broken down into three loads (tandem hitch) for transport in rough terrain.
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Between the wars it was used by Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Captured weapons were used by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
under the designations 7.65 cm FK 17(ö) or (t) and 7.65 cm FK 303(j).
It was a conventional design, albeit with some unique characteristics. The carriage was mounted on a double-crank, curved axle which made it lower to the ground, reducing visibility and improving stability. The curved axle allowed the weapon to traverse without movement of the wheels, although traverse was still limited by the need to prevent the recoiling barrel from hitting the carriage. In addition the spade was pivot-mounted allowing the weapon to traverse without disturbing the spade. This movement of the carriage without moving the wheels or spade produced a very accurate weapon.
The cannoneers rode standing on steps in front of the shield rather than sitting in seats attached to the shield, as was normal for the period. It was pulled by three pairs of horses when attached to its limber. The carriage could be broken down into three loads (tandem hitch) for transport in rough terrain.