Krupp 75mm field gun M. 1903

 

 

 

 

Bulgarian designation :

75-мм скорострелно полско оръдие “Круп”

Turkish denomination :

7,5/30 sm. Krup seri ateşli sahra top

Krupp denomination :

7,5 cm Feldkanone M. 03

Calibre :

75mm L/30

Weight of the barrel :

348 kg

Weight of the breech-block :

28 kg

Weight of the carriage :

642 kg

Weight in action :

990 kg

Weight of the limber :

462 kg (empty) – 820 kg (loaded)

Weight in marching order :

1863 kg (fully equipped)

Weight of ammunition wagon :

1730 kg

Length of the whole gun :

4.000 m

Barrel length :

2.250 m

Length of the bore :

2.025 m (L/27)

Barrel grooves

number :

28

depth :

0.75 mm

width :

5.92 mm

Height of the line of fire :

1000 mm

Shield

weight :

60 kg

thickness :

4 mm

Cartridge

size :

75 x 280 x 90 R

shelled :

8.14 kg

charge :

465 g of Rottweil smokeless powder

Shell

weight :

6 kg - charge: 140 g of Picric acid

fuze :

percussion – 130 g

max. range :

5900 m (afterwards increased to 8000 m)

Shrapnel

weight :

6.35 kg - charge : 75 g of black powder

270 bullets x 11 g

6.35 kg - charge : 75 g of black powder

295 bullets x 10 g

fuze :

Doppelzünder C/20 – 290 g

max. range :

5400 m

Muzzle velocity :

500 m/s

Remaining velocity :

at 1000 m - 377 m/s

at 2000 m - 310 m/s

at 3000 m - 274 m/s

Elevation :

+ 15° / - 5°

Traversing angle :

7°

Recoil :

1320 mm

Wheels

height :

1.30 m

width of tires :

70 mm

track :

1.48 m

Transport :

drawn by six horses

Ammunition :

for Turkish Army: gun limber – 44, wagon limber – 48, wagon body – 48

12 ammunition wagons for every battery

Remarks :

Quick firing field gun, with recoil system with hydraulic buffer and springs, single-motion wedge breech mechanism, traverse on pivot. It was originally equipped only with plain arc sight, and no dial sights. So there was no means of laying the gun behind cover. It was not fitted for an independent line of sight. The carriage was equipped with two axletree seats to carry the gunners, but they were removed in the guns employed by the Bulgarian Army.

The shield was made of Nickel hardened steel and had a conical hood projecting forward for additional protection. It was composed by two parts : the upper shield was fixed, with a window for laying; the lower shield was mobile and could be folded up backwards for travel.

These guns employed also Ehrhardt (Rheinmetall) ammunition, since in 1908 Turkey bought from this firm 176,000 shrapnel and H.E. shells.

In 1912 Turkish Army had 162 batteries armed with Krupp 75mm guns : 96 gun M. 1903 had been ordered in 1903 and 462 more in 1905, while 90 gun M. 1910 had been ordered in 1910. In addition in 1902-03 the Imperial Arsenal (Tophane-I Amirede) manufactured 12 guns of the trial model presented by the Kaiser in 1898. According with British sources, in 1912-13 the Bulgarian Army captured from the Turks 144 Krupp 75mm guns of different patterns.

 

 

 

75mm Krupp guns in service

in Bulgarian Army in 1915-18

Captured 75mm Turkish Krupp guns

in Lozengrad

 

75mm Krupp M. 1903 guns in service in Turkish Army in 1912-13

 

Pictures from Sofia Military Museum