Krupp and Rheinmetall ammunition wagon

for 75mm QF guns

Krupp made two different types of ammunition wagon, one of them was used by German Army and by some countries like Turkey, and the other was built on the model of those adopted by French Army.

The Krupp ammunition wagon used by Turkey

The ammunition wagon of the Krupp 75 mm field gun was composed by the limber and the caisson. It was drawn by a team of six horses, like the gun. Both the limber and the caisson were entirely made of steel, including the poles. The wheels were of wood with tyres and naves of steel.

The limber was composed by the chest, the axle with two wheels, two swingletrees, the pole, a knapsack-rack with grid to carry the cannoners equipment, and miscellaneous hardware. The gun limber was seated for three gunners, and was divided into 12 compartments, of which 11 contained baskets with 4 rounds each, while the last compartment contained tools and spare parts. The wagon limber was the same, but carried 48 rounds, since all the compartments were filled with projectiles.

The caisson was composed by the chest, the shaft, the axle with two wheels, the brake mechanism, the support for the fuzes and miscellaneous hardware. It was not tipped, but was unhooked beside the gun. In action the caisson unlimbered was placed beside the gun, and the ammunition was handed straight from the wagon to the loader. The ammunition box was divided into four superposed rows of four compartments, each containing a basket with three rounds.

The wagon body had a hanging shield which could be dropped to protect the gunners. The steel had the same thickness as the gun-shield, namely 4 mm. An observing ladder could be carried on one of the ammunition wagons.

The Krupp ammunition wagon used by Romania

Many countries, among them Romania and Italy, preferred the tilted pattern of wagon body as shown in the picture at the top of the page. It looked like to that used by the Bulgarian Army. In action the caisson was tipped alongside the gun as in the French equipment.

The bottom of the wagon body was armoured, and the bullets-proof doors opened outwards, giving a wide protected area for the gunners. The rear wall and front with its two doors had an armour of 5 mm thick, while the cover and the lateral walls of only 3 mm.

Each round was contained in a separate tube of bronze fixed in the ammunition box. One of the ammunition wagon carried an observing shelter, with a step for the officer to stand on. The limber carried 16 shrapnel and 8 H.E. shells, the caisson 42 shrapnel and 22 H.E. shells.

The limber was seated for three gunners, the caisson for four. An observation ladder, 3 m height, was carried on one of the ammunition wagons.

The Romanian Army used also a lighter ammunition wagon which was assigned to horse artillery batteries.

The Rheinmetall ammunition wagon used by Romania

In 1911 Romanian Army bought roughly 250 ammunition wagons built by Rheinmetall. They were lighter than the Krupp one, but carried 95 rounds. The limber was seated for three gunners and in firing position the caisson was tipped beside the gun.

		Turkish	Romanian
			Field	Horse	Rheinmetall
limber	empty :	462 kg	430 kg	370 kg	370 kg
	loaded :	852 kg	700 kg	640 kg	640 kg
caisson	empty :	488 kg	500 kg		475 kg
	loaded :	878 kg	1050 kg		985 kg
wagon	empty :	950 kg	930 kg		845 kg
	loaded :	1730 kg	1750 kg		1625 kg
	fully equipped :		1848 kg	1728 kg
observation ladder :			25 kg
armour	thickness :	4 mm	5-3 mm	5-3 mm	5-3 mm
rounds	on the limber :	48	24	24	30
	on the caisson :	48	64	64	65

Turkish Ammunition Wagon for 75mm Krupp field gun
Romanian Ammunition Wagon for 75mm Krupp field gun