24 cm Haubitze 39

Infobox Weapon
name=24 cm Haubitze 39


caption=
origin=Czechoslovakia
type=siege howitzer
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=yes
is_artillery=yes
is_vehicle=
is_UK=
service=1939-45
used_by=flag|Turkey
flag|Nazi Germany
wars=World War II
designer=Skoda
design_date=
manufacturer=Skoda
production_date=1939-42
number=18
variants=H 39/40
weight=convert|27000|kg|lb
length=
part_length=convert|6.765|m|ft
width=
height=
crew=
cartridge=separate-loading, bagged charge
caliber=240 mm (9.44 in)
action=
rate=1 rd per 2 minutes
velocity=600 m/s (1,968 ft/s)
range=
max_range=convert|18000|m|yd
feed=
sights=
breech=interrupted screw, de Bange obduration
recoil=
carriage=box trail
elevation=-4° to +70°
traverse=360°
blade_type=
hilt_type=
sheath_type=
head_type=
haft_type=
diameter=
filling=
filling_weight=
detonation=
yield=
armour=
primary_armament=
secondary_armament=
engine=
engine_power=
pw_ratio=
suspension=
vehicle_range=
speed=

The 24 cm Haubitze 39 (Howitzer model 39) was a Czech-designed siege howitzer used in the Second World War. It was kept in production after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. It was only used by Artillerie-Regiment 814 once it entered service after the Battle of France [Niehorster] .

Design & History

Skoda designed it for export. Turkey ordered it, but only received two before the Germans occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939. It was a stablemate of the Skoda 21 cm Kanone 39 and used virtually the same mounting and transport arrangements. The carriage revolved on a ball-race firing platform that had to be dug-in before firing, a task that took six to eight hours to accomplish. It required three wagons for transport, the barrel, carriage and ground platform. A modified version entered service in 1942 as the H 39/40 although it's unclear what the modifications involved.

Ammunition

It used both Czech and German designed ammunition:

The Czech-designed 24 cm Gr 39(t) HE shell with a weight of convert|166|kg|lb. It had both nose and base fuses, two copper driving bands and contained a convert|23.66|kg|lb bursting charge of TNT. The German copy, the 24 cm Gr 39 umg had only a German nose fuze, soft-iron diving bands and a smaller charge of convert|22.9|kg|lb. It also used a Czech-designed anti-concrete shell, the 24 cm Gr 39 Be, that had copper driving bands.

It used 5 bagged charges that were enclosed in a single larger bag. Increments were simply removed to adjust range as necessary.

References

* Englemann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. "Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliderung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz". Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
* Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. "Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945". New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3

* Hogg, Ian V. "German Artillery of World War Two". 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X

* Niehorster, Leo W. G. "German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 2/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (10 May 1940)", 1990

* Niehorster, Leo W. G. "German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 3/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (22nd June 1941)", 1992

* Niehorster, Leo W. G. "German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 4/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (28th June 1942)", 2004

* Niehorster, Leo W. G. "German World War II Organizational Series, Vol. 5/II: Mechanized GHQ units and Waffen-SS Formations (10 May 1940)", 2005
* [http://sturmvogel.orbat.com/GermWeapProd.html German Weapons Production on Sinews of War]

Notes