15 cm sFH 18

15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18
Preserved sFH 18 howitzer at CFB Borden, Ontario, Canada
TypeHowitzer
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service1934–1945 (Germany)
Used byGermany
See Operators
WarsWorld War II
Second Sino-Japanese War
Portuguese Colonial War
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Rheinmetall
Designed1926–1930
ManufacturerKrupp, Rheinmetall, Spreewerke, M.A.N. and Skoda
Unit cost40,400 RM (1944)
Produced1933–1945
No. built6,756[1]
VariantssFH 18M
Specifications
MassTravel: 6,304 kg (13,898 lb)
Combat: 5,512 kg (12,152 lb)
Length7.849 m (25 ft 9.0 in)
Barrel length4.440 m (14 ft 6.8 in) L/29.5
Width2.225 m (7 ft 3.6 in)
Height1.707 m (5 ft 7.2 in)
Crew7[2]

Shell149 mm × 260 R Separate loading cased charge
Shell weight43.52 kg (95.9 lb) (HE)
Caliber149 mm (5.9 in)
Breechhorizontal sliding-block
Recoilhydro-pneumatic
Carriagesplit trail
Elevation0° to +45°
Traverse60°
Rate of fire4 rpm
Muzzle velocity520 m/s (1,700 ft/s)
Maximum firing range13,325 m (14,572 yd)
RAP: 18,200 m (19,900 yd)
SightsModel 1934 Sighting Mechanism

The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"),[3] was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer of 149mm during the Second World War, serving alongside the smaller but more numerous 10.5 cm leFH 18. Its mobility and firing range and the effectiveness of its 44 kilogram shell made it the most important weapon of all German infantry divisions.[4] A total of 6,756 examples were produced.[1]

It replaced the earlier, First World War-era design of the 15 cm sFH 13, which was judged by the Krupp-Rheinmetall designer team of the sFH 18 as completely inadequate.[4] The sFH 18 was twice as heavy as its predecessor, had a muzzle velocity increase of forty percent, a maximum firing range 4.5 kilometers greater, and a new split-trail gun carriage that increased the firing traverse twelvefold.[4] The secret development from 1926–1930 allowed German industry to deliver a trouble-free design at the beginning of German re-armament in 1933.[4] It was the first artillery weapon equipped with rocket-assisted ammunition to increase range. The sFH 18 was also used in the self-propelled artillery piece schwere Panzerhaubitze 18/1 (more commonly known as Hummel).

The sFH 18 was one of Germany's three main 15 cm calibre weapons, the others being the 15 cm Kanone 18, a corps-level heavy gun, and the 15 cm sIG 33, a short-barreled infantry gun.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference haubitzen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 111. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
  3. ^ "Models".
  4. ^ a b c d Engelmann 1995, p. 11.