28 cm Mörser

The 28 cm Mörser was a French 280mm heavy howitzer which was mainly used as a defense and siege artillery. It was designed and developed by the steel-mill firm Schneider-Creusot in France, entering service in 1914 as the "Mortier de 280 Modèle 1914 Schneider". Therefore, during WW1, it was employed by the French Army to attack the German trenches and bunkers in major battles, such as the Battle of the Somme and Verdun.

During WW2, however, it saw service with German Army, whose officers called it the "28 cm Mörser". The Germans had defeated the French in the Battle of France in 1940, seizing and confiscating this heavy howitzer from the French stock arsenal. Wehrmacht used it during the siege of Leningrad in 1943.

Technical Characteristics

Although it was called mortar: "mortier" in French, and "Mörser" in German, technically it was a heavy howitzer as it was loaded by a normal rear breech, like any other howitzer and gun. It employed a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and the barrel and breech was set up on a box carriage, which was mounted on a sturdy fixed base-plate. This reduced its weight and allowed it to have greater traverse. It fired 200-kg shells to a maximum distance of 11 km.

Specifications

Type: siege howitzer

Caliber: 280-mm

Weight: 16 tons

Barrel Length: 3.3 m (11 ft)

Breech Type: interrupted screw

Elevation: +10° to +60°

Traverse: 20°

Crew: 12 men

Below, the 28 cm Morser used by the Germans on the Eastern Front

Below, you can see the open interrupted screw breech of the French-made howitzer being employed by the Wehrmacht in World War II.

The 28 cm Morser's crew working on the azimuth to fix the elevation and traverse.