The 10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18 (leFH 18) was a WW2 105-mm field howitzer extensively used by the German Army on every front of the war. Designed by Rheinmetall between 1928 and 1930, it was introduced into service in 1935. It was a very reliable and sturdy piece of artillery that provided vital fire support to front line soldiers until the last battle in Europe, which was the Battle of Berlin. By 1945, more than 22,000 artillery pieces of this howitzer had been manufactured as it was used alongside the older 10.5-cm leFH 16, which had been used in WW1. Although it was fitted with a barrel bore made of high-quality steel that could withstand the wear of constant firing, it was outranged by the Russian 76mm field guns.
The 10.5 cm leFH 18 fired standard high-exposive shells to the maximum range of almost 11 km. It was a two-piece ammunition; the shell itself and the cased charge. In direct fire mode, it could be used as an anti-tank weapon, firing 10cm Panzergranate rot (Pzgr), which was capable of piercing up to 65-mm-thick armor. It also employed a hollow charge round: the 10cm Granat-39 rot, which could penetrate 100-mm-thick steel plate. On the Eastern Front, artillery batteries of this howitzer were set up beside buildings and houses for cover and shelter during the extremely cold Russian winter. It was towed to the battlefield by horses or trucks.
Specifications
Type: field howitzer
Caliber: 105 mm
Weight: 3.5 tons
Barrel Length: 2.94 m (9ft 8in)
Breech Type: horizontal sliding block
Elevation: -5° to +42°
Transverse: 56°
Shell: 14.8 kg
Muzzle Velocity: 470 m/s
Below, side view of the 10.5cm leFH-18 howitzer in the summer of 1941.
Below, breech of the 10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze 18, with the crew.
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