The BL 8 inch howitzer was a heavy piece of artillery fielded by the British Army during World War I. It had a 203-mm-caliber barrel, which had a length of 3 m (9 ft, 10 in). The Mark I version was officially introduced into service in February 1915. It would be fired in anger for the first time in May 1915 by the 19th Siege Battery RGA, at Gorre, La Bassé Front. It had been designed and developed by the Royal Gun Factory and massively produced by Vickers.
The BL 8 inch howitzer fired separate loading ammunition to a maximum distance of 10 km (about 10,600 yards). The bagged-charge shell weighed 91 kg. The gun was fitted with two large buffer recuperator cases set up above the barrel. The difference between the different versions (Mk 1 to V) lay on the cradles and carriages they used. They were towed to the battlefield by tractors.
Specifications
Type: heavy howitzer
Caliber: 203-mm
Weight: 13 tons
Barrel Length: 3 m/ 3.25m
Elevation: -5 to +45 degrees.
Muzzle Velocity: 397 m/s.
Below, the BL 8-in howitzer in 1916 in France
The 8 inch in action, video