3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15

3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15
3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15
	Damaged Infanteriegeschütz M.15 in 1916
Type	Infantry support gun
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary
Service history
Used by	Austria-Hungary; Kingdom of Italy; Poland
Wars	World War I; Polish–Soviet War; World War II
Production history
Designer	Škoda
Designed	1915
Manufacturer	Škoda; ČKD; (ARET); (AREN); F.lli Marzoli
Produced	1916
No. built	1,000
Specifications
Mass	Complete:84.3 kg (186 lb); Barrel: 34.6 kg (76 lb); Cradle: 25.3 kg (56 lb); Tripod: 24.4 kg (54 lb)
Barrel length	320 mm (13 in) L/10
Crew	3
Shell	Fixed QF 37x57mm R
Shell weight	650 g (1 lb 7 oz)
Breech	Vertical sliding block
Recoil	Hydro-spring
Carriage	Tripod
Elevation	0° to +45°
Traverse	28°
Rate of fire	20 rpm
Muzzle velocity	175 m/s (574 ft/s)
Effective firing range	2,200 m (2,406 yd)
Sights	Periscope

The 3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15 was an Austro-Hungarian cannon developed for use in the trenches during the First World War. The name indicates the caliber in centimeters, the gun's role Infanteriegeschütz which in German means infantry support gun and the model according to the year of introduction. Captured Austrian guns and Italian produced copies were first designated Cannon 37F^[1] and later as 37/10 F. Mod. 1915 in the 1930s.

History

The 3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15 was designed with the peculiarities of trench warfare in mind. Infantry in WWI often faced well protected lines of trenches, defended by machine gun nests with interlocking fields of fire. These machine gun nest could be constructed of sandbags, timber, corrugated metal and concrete with overhead protection. For infantry advancing across no man's land against these positions, all they may see is a small horizontal opening at about waist level, with just the top of the machine gun's gun shield showing.^[2] Infantry would have to close on these positions while under fire and destroy them with rifle fire, grenades, and flamethrowers. The combatants experimented with mortars, rifle grenades, and mountain guns in search of an answer but these positions could only be defeated by direct-fire artillery support. Small caliber mountain guns and mortars such as the Skoda 75 mm Model 15 and the German 7.58 cm Minenwerfer showed promise, but their size and weight combined with the roughness of the terrain weighed against their use.^[2]

The Austro-Hungarian Army's answer to this need was the 3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15 which was based on the earlier 3.7 cm Gebirgskanone M.13 and soon after its introduction other nations introduced similar infantry support guns such as the French Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP, the Russian 37 mm trench gun M1915, and the German 3.7 cm TAK 1918. The precision of the 3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15 compensated for the reduced caliber of the ammunition and the lightness of the piece allowing it to be transported during assaults, unlike the mountain guns used until then in the same role.^[2] In November 1915 the first prototypes from Škoda were tested by the Austro-Hungarian Army on the Italian front. In 1916 1,000 guns were ordered and produced by Škoda and ČKD and sent to the front during the same year.^[1]

Austrian guns captured by the Royal Italian Army were quickly put into service by their Alpine troops. At the same time a direct copy was placed in production at Arsenal Regio Esercito di Turin (ARET), Arsenal Regio Esercito di Napoli (AREN) and by the private company F.lli Marzoli of Palazzolo sull'Oglio.^[1] Although obsolete after WWI, a number were still in service when Italy entered World War II in 1940.^[3]

Organization

In the Austro-Hungarian Army, it was expected that the staff of each infantry regiment would include two armed platoons, which was reduced to one because of a lack of arms. Each platoon was made up of an officer, two non-commissioned officers, 26 soldiers, four cannons, cart and four pack animals.^[2]

Design

The gun barrel was made of steel, with 12 left-hand groove rifling and a vertical sliding block breech. There is a tubular steel tripod, with two adjustable lateral legs and a central leg, equipped with a recoil spade. The tail of the tripod can be laid either in front of the gun or behind the gun. Underneath the gun barrel there's a hydro-spring recoil system, a hand wheel for elevation, and aiming is through a periscope.^[2] The tripod can be fitted with a steel gun shield, while two wheels can be fitted for transport. The legs of the tripod fold so the gun can be towed by man, pack animal or a two dog team. The gun could be dismantled into three packs for transports: barrel, cradle, and tripod, each weighing 34.6 kg (76 lb), 25.3 kg (56 lb) and 24.4 kg (54 lb). The gun fired Fixed QF 37×57 mm R ammunition, available in high-explosive, shrapnel and tracer which were carried in wooden crates of 15 projectiles, weighing 26.5 kg (58 lb 7 oz), a development which could be considered an early equivalent to today's grenade cartridges such as the 35×32mmSR and 40×53mmSR shells.^[2]

Photo Gallery

M15 ammunition at a museum in Vienna.
M15 at a museum in Vienna.
M15 at Bayerisches Armeemuseum.
M15 with its tail folded forward in a trench.
M15 with a gun shield and its trail folded backward in a forest.
M15 with a gun shield and its trail folded backward on a mountain
M15 folded in towing position.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Capellano, Filippo (1999). Societa Italia Di Storia Militare. Società Italiana di Storia Militare. pp. 82–91.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "37mm Infanteriegeschütz M.15". www.lanships.info. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
^ "Le artiglierie italiane nella 2ª Guerra Mondiale". xoomer.virgilio.it. Retrieved 2018-06-11.

Bibliography

Stefan Pataj: Artyleria lądowa 1872-1970. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo MON, 1975.
Filippo Cappellano , La Vickers-Terni and the production of artillery in Italy in the First World War , in the Italian Society of Military History, Quaderno 1999 , Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, 2003, pg. 82-91.[1]

External links

[:1-1] Capellano, Filippo (1999). Societa Italia Di Storia Militare. Società Italiana di Storia Militare. pp. 82–91.

[:0-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "37mm Infanteriegeschütz M.15". www.lanships.info. Retrieved 2018-06-10.

[3] "Le artiglierie italiane nella 2ª Guerra Mondiale". xoomer.virgilio.it. Retrieved 2018-06-11.

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v t e Austro-Hungarian artillery of World War I
Infantry and mountain	3.7 cm Infanteriegeschütz M.15 7 cm Gebirgsgeschütz M 75 7 cm Gebirgsgeschütz M 99 7.5 cm Gebirgsgeschütz 15 Škoda 7.5 cm d/29 Model 1911 10 cm Gebirgshaubitze M 99 10 cm Gebirgshaubitze M 8 10 cm Gebirgshaubitze M 16
Mortars	8 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 9 cm Minenwerfer M 14 9.15 cm leichtes Minenwerfer System Lanz 9 cm Minenwerfer M 17 10.5 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 12 cm Minenwerfer M 15 12 cm Luftminenwerfer M 16 14 cm Minenwerfer M 15 15 cm Luftminenwerfer M 15 M. E. 20 cm Luftminenwerfer M 16 22.5 cm Minenwerfer M 15 26 cm Minenwerfer M 17
Field, medium and heavy	8 cm FK M 99 8 cm FK M. 5 8 cm FK M. 17 8 cm FK M 18 9 cm FK M 75/96 10 cm FH M 99 10 cm Feldhaubitze M. 14 10.4 cm Feldkanone M. 15 15 cm sFH M 94 15 cm sFH M 14 15 cm sFH M.15 15 cm Autokanone M. 15/16
Superheavy and siege	12-cm Kanone M 80 15 cm Mörser M 80 15 cm Kanone M 80 18 cm kurze Kanone M 80 21 cm Mörser M. 16/18 24 cm Mörser M 98 24 cm Kanone M. 16 30.5 cm Mörser M. 11 30.5 cm Mörser M. 16 35 cm Marinekanone L/45 M. 16 38 cm Belagerungshaubitze M 16 42 cm Haubitze M. 14/16

v t e Italian artillery of World War I
Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone da 76/45 S 1911 Cannone da 75/27 A.V.
Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 8 cm FK M. 5 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Obice da 149/12 Cannone da 149/23 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 152/45
Mortars	Bombarda da 58 A Bombarda da 58 B 15 cm Mörser M1881 Bombarda da 240 mm
Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannon 37F Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 76/17 S modello 12 Cannone da 70/15
Naval and coastal defense guns	Cannon 76/40 Model 1916 Cannone da 76/45 S 1911 Cannon 102/35 Model 1914 Cannon 102/45 Cannon 152/32 Model 1887 Cannone da 190/45 EOC 8 inch 45 caliber EOC 10 inch 40 caliber EOC 10-inch /45 naval gun Obice da 280 305 mm /46 Model 1909 100-ton gun BL 13.5 inch naval gun Mk I – IV Cannone navale da 381/40
Railroad artillery	Cannone da 381/40 AVS
Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. Mortaio da 210/9 modello 14 Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 Obice da 280 Obice da 305/17

v t e Italian artillery of World War II
Tank guns	Breda Model 35 Cannone da 37/40 Cannone da 47/32 Cannone da 47/40 Cannone da 75/34
Anti-tank guns	Solothurn S-18/1000 Cannone da 47/32 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 90/53 Cannone da 105/25
Infantry and Mountain guns	Cannone da 37/10 modello 15 Cannone da 47/32 Cannone da 65/17 modello 13 Cannone da 70/15 Obice da 75/18 modello 34
Field, Medium and Heavy guns	Cannone da 75/27 modello 06 Cannone da 75/27 modello 12 Cannone da 75/27 modello 11 Obice da 75/18 modello 35 Cannone da 75/32 modello 37 Cannone da 76/17 S modello 12 Obice da 100/17 modello 14 Obice da 105/14 Cannone da 105/28 Cannone da 105/32 Obice da 149/12 Cannone da 149/28 Cannone da 149/35 A Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 Obice da 149/19 modello 37 Cannone da 152/45 Obice da 210/22
Superheavy and Siege artillery	Mortaio da 210/8 D.S. Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 Obice da 280 Obice da 305/17
Railroad artillery	Cannone navale da 381/40
Anti-aircraft guns	Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 (Scotti) Breda Model 35 Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda) Cannone da 75/27 A.V. Cannone da 75/46 C.A. modello 34 Cannone da 75/49 Cannone da 90/53