Fahrpanzer

The Fahrpanzer was a mobile artillery piece made prior to World War I in Germany, implemented in several German fortifications from 1890 onwards and exported to several foreign military powers prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

5.3 cm Fahrpanzer
A German 5.3 cm Fahrpanzer at the Royal Military History Museum, Brussels, Belgium.
Place of origin German Empire
Service history
In service1892-1945
WarsBalkan Wars
World War I
Further information
Production history
DesignerHermann Gruson
Designed1890
ManufacturerH. Gruson Eisengiesserei & Maschinenfabrik Buckau
Produced1892
Specifications
MassTravel: 2,940 kg (6,480 lb)
Combat: 2,240 kg (4,940 lb)[1]
Barrel length1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) L/24.5
ShellFixed QF 53 x 176 R[2]
Shell weight1.75 kg (3 lb 14 oz)
Caliber5.3 cm (2.1 in)
BreechFalling block action
CarriageHorse cart for transport,
60 cm (24 in) military gauge tracks
Elevation-10° to +10°
Traverse360°[1]
Rate of fire30-35 rpm
Muzzle velocity495 m/s (1,620 ft/s)
Maximum firing range3 km (2 mi)[1]
5.7 cm Fahrpanzer
A captured Bulgarian 5.7 cm Fahrpanzer at the Athens Military Museum.
Place of origin German Empire
Service history
WarsBalkan Wars
World War I
Further information
Specifications
MassTravel: 3,600 kg (7,900 lb)
Combat: 2,550 kg (5,620 lb)[3]
Barrel length1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) L/25.6
ShellFixed QF 57 x 250 R[2]
Shell weight2.7–4 kg (5 lb 15 oz–8 lb 13 oz)
Caliber5.7 cm (2.2 in)
BreechFalling block action
CarriageHorse cart for transport,
60 cm rail track on site
Elevation-10° to +10°
Traverse360°[3]
Rate of fire30-35 rpm
Muzzle velocity495 m/s (1,620 ft/s)
Maximum firing range5.5 km (3 mi)[3]

Specifications

Beginning in 1878 the German industrialist Hermann Gruson's company located in Magdeburg, Germany specialized in the design and construction of armored gun turrets for fortifications. In 1892 Gruson's company merged with Krupp which greatly increased production capacity and the market for their designs. Gruson works turrets could be found in fortifications in Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Italy. One of his companies products was the Fahrpanzer which was a type of mobile armored pillbox.

As designed the Fahrpanzer was mounted on narrow gauge railroad trucks and was wheeled along 60 cm (24 in) military gauge tracks to its battle station. When not in use it would be pushed into a protective bunker to avoid damage during heavy bombardment. The Fahrpanzer was not autonomous: as originally designed it could only be pushed into place and rearmed from outside. It is not clear whether in practice any Fahrpanzer were retrofitted to be self-propelled or self-reloading. However artillery pieces of any kind were in short supply during World War I, and many Fahrpanzers were removed from their fortifications and installed in forward trenches by the Germans.[4]

For road transport, the Fahrpanzers had purpose-built horse-drawn carriages. Most export models of the Fahrpanzer were sold with such a carriage, and it appears some export Fahrpanzer remained affixed to their carriages for the duration of their military career. All Fahrpanzer were fully armored and operated by a two-man crew. They may have been positioned and rearmed by the gun crew, or by handlers stationed outside the weapon. In any event, the lack of self-propulsion and self-rearming capability placed its operators at risk. The Fahrpanzer could have benefitted from continued development to equip it with such capabilities, however, the emergence of fully autonomous armored tanks on the battlefield effectively rendered the concept obsolete. A period illustration clearly showing several remote-controlled, machine gun-armed Fahrpanzer engaged in trench warfare does exist, however, no photos or documents exist to suggest the idea ever evolved past the conceptual stage.[4]

Armament

The armament of the Fahrpanzer consisted of one quick-fire gun ranging in size from 37–65 mm (1.5–2.6 in) with the most common sizes being 3.7 cm, 5.3 cm, and 5.7 cm. The Fahrpanzer's guns were capable of +10 degrees and -10 degrees elevation, mounted in a 360-degree rotating turret. The shells were fed from inside by the two-man gun crew, who would be fully protected by the Fahrpanzer's armor until it ran out of ammunition. In practice the firing of the gun destabilized the Fahrpanzer badly, reducing the accuracy of the crew's aim. Since the Fahrpanzer had limited elevation it was a direct fire anti-personnel weapon meant to fire on infantry assaults in the open and the most common types of shells were common, canister and shrapnel.[4] In addition to the Fahrpanzer the Germans also used the 5.3 cm gun in retractable Gruson Works turrets designated the 5 cm SchnellFeuer Kanone in Panzerlafette and a version on a wheeled pedestal mount designated the 5 cm SchnellFeuer Kanone in Kasemattenlafette for use in armored casemates in German frontier fortifications.[5]

Austria-Hungary also produced the 6 cm Fahrpanzer Kanone M98 and the 6 cm Kasemattkanone M98/M99 to arm their fortifications. Despite being designated 6 cm they were actually 5.7 cm guns and the Austro-Hungarian Army designation system just rounded up to the nearest centimeter.[6] The Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Bulgaria also purchased 5.7 cm variants of the Gruson guns. The Bulgarians bought Fahrpanzers while the Italian guns were mounted in retractable turrets such as those at Colle delle Finestre. However, due to a shortage of field artillery, the Royal Italian Army removed a number of guns from fortifications on their western border and placed them on simple two-wheeled box trail carriages for use as infantry support guns under the designation Cannone da 57/25 Gruson.

Romanian infantry variant
Tunul “Gruson”, calibrul 53 mm, model 1887/1916
53 mm Gruson in infantry gun role in the Romanian army
Place of origin Kingdom of Romania
Service history
In service1916-1919
WarsWorld War I
Hungarian-Romanian War
Further information
Production history
DesignerArsenalul Armatei
ManufacturerArsenalul Armatei
No. built200+
Specifications
Mass341 kg (752 lb)[7]
Barrel length1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) L/24.5
ShellFixed QF 53 x 176mm R[8]
Shell weight1.65 kg (3.6 lb)
Caliber5.3 cm (2.1 in)
CarriageBox trail
Elevation-7° to +35°
Traverse40°
Muzzle velocity480 m/s (1,600 ft/s)
Maximum firing range400 m (440 yd)

Romania purchased 334 Gruson Fahrpanzers, in the 53 mm caliber. These were initially deployed on the Siret Line at Focşani (15 batteries, with 6 turrets each), Nămoloasa (24 batteries of 3-5 turrets), Galati (30 batteries of 6 turrets and 10 batteries of 3 turrets) and Brateş (10 turrets). The bridgeheads (not part of that Line) at Cernavodă and Turtucaia were equipped with 28 turrets, and the one at Silistra was equipped with 17 turrets. These guns remained in their emplacements for about twenty years, before being transformed into infantry guns between 1914 and 1916 by mounting them on Romanian-built gun carriages. A few were transformed into anti-aircraft guns.[9]

Surviving examples

The Fahrpanzer on display in the Army Museum in Brussels has long been cited as the only remaining example, however pictures of restored Fahrpanzers can be found originating from Bulgaria,[10] Greece, Switzerland, France, and South America. There are also numerous Fahrpanzers on display in the Polish Army Museum and Museum of Polish Military Technology, both in Warsaw. There is at least one in Vina del Mar, on the beach near Valparaiso, Chile, at the Naval Gun Museum.[11]

Users

Weapons of similar configuration, era, and performance
  • A German gun at Ostende Belgium.
  • A Bulgarian gun crew.
  • An Italian Cannone da 57/25 Gruson captured by the Austrians.
  • A Swiss gun.
  • The 60 cm track used to reposition the gun.
  • A Danish 37 mm L/30 gun in the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum.

References
  1. Fleischer, Wolfgang (February 2015). German artillery:1914-1918. Barnsley. p. 110. ISBN 9781473823983. OCLC 893163385.
  2. "48-57 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  3. "Gruson 57mm 1892". www.bulgarianartillery.it. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  4. "Gruson Fahrpanzer". www.landships.info. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  5. "5 cm SchnellFeuer Kanone in Kasemattenlafette". www.passioncompassion1418.com.
  6. "Zobacz temat - Austro-wegierski "Blockhauzy" obrony mostow kolejo". www.fortyfikacje.net. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  7. Gruson 53mm field gun M. 1887/1916
  8. "48-57 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  9. Adrian Storea, Gheorghe Băjenaru (2010) Artileria română în date şi imagini (in Romanian), ISBN 978-606-524-080-3, page 61
  11. "MUSEO DE CAÑONES DE VIÑA DEL MAR - CHILE".
  12. "Gruson 5.3cm L/24 Fahrpanzer - WO1Wiki". www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2018-11-08.
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