German Artillery Cartridge - WW1 - Identification Please...

[Guest KaseBill]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this forum and have a quick question for you well informed ordnance experts.

I picked up a very large cartridge at a flea market in the South West of England recently and while I can tell it is a German Army shell from the Patronenfabrik works in Karlsruhe, I am thrown off as to the weapon that fired it - given its size.

Its dimensions are: length: 575mm; diameter: 155mm and I have attached three pictures to give you an idea of its shape and markings. Suffice to say - I've never seen a cartridge so large and therefore I wonder whether it belongs to a decommissioned naval gun (possibly set on railway carriage) or something similar.

Any advice really most appreciatively received...

Kind regards and a Merry Christmas

Alex

[arie]

Hi Alex,

welcome to the forum.

Your case is indeed German and made by the "Patronenfabrik Karlsruhe" in April 1917 with batch number 21.

This case is interesting because it was, as you thought, originally a naval calibre.

At the start of the war the Germans lacked enough far ranging artillery and started using spare and obsolete naval guns.

Artillery which used these cases are the "15 cm S.K. L/40 in Räderlafette (schwere 15 cm Kanone)" (heavy gun in wheel carriage), the "15 cm S.K. L/40 auf Prahm" (gun mounted on a small boat used on the rivers of France and Belgium) and by the "Marinekorps Flandern" in their coastel batteries.

The German 15 cm railway gun (15 cm S.K. L/45 (E) nicknamed "Nathan") used a 150 x 815 mm case instead of the 150 x 575 mm which you have.

Originally these cases had a navy stamp, the month would be in roman i.e. I for januari, II for februari, V for may etc. and there would be a stamp of a crowned M.

More info and photo's can be found here http://www.landships.info/landships/artillery_articles.html?load=/landships/artillery_articles/FK_i_R.html

Regards Arjen

[musadv]

Hi Folks,

Like Alex, I'm new to the Forum, and was attracted to this chain of correspondence by the 'promise' of photographs of the cartridge case of a 15cm German gun, as I'm researching the bombardment of Scarborough by ships of the Kaiserliche Marine in December 1914. It seems certain that the two ships which fired on the town used their 15cm guns, and Scarborough Museum has a rusty, empty shell, minus its fuze and with the driving bands grooved, of nominal 15cm calibre, so I'm pretty sure it's from the bombardment but it didn't explode, which is why it's survived. I'm now trying to find images of the ammunition they would have used, and in particular sectioned drawings which would indicate filliong arrangements, etc. So far I can't find any - can anyone help?

Best wishes,

Robin