Anyone know what the counterweight looked like?

[CharlieBris]

The attached image is a 7,7cm Infanteriegeschutz L/27 produced in 1917. These guns were extensively modified Feldkanone 96 n.As. One of the modifications

was to move the axle back about 20-30cm. This obviously unbalanced the gun. There are two brackets at the end of the trail on each side of the traverse bar

which held a counterweight. None of the couterweights has survived on the 6 known surviving guns.

A reasonable hypothesis is that the counterweight was a water filled container shaped so it would slot in/over the brackets. Does anyone know what the counterweight looked like and what it was made of?

Regards,

Charlie

[centurion]

Given that the piece could be broken down for easier battlefield transportation it would make sense not to have to carry heavy counterweights around. However water would not be on tap so to speak and lugging water around would be as big a problem so I wonder if some sort of earth box was used mud and earth in plentiful supply all across the front so it could be shoveled in once the gun was back in battery.

Edit A simple rack to hold sand bags would work even better as one could just dump these if one wanted to move the gun in a hurry

[CharlieBris]

That's a reasonable suggestion. What puzzles me is the construction of the brackets on the end of the trail - it looks like something is meant to fit onto the

brackets - they look too precisely made to be a hanger for sandbags. Also the accuracy of the weight of the counterweight (mmm.. that's ugly) would have

to be fairly precise. I've picked the trail up on an FK 96 n.A and moved it (with the owner's permission) - the gun is incredibly well balanced it hardly takes any

effort to lift and move the trail. I'm sure the weight of sandbags would be accurate enough.

Regards,

Charlie

[centurion]

I was thinking that the holder for sandbags would fit on he existing brackets which is what I tried to express. Can't see that a piece intended to be used in such rough and ready surroundings could be too sensitive.According to Herbert Jager it wasn't so much a modified Feldkanone 96 as built using parts from one.

[CharlieBris]

Your last point is well made - I guess I should have said the IG L/27 was a design based on the FK 96 n.A. Looking at images of the surviving IG L27s the

construction based on the FK 96 parts bin is fairly obvious. The accessible survivors are all in North America (2 in Canada, 2 in the USA). There are 2 in

the Antipodes both in private collections. (http://landships/landships/artillery_articles.html?load=/landships/artillery_articles/FK_96_Derivatives.html).

Regards,

Charlie