German artillery - L.H.V.

[johndavidswarbrick]

Hi,

 

I have been working on the war diary of the 20th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers and found frequent references to "L.H.V." - usually in conjunction with T.M.s - which I know to be trench mortars - any idea as to what "L.H.V." stands for?

[AOK4]

Would that be LMW, leichte Minenwerfer?

[johndavidswarbrick]

Hi AOK4,

 

No, it's definitely LHV - crops up several times - the following is typical:

November 26

Gas was discharged from the Right and Centre Company fronts at 2.35 am. Enemy opened occasional M.G. fire and slow rifle fire 5 minutes later. No T.M.s or artillery retaliation followed. At 3.0 am a few L.H.V. and T.M.s on Left Coy.

Second gas cloud liberated at 4.5 am. Retaliation rather heavy on Left Coy. Line reoccupied at 6.0 am. No casualties due to the discharge or retaliation.

 

 

[4thGordons]

Light High Velocity? (as in Whizz-bang? flat firing high velocity field piece?)

simply a guess from context it is not an abbreviation I have seen before.

Chris

[johndavidswarbrick]

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for that suggestion - certainly plausible and, as you write, would fit. The diary mentions aerial torpedoes and rifle grenades as well as light, medium and heavy trench mortars - all in the same or similar contexts i.e. German retaliation for T.M.s launched at them by the Battalion. There don't appear to be an "hits" for the term online, so I suspect it was a pretty localised abbreviation for something like a T.M. but apparently distinguishable from a T.M.

 

Dave