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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

German Artillery Shell


mutley

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I have what I believe is the nose cap and fuse assembly to a german shell

It was given to me by a friend who knows of my interest in the 1914 -18 period. It is marked up with the following:

"Dopp Z 92 Sp 16"

The fuse assembly is 58mm in diameter and the nose cap is approx 120mm in diameter. The fuse has a numbered scale band around the base with an indicator at the 21 point. Can anybody tell me what size of gun this would have been fired from or what the significance of the numbered ring is? :unsure:

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I can answer part of the question. The Dopp Z indicates Doppel-Zünder, time and percussion fuze. The significance of the numbered ring is to set the time in flight for the shell to explode such as in the use of shrapnel shells.

The 92 fuze was used by the 10cm gun. I have to look further regarding Sp 16, it could relate to the manufacturer and date of manufacture. I do not have my identification book available until tonight. If no one else answers the shell type by then I will make a second post.

Ralph

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"Sp 16" means it was made at the Spandau works in 1916.

The Dopp Z 92 was used on many calibre shells, I am sure, as well as 10cm. I have certainly seen it on other shells over the years!

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Thank you both for the information, to pose another question does the fact that I have these two items intact (apart from the deterioration caused by 80 years buried in the ground) mean that the shell was a dud or were the nose caps blown off as the shell exploded? :)

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Hello,

The Dopp Z92 was used with following shells: '89 shrapnel (21 cm howitzer in turret) - '04 shrapnel (21 cm gun with chase rings) - '88, '14 and '14A HE (15 cm howitzer in turret) - '88 HE (15cm heavy field howitzer) - '15 shrapnel with forward driving band (15 cm long gun with chase rings) - '80/'02 shrapnel (15 cm long gun with chase rings) - '90, '90/'92, '07 and '15 shrapnel (15 cm long gun) - '14 HE and '80/'92 and '15 shrapnel (12 cm heavy gun).

Greetings,

Jan

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The shell did explode in all likelihood. The fuzes were generally intact even after detonation. I came across 4 British fuzes on my last trip to the Somme and Messines. I also have a number of German fuzes that were found in Northern France.

Ralph

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