WW2 heavy field howitzer, your choice

[Vincenzo]

This is the third part, unluckily for you all is not the last
requirements
fired in combat in WW2
range 12 km
weight max 7.5-8 tons (i thinked 7.5, the triple of 2.5 limit used in the light challenge but i don't want that some howitzer is out for a few hundreds kilos) (all the howitzer until 2.5 tons can not partecipate)

 

[Vincenzo]

apparently the range requirement do a heavy screening
atm i found this howitzer that would be fulfill the requiremnts
15 cm sFH 18
15 cm sFH 36
15 cm sFH 37 (t)
15 cm Bofors M1931 (hungarian army i don't found the hungarian nome)
Obice 149/19 Mod. 37 (41, 42)
Obuzierul Skoda 150mm model 1934
152mm Howitzer-Gun M 1937
152mm Howitzer M 1938
152mm Howitzer M 1943
15 cm Bofors Model 1934 (If Thai used its)
B.L. 5.5-inch Gun
155m Howitzer M1
15 cm Skoda Model 1936 (Yugoslavian army similato to Model 1934 in Romanian army)

 

[Vincenzo]

adding some infos
Model/Weight in combat/Shell weight/Range/Traverse/ Max Elevation
sFH 18/5.5 tons/43.5 kg/13.3 km/64°/45°
sFH 36/3.5/43.5/12.5/56/43
sFH 37/5.2/42/15.7/45/70
Bofors M19311934/5.6/41.5/14.6/45/45 (need check, hope some swedes can help)
Mod.37/5.7/42.5/14.2/50/60 (6.2 tons Mod.41)
Skoda M19341936/5.3/42/15.1/45/70 (need check if actually were same)
M1937/7.1/43.6/17.2/58/65
M1938/4.2/40/12.3/50/65
M1943/3.6/40/12.3/35/63
5.5-inch/6.2/36.345.4/16.514.8/60/70
M1/5.6/43.1/14.7/50/63

 

[Vincenzo]

i try to put on paper my choices
the soviet gun-howitzer M1937 had many pros: range, good traverse and elevation but had a heavy cons the weight is the heaviest piece, more 2 time of lightest.
the british 5.5-inch: the weight go down of 900 kilos, but also the range go down of 700 meters (with a 7.3 kg lighter shell)
many howitzer (sFH 18, sFH 37,Mod. 37, Bofors export, Skoda export, M1) are in the 5.2-5.7 tons weight range whitin this i stay with the sFH 37 (t) this is 1.9 tons lighter of M1937, 1.5 km less range.
the soviet howitzers and the sFH 36 are lighter 3-3.5 tons and 4.5-5 km lesser range actually they are in a different category comparating with the ML-20.

 

[Shortround6]

The category covers a bit too much ground.

For the Russians you have the 3600kg M1943 (D-1) and the 7,300-7,900kg M1937 ML-20. The extra range of the ML-20 had to be paid for somehow.

 

[Vincenzo]

same conclusion as my last phrase in post 4°
easily we can split in the 5-7.5 tons category and in the 2.5-5 tons category
in this probably i stay with M1938

 

[tomo pauk]

Maybe it all boils down to the available prime movers - if there is plenty of powerful ones, the ML-20 is the winner. If one relies to the comandeered civilian trucks, the lightest howitzer is the choice.

 

[Shortround6]

Maybe it all boils down to the available prime movers - if there is plenty of powerful ones, the ML-20 is the winner. If one relies to the comandeered civilian trucks, the lightest howitzer is the choice.

Or horses.

We are getting into rather confused missions here. Some of these weapons were used as divisional artillery (around 1/4 of the divisional artillery) and supplemental battalions. Others were used as corp artillery (or both) and some were corp and/or army artillery. The armies with the better traction tended to put heavier weapons in lower echelon units.

You have two warring requirements.
1. the howitzer you can actually get within range of the enemy is the best one regardless of caliber/shell weight.
2. That being said having a 15ch howitzer with a max range of 12-13km is going to put you at a real disadvantage if the enemies 75mm-105mm field artillery can out-range your 15cm howitzer.

You also have to look at the shells, the British being let down a bit in this area. The 5.5in 80lb shell actually carried more explosive than the 5.5in 100lb shell due to the cheap steel the British specified for shell bodies.

 

[Vincenzo]

tomo pauk good point, with the split in 2 category this trouble is not so important as before (weight difference sFH36 ML-20 is 3,6 tons, that within sFH37 and ML-20 is 1.9 tons),

Shortround6 all the howitzer in the 5-7.5 tond category were built as corps artillery (also if german and american were also divisional artillery). the ML-20 go in the army artillery when there were not more corps artillery in the soviet army. however this is a point on as were organizate the armies and as good was their logistic. your traction theory fall to facts: the British army (sure the more mototized army afdter the US army) put only the 25 pdr to divisional echelon.