7.7 cm Feldkanone 96
A FK 96 a.A. during manoeuvres in 1902.
TypeField gun
Place of originGerman Empire
Service history
In service1896
Used byGerman Empire
WarsWorld War I
Herero Wars
Second Boer War
Production history
DesignerKrupp
ManufacturerKrupp
Variants7.7 cm FK 96 n.A.
Specifications
Mass919 kilograms (2,026 lb)
Barrel length2.15 metres (7 ft 1 in)
Diameter77 mm
Shellseparate-loading, cased charge
Caliber77 mm (3 in)
Breechhorizontal sliding-block
Carriagefixed trail
Rate of fire8 rpm
Muzzle velocity465 m/s (1,525 ft/s)
Fillingpicric acid

The 7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 (7.7 cm FK 96) was a field gun used by Germany before World War I.

History

It was a thoroughly conventional gun, being a modernized version of Krupp's FK 73 gun, but failed to incorporate any recoil system other than a partially effective spade brake, and fired a 12-pound projectile. Thus it was rendered obsolete when the French introduced their Canon de 75 modèle 1897 the following year. Most guns were rebuilt to modern standards (only the barrel was retained) in 1904 as the 7.7 cm FK 96 n.A. (neuer Art) [new model] which served throughout World War I as one of Germany's main light field guns. The remaining unmodified guns were then known as the 7.7 cm FK 96 a.A. (alte Art or old model).

A number of 7.5 cm Krupp L/24 quick firing guns, similar to the 7.7 cm Feldkanone C/96 (FK 96 a/A) guns, were sold to the Boer republic of Transvaal. These guns were used with good effect against the British in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1902. A number of 7.7 cm FK 96 a/A guns were also used by Schutztruppen batteries during the 1904 Herero Wars and during the South African invasion of German South West Africa, 1914–1915.

See also

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

References

    • Jäger, Herbert. German Artillery of World War One. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: Crowood Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86126-403-8
    • Ortner, M. Christian. The Austro-Hungarian Artillery From 1867 to 1918: Technology, Organization, and Tactics. Vienna, Verlag Militaria, 2007 ISBN 978-3-902526-13-7
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