10,5cm leichte Feld Haubitze 98/09
Cartridge Casing
10,5cm cartridge casing for the Krupp leichte Feld Haubitze 98/09 (light field howitzer Model 1898/1909). To illustrate the size, the casing is photographed with an original Model 1894 Sachsen (Saxon) Feld-Artillerie Mannschaften (Field Artillery Other Ranks) issued Pickelhaube Kgl. Sächs. 1. Feld-Artillerie-Regt. Nr.12 (Dresden/Königsbrück) XII Armee Korps with an issue date of 1904.

10,5cm leichte Feld Haubitze Cartridge Casing Data:
  • Height - 92mm (3.62 inches)
  • Actual Calibre - 110mm (4.33 inches)
  • Base Diameter - 122mm (4.80 inches)
  • Weight - 1.1 kg (2.42 lbs.)
  • Manufacturer - Fritz Neumeyer
  • Date - December 1916
A close-up of the head stamping on the base with the manufacturer's stamp and date. Marked: FN (Fritz Neumeyer cartridge factory) manufactured "DEZ 1916" (December 1916). "60" is the lot number of that batch of cases which were made during 1916. Hb27 is the control/inspection mark of the manufacturer Fritz Neumeyer.
 
10,5cm leichte Feld Haubitze 98/09

Photo courtesy Ralph Lovett Photo Archives
In 1898 the German Army received a new howitzer, the 10,5cm leichte Feld Howitzer 98 (l.F.H. = light field howitzer Model 1898). It was originally built by Rheinmetall with a fixed-recoil but was redesigned by Krupp with a recoil mechanism and carriage which was accepted for service in 1909 to become the 10,5cm leichte Feldhaubitze 98/09.

The structure of the land forces of the German Empire in 1914 had two Feldartillerie regiments permanently attached to each Infanterie division. Each Feldartillerie regiment consisted of two battalions with three batteries of six cannon each. Three of the four battalions were equipped with the horse-drawn 7,7cm FK96 n/A (Feld Kanone new model). The forth battalion, however, was equipped with 10,5cm l.F.H. 98/09 which gave a howitzer capability to each Infanterie division. Often overlooked by history, the 10,5cm l.F.H. 98/09 was arguably the only useful weapon the Feldartillerie had once the western front solidified into a stalemate.

10,5cm leichte Feld Haubitze 98/09 Data:

  • Weight - 1,145 kg (2,519 lbs)
  • Range - 6.30 km (3.91 miles)
  • Manufacturer - Rheinmetall / Krupp
  • Barrel Length - 1.625 m (5 ft 4")
  • Projectile - 14.81 kg (32.7 lbs) High Explosive
 
10.5 cm leichte Feld Haubitze 16 L/22
In 1916 the short range of the l.F.H. 98/09 was found to be inadequate, so an upgraded model was produced by Rheinmetall as a replacement for the l.F.H. 98/09 . It now carried a longer L/22 barrel as well as an improved breech and carriage. It fired the same ammo as the old gun. In period photographs, the 10.5 cm l.F.H. 16 is often mistaken for the 7,7cm l.F.Kk 16 as both utilized the same carriage.

10.5 cm leichte Feldhaubitze 16 Data:

  • Weight - 1,525 kg (3,360 lb)
  • Range - 9.22 km (5.72 miles)
  • Manufacturer - Rheinmetall
  • Barrel Length - 2.31 m (7 ft 7 inches)
  • Projectile - 14.81 kg (32.7 lb) High Explosive

Photo courtesy Ralph Lovett Photo Archives