I am wondering if anyone might be able to help me identify a Brass 75mm Shell Case that belongs to a friend.,
I am a former part time (territorial) soldier of 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, so have some knowledge of ammunition and other artillery matters, but google searches etc haven't helped me identify this shell case and I am not collector of ordnance or militaria. It appears to me to be a slightly unusual case in that it looks rather long for its 75mm bore, and if it were from WW2 I would have thought it likely to be from a high velocity anti tank or anti aircraft gun, but I presume the 1915 marking means it is from the year 1915, well before anti tank guns were around, although I suppose the 1915 might not be a year and might mean something else.
Stamped on the base of Shell case (is the correct term Head stamps?), which is slightly dished inwards (concave), which in itself seems unusual to me, is the following.
PATRONENFABRIK
KARLSRUHE
1915
90 (I suppose that could be 06 if I have the orientation wrong, but I think it was 90)
The primer appears to have been removed at some time and the resulting hole filled with filler of some sort.
Those appear to be the only marks stamped on the shell case that I can see although there is a little corrosion or verdigris which may be obscuring other small marks.
The case is brass, rimmed, of 75 mm in diameter, and 693 - 695 mm long (the owner had trouble measuring the length accurately)
I presume it was made in Germany from the stamp marks, and I presume made in 1915 although that 1915 marking could mean something other than a year of manufacture I suppose.
The New Zealand family who have the shell case had a relative, a driver in the NZ Field Artillery, killed in France in WW1 in the battle of Flers-Courclette starting on 15th Sep 1916, the third and final major Allied thrust of the battle of the Somme. He died of wounds in a New Zealand military hospital just south of London on 20th Sept 1916. That was NZ's first battle on the western front after arriving there from Gallipoli where I understand he had also fought. I am not sure if the shell case was sent back by him to NZ before he was killed or whether it has some other unrelated provenance.
Attached are two photos of the shell case, which unfortunately are of very oor quality due to it being night and me only having the camera in my oldish mobile phone with me at the time.
Hopefully someone can help with identifying this 75mm shell case.
Cheers,
Chris M
I am a former part time (territorial) soldier of 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, so have some knowledge of ammunition and other artillery matters, but google searches etc haven't helped me identify this shell case and I am not collector of ordnance or militaria. It appears to me to be a slightly unusual case in that it looks rather long for its 75mm bore, and if it were from WW2 I would have thought it likely to be from a high velocity anti tank or anti aircraft gun, but I presume the 1915 marking means it is from the year 1915, well before anti tank guns were around, although I suppose the 1915 might not be a year and might mean something else.
Stamped on the base of Shell case (is the correct term Head stamps?), which is slightly dished inwards (concave), which in itself seems unusual to me, is the following.
PATRONENFABRIK
KARLSRUHE
1915
90 (I suppose that could be 06 if I have the orientation wrong, but I think it was 90)
The primer appears to have been removed at some time and the resulting hole filled with filler of some sort.
Those appear to be the only marks stamped on the shell case that I can see although there is a little corrosion or verdigris which may be obscuring other small marks.
The case is brass, rimmed, of 75 mm in diameter, and 693 - 695 mm long (the owner had trouble measuring the length accurately)
I presume it was made in Germany from the stamp marks, and I presume made in 1915 although that 1915 marking could mean something other than a year of manufacture I suppose.
The New Zealand family who have the shell case had a relative, a driver in the NZ Field Artillery, killed in France in WW1 in the battle of Flers-Courclette starting on 15th Sep 1916, the third and final major Allied thrust of the battle of the Somme. He died of wounds in a New Zealand military hospital just south of London on 20th Sept 1916. That was NZ's first battle on the western front after arriving there from Gallipoli where I understand he had also fought. I am not sure if the shell case was sent back by him to NZ before he was killed or whether it has some other unrelated provenance.
Attached are two photos of the shell case, which unfortunately are of very oor quality due to it being night and me only having the camera in my oldish mobile phone with me at the time.
Hopefully someone can help with identifying this 75mm shell case.
Cheers,
Chris M
