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Help needed for German 10.5 shell...

starshell

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Good afternoon,

I'd be very grateful if anyone here could help identify a German First war 10.5cm shell I have.
I previously thought it may be a model 1915, but the measurements blew that idea out of the water! It has an adaptor fitted, with threads cut for a HZ14/HZ05 fuze.

It measures:

Base to top (without fuze): 347mm
Adaptor height/length: 47mm
Base to driving band: 28mm
Driving band width: 14mm

I've identified all others in the collection with no issues, but can't find info on this one (with the limited info that I have). I'm guessing it may not have made the books? Either way I've checked chemical, shrapnel and HE listings but still no luck, given the weight, I suspect its HE.
Inspectors marks and date stamp give a date of 1917 if that helps

Any help would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
 
Hello,
Photos could help.
Regards
IMG_4210.jpgIMG_4212.jpgIMG_4209.jpgIMG_4211.jpgIMG_4214.jpgIMG_4208.jpg

As requested, some images to help with identification.
(Unfortunately, this laptop has an annoying habit of tilting every image till I get to grips with it!)
The image shown with other 10.5cm's, shows this model above, (minus fuze), next to an '05 model 'Universal shell' with HZ05 fitted. They are almost identical, both in measurements and looks, but the model this thread relates to is thicker walled, thus heavier, and the adaptor height is longer at 47mm, compared to 39mm for the Universal shell, although both are identical in height.
I'll admit I'm stumped...
Till I'm sure what it is I guess I'll hold off with fuzing it.
Many thanks in advance for any help!
 
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The name is "H. Gr. 15 A" for the 10,5 cm Field Howitzers.

It's made from Siemens-Martin round steel bars and the "A" stands for "Ausgebohrt" which means that the inner cavity was drilled out. It was made in 1917 by "PW" which is "C. E. Pippigs Witwe" in Leipzig-Gohlis. It was a relatively small company building heavy duty cranes in peace time.

Possible fuzes would be H.Z.14 series, H.Z.05 Gr. and E.H.Z.16/17.

It's in all of the books I think because it was the main howitzer HE shell until the long HE shells were introduced. Official length to get it through acceptance control was 346,6 mm +/- 1,5 mm
 
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Thank you Alpini for the excellent information, more than I could have imagined.
Fantastic insight into part of the life of this little shell. Its stuff like this that puts a smile on my face...
This site is a superb place to learn indeed, thanks to its members.

Thanks to all,
 
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