Mystery 75mm shell ID?

[HoldThePickle24]

Hi gang. I picked up this 75mm projectile yesterday and I’m not sure what it is. Measures just about 75mm at the bourrelet, 265mm-ish in length. Small drive band with a groove. Some faint stamping at the bottom of the shell, including a 75mm indication and 1916 date. Fuze is all steel with no visible markings. Looks to have a shrapnel push plate shelf at the inside bottom, but that seems weird with what I assume is a point detonating fuze. Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

[Alpini]

The shrapnel was made in Canada most probably for Serbia. The factory "PEW" was kindly translated by Snufkin here: https://www.bocn.co.uk/threads/need-id-on-a-70mm-projectile.103530/#post-317529

A 120 mm shell made by the same factory, also probably for Serbia: https://www.bocn.co.uk/threads/120mm-projectile-id.89261/page-2#post-254258

It's not a fuze but a plug. I think it was primarily used as a transport plug which once had a leather washer above the tread to protect the fuze thread prior to filling / fuzing.

 

[DF-41A]

To begin with, the headstamp in IMG_4132 includes Chinese character “37式75山”, which means type 37 75mm mountain gun（辽三七式75mm山炮）. It's a copy of the Japanese type 41 mountain gun, made in factory 90 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in 1948 (37th year of Republic of China) during Chinese civil war. But there are also claims that it's a rework based on the Canadian made 6 pdr.
The traditional Chinese character of Shenyang is "瀋陽", which matches with the headstamp. And the factory logo also matches, seen in the pic below.

So I presume the shell case is for type 37 75mm mountain gun. But the projectile seems to be no match with the case, as Alpini mentioned. Could you plz measure the length of the shell case?

Regards.

 

[HoldThePickle24]

@DF-41A Doh! That picture of the case wasn’t supposed to be attached to my post. Sorry about that - my fat fingers must have selected it accidentally. Thank you for the ID though because I was trying to find out what it was for. I couldn’t find anything about a Japanese “type 37”

To begin with, the headstamp in IMG_4132 includes Chinese character “37式75山”, which means type 37 75mm mountain gun（辽三七式75mm山炮）. It's a copy of the Japanese type 41 mountain gun, made in factory 90 in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in 1948 (37th year of Republic of China) during Chinese civil war. But there are also claims that it's a rework based on the Canadian made 6 pdr.
The traditional Chinese character of Shenyang is "瀋陽", which matches with the headstamp. And the factory logo also matches, seen in the pic below.

So I presume the shell case is for type 37 75mm mountain gun. But the projectile seems to be no match with the case, as Alpini mentioned. Could you plz measure the length of the shell case?

Regards.

 

[HoldThePickle24]

The shrapnel was made in Canada most probably for Serbia. The factory "PEW" was kindly translated by Snufkin here: https://www.bocn.co.uk/threads/need-id-on-a-70mm-projectile.103530/#post-317529

A 120 mm shell made by the same factory, also probably for Serbia: https://www.bocn.co.uk/threads/120mm-projectile-id.89261/page-2#post-254258

It's not a fuze but a plug. I think it was primarily used as a transport plug which once had a leather washer above the tread to protect the fuze thread prior to filling / fuzing.

Brilliant! Thank you @Alpini This would be my first Serbian piece then. Thanks for the identification. Like that thread mentioned though, isn’t the 1916 date odd? With Serbia being well occupied by that time? If an exported Schneider gun, could it have been for Romania or Russia or something maybe??

 

[DF-41A]

@DF-41A Doh! That picture of the case wasn’t supposed to be attached to my post. Sorry about that - my fat fingers must have selected it accidentally. Thank you for the ID though because I was trying to find out what it was for. I couldn’t find anything about a Japanese “type 37”

It turns out I was chasing the wrong lead. The shell case is rare though, I've never seen one before, good collection.

 

[HoldThePickle24]

It turns out I was chasing the wrong lead. The shell case is rare though, I've never seen one before, good collection.

@DF-41A You’ve helped me out a bunch though. So this case is definitely post WW1, right? The little stickers on it said it was “1905 Japanese” or something. I collect Span-Am thru WW1, so I might need to move this guy along.

 

[DF-41A]

@DF-41A You’ve helped me out a bunch though. So this case is definitely post WW1, right? The little stickers on it said it was “1905 Japanese” or something. I collect Span-Am thru WW1, so I might need to move this guy along.

Chinese factories refurbished a lot of used Japanese shell cases to re-use, so I wouldn't say that for 100%. But since I don't see any original Japanese markings (except the primer), I think it's very likely post WW1.

Regards.

 

[wingsofwrath]

Brilliant! Thank you @Alpini This would be my first Serbian piece then. Thanks for the identification. Like that thread mentioned though, isn’t the 1916 date odd? With Serbia being well occupied by that time? If an exported Schneider gun, could it have been for Romania or Russia or something maybe??

I am pretty sure this is Serbian, because for some reason they wanted that extreme bottom taper on most of their ammunition and, as far as I know, no other country had that.
When properly fuzed, the shrapnel should look like this, with what they call the Model 1907 fuze:

 

[AKON_]

Maybe this cut will come in handy.
Akon