17 cm Kanone 18

17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette
17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf at the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum.
Type	Heavy gun
Place of origin	Germany
Service history
In service	1941–45
Used by	Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Manufacturer	Krupp (until 1942), Hanomag
Produced	1941–45
Specifications
Mass	combat: 17,520 kg (38,625 lbs) travel: 23,375 kg (51,533 lbs)
Length	8.53 m (28 ft)
Caliber	173 mm (6.8 in)
Breech	horizontal block
Elevation	-6°to +50°
Traverse	16° on wheels 360° on platform
Muzzle velocity	925 m/s (3,035 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	29.6 km (18.4 mi)

The 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette (German: Heavy Howitzer Carriage) (17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf) was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War. It was intended to be employed at the Corps level in order to provide long-range counter-battery support. It filled the same basic role as the 21 cm Mörser 18 as well as sharing its carriage, and replaced it entirely after 1942. Although it was technically an excellent weapon, it was expensive, difficult to maneuver, and very slow to set up and tear down; many were lost when their crews abandoned them to avoid capture by advancing Allied forces.

References

• Engelmann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
• Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
• Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. 2nd corrected edition. Mechanicsville, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997 ISBN 1-85367-480-X