| BL 12-inch howitzer | |
|---|---|
 12-inch howitzer Mk IV manned by Newfoundlanders, UK, 1942 | |
| Type | Heavy siege howitzer |
| Place of origin |
 UK |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1916 - 1945 |
| Used by | UK and Commonwealth |
| Wars | World War I, World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Vickers |
| No. built | 14 (Mk II); 43 (Mk IV) |
| Variants | Mk II, Mk IV[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length |
160 inch (Mk II) 207.6 inch (Mk IV)[2] |
|
| |
| Shell | HE 750 lb (340 kg) |
| Calibre | 12 inches (304.8 mm) |
| Recoil | Variable hydropneumatic |
| Carriage | siege carriage |
| Maximum firing range |
11,340 yd (10,370 m) (Mk II) 14,350 yd (13,120 m) (Mk IV)[2] |
The Ordnance BL 12-inch howitzer was a scaled-up version of the successful 9.2-inch siege howitzer.
History[]
Following the success of their BL 9.2-inch howitzer, Vickers designed an almost identical version scaled up to a calibre of 12 inches, the Mk II entering service on the Western Front in August 1916.[3]
It was similar but unrelated to the 12 inch railway howitzers Mk I, III and V produced by the Elswick Ordnance Company at the same time.
The Mk IV was a more powerful version with longer barrel produced from 1917.
Later models were used for British home defence in World War II.
Combat use[]
As with other large-calibre weapons, it was operated by the Royal Garrison Artillery in World War I.
The 12-inch was dismantled and transported in 6 loads mounted on traction engine wheels. It was then reassembled on its static siege mounting on top of a steel "holdfast", with 22 long ton of earth in a box sitting on the front of the holdfast in front of the gun, to counteract the kick of firing.
Surviving examples[]
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Ammunition[]
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See also[]
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era[]
- 305 mm howitzer M1915 Russian equivalent
- Skoda 305 mm Model 1911 Austro-Hungarian equivalent
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Mk II = Mark 2, Mk IV = Mark 4. Britain used Roman numerals to denote Marks (i.e. models) of ordnance until after World War II. This article covers the second and fourth models of British 12-inch howitzer.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hogg & Thurston 1972, page 181, 184
- ↑ Hogg & Thurston 1972, Page 180. 8 complete equipments are reported as arriving in August 1916 and being in action in France shortly afterwards.
Bibliography[]
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005 ISBN 978-1-84176-788-8
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972. ISBN 978-0-7110-0381-1
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