Merit 61603 German 15cm sFH18 Howitzer

The 15 cm sFH 18 (full name: 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18) is a German 149.1 mm heavy towed howitzer from the Second World War. The initial velocity of the projectile fired from this gun was up to 520 m / s, with a maximum range of about 13,300 meters. The first prototypes of this weapon were created in the years 1926-1930, and serial production lasted in the years 1933-1945 and led to the creation of about 6,800 pieces of this weapon.

The 15 cm sFH 18 was developed by two concerns: Krupp and Rheinmetall. The new howitzer was developed to replace the 15 cm sFH 13 howitzer dating back to World War I, and at the same time it was based on many elements. On the other hand - it had much better range, higher initial velocity and accuracy. However, it achieved a similar rate of fire, which, with well-trained staff, reached 4 shots / min. The 15 cm sFH 18 howitzer turned out to be a highly successful weapon and was the main gun of the division-level German artillery. It was also the basic armament of the Hummel self-propelled howitzer. Several versions of the gun were developed in the course of production, e.g. the 15 cm sFH 36 (a version with a lower weight) or the 15 cm sFH 18M (a version with a modified barrel structure).