The Story of the Schutztruppe
7.5cm Mountain Gun
MC Heunis and Vincent Wratten
The two small guns in front and one east of the
Union Buildings are 7,5 cm Ehrhardt model 1908 mountain guns (German: 7,5 cm
Gebirgskanone L/17 M.08, or short: 7,5 cm Geb L/17 M.08), produced by the
Rheinische Metallwaaren und Maschinenfabrik of Düsseldorf in Germany. Their
German designer, Ehrhardt, was known for
his innovative ideas and his 15-pounder Quick Firing (Q.F.) gun was the first
long recoil gun issued to the British Army. The Imperial German Army, although
it possessed no mountain artillery units in Europe, found a use for such units
in the German colonies and purchased mountain guns from both Krupp and Ehrhardt
for this purpose. In the colonies these guns proved of great value in
mountainous terrain and were also later pressed into normal field gun and
infantry support roles during the First World War.
In 1904 Ehrhardt produced a very advanced design
- a mountain gun which had a ‘variable recoil’ mechanism, possibly a first in
the world of artillery. By the early 1900's, most guns produced had some sort of
recoil mechanism which greatly increased the rate of fire by not only absorbing
recoil, but also bringing the barrel back to its original firing position ready
for re-loading. A problem was however encountered when a high elevation was
demanded, as the breech would recoil into the ground or the trail of the
carriage. Ehrhardt realised that the higher the angle of fire, the less the
recoil and came up with a solution, variable recoil, which is still a feature of
modern artillery pieces. In other words, the distance the barrel of the gun
recoiled was determined by the angle of elevation, which resulted in a versatile
and stable firing platform. Further stability was obtained by using the weight
of two gunners who were given small metal folding seats each side of the trails.
Ehrhardt seemed to favour pole trails for his
designs, and these little mountain guns were no exception; its trail consisted
of three tubular sections, two at the front and one at the rear. This
arrangement made for lightness and if the rear part was folded up, a pair of
shafts could be inserted into the Y of the frame for horse towing. Another
reason for this arrangement of the carriage was to allow more elevation if the
rear pole was left disconnected. Should the gun be towed over long distances,
then a small limber was provided and provisioned with some ready rounds for
quick deployment. The gun could also, as with most mountain artillery, be
carried on the backs of pack animals and for this function it could be broken
down into five subassemblies. A closer look at the carriage will reveal several
quick release points.
Because of the recoil mechanism, the crew could
remain next to the gun throughout firing and protection was given to them by a
large folding shield. This shield could also be disassembled and consisted of
seven pieces. There is photographic evidence of a shield extension on at least
one gun, but this might have been a field modification. At first the shields had
a thickness of 3.5 mm but this was later reduced to 3 mm to save on weight
In total twelve guns of this design was supplied
to the Schutztruppe in German South West Africa and were grouped into
three batteries of four guns each. Reports also exist of two more pieces being
in reserve in Germany, together with a further gun that was used for test
purposes at the factory. The 7,5 cm (M.08) replaced older mountain guns of 7,0
cm (M.98) and 6,0 cm (C75) calibre. In German hands they saw action during
various engagements and were found to be a very useful addition to their
artillery park which mostly consisted of older types. Guns of this type were
also supplied to the Portuguese colonial forces in Angola (1906) and to the
Dutch East Indian Army. A later development, the M.11, was supplied to Norway
and was still in service when that country was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940.
An interesting occurrence happened at the battle of Naulila in Southern Angola
during December 1914 when German M.08s came up against similar Portuguese
weapons. The artillery of both sides was reported to have performed well.
All twelve German guns were surrendered to the
South African Union Defence Force (UDF) at Khorab in July 1915 and were brought
to South Africa as trophies. At this juncture it came to light that light
artillery pieces were needed for the UDF’s campaign in German East Africa and of
the twelve, six pieces in better condition were selected and sent to fight
against their former owners. In German East Africa they were used until 1917,
when they were withdrawn due to poor condition and returned to South Africa.
Fortunately, possibly due to their small size,
all twelve guns have survived although most are not in a very good condition. It
is thought that they were originally painted in a sand colour when delivered to
the Schutztruppen, but most now sport other colour schemes. Their current
locations are as follow:
Nr. 1 South African National Museum of Military
History, Saxonwold, Johannesburg (ex Durban)
Nr. 2 Bloemfontein Law Courts
Nr. 3 Was seen at the Alte Feste, Windhoek, Namibia in the early 1970's, it has
since been reported to be at the Museum of Military Technology ("Wehrtechnische
Studiensammlung") in Koblenz, Germany
Nr. 4 Union Buildings, Pretoria
Nr. 5 The View, Transvaal Scottish HQ, Parktown, Johannesburg
Nr. 6 Union Buildings, Pretoria
Nr. 7 Imperial War Museum, London, United Kingdom
Nr. 8 Bethal Museum
Nr. 9 Bloemfontein Law Courts
Nr. 10 Union Buildings, Pretoria
Nr. 11 Warrior's Gate MOTH Shellhole, Durban
Nr. 12 Ermelo War Memorial
To conclude this brief survey, it can be stated
that these guns were "state of the art" pieces when introduced in the early
1900's and represent an important milestone in Twentieth Century artillery
development. An up to date breech mechanism, advanced recoil system and a well
thought out carriage ensured that they stood out above other mountain artillery
of the period. They might not have been as large or as powerful as the field
artillery of the day, but used within their original role they would have been
exceptional weapons.
The following specifications apply to this gun:
Calibre: |
7.5cm |
Barrel Length: |
127.5cm |
Depression/elevation with
folded trail: |
-7 to 38.5 degrees |
Depression/elevation with
extended trail: |
-7 to 30 degrees |
Traverse: |
2.5 degrees (left and right) |
Weight in firing position: |
529 kg |
Weight of projectile: |
5.3 kg |
Muzzle velocity: |
300 m/sec |
Maximum Range: |
5,750 m |
Sources:
Chamberlain P. & Gander T.
Infantry, Mountain and Airborne Guns (World War 2 Fact Files) Macdonald and
Janes's, London, 1975
Hall D. D. German Guns of World War I in South Africa S A Military History
Journal, Vol. 3 No. 2, December 1974
L'ange G. Urgent Imperial Service South African Forces in German South West
Africa 1914 - 1915 Ashanti Publishing, Pretoria, 1991
Monick S. Dan Pienaar Gun Park Launches Museum into 21 st Century Militaria
22/2, 1992
Many thanks also to the SANDF
Archives and the South African National Museum of Military History Library for their
assistance. |