Bulgarian Artillery in WW1

[SASH155]

Gun model : Skoda 150mm QF M. 1914/1916
Austrian designation : 15cm Hubitz M 14/16
Calibre : 150mm L/14
Weight in action : 2765 kg
Tube Lenght : 2.100 m
Shell Weight : 42 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 340 m/s
Max. Range : 7900 m
Elevation : + 70° / - 5’
Remarks :
Quick firing heavy field howitzer. It was also converted for mountain transport, divided in four loads. Following Austro-hungarian exemple, German Army converted 7.7cm FK 96 n/A, 10.5cm lFH 98/09, 15cm sFH 02, sFH 13, 10cm K 04 and 10cm K 14. They were all transported in two loads: tube and carriage (later three loads). In the picture are shown the solution adopted for 15cm sFH 02.

:not: I think you had better take a real close look at the color (autochrome?) photo of what is purported to be the Skoda 15cm M.14 or M.14/16 field howitzer. It is in fact of a Russian Putilov 152mm M-1909 g. field howitzer. Look particularly at the cradle details and the shield, and compare with the other photos that were posted in the same thread. I was not aware that Bulgaria received any of these howitzers, if so when and app. how many did she get? I just recently discovered that Turkey had some when I was working on my article on this very weapon. See my upcoming article on these howitzers on "Landships" or lemairesoft.be.

[SASH155]

In my post n° 8 I listed fortress and siege guns in service in Bulgarian Army in 1915. From different sources I know that Bulgarian Army had 12 105mm heavy guns. Since the Austro-Hungarian Intelligence Feldbuch Die Bulgarische Armee September 1915 asserted that at that time Bulgarian Army had some "Schnellfeuerbelagerungskanonen Krupp 10.5 cm, Modell 1904", I wrote the data of that gun. I thought that it was the same gun bought in 1905 by Turkish Army and received in 1908. Now I find that the Turkish guns are of a different pattern. So if the Bulgarian 105mm guns were captured in Odrin, they were not M 1904. I could not verify when and how Bulgarian Army obtained its 105mm guns, therefore I decided to add the data of Turkish guns.


Gun model : Krupp 105mm QF Turkish
German designation : 10.5cm Belagerungskanone L/30
Calibre : 105mm L/30
Weight in action : 2835 kg
Tube Lenght : 3.150 m
Shell Weight : 16 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 530 m/s
Max. Range : 9250 m
Elevation : + 27° / -5°
Traversing angle : 4°
Remarks: Quick firing heavy gun with hydraulic recoil system, running-out springs, single-motion wedge breech mechanism, shielded.

:sm100: I understand that these guns were in fact Krupp 10cm Kanone 14 (actual cal. of 105mm of course, with a barrel length of L/35) which according to the author Franz Kosar were provided to the Bulgarians by the Germans shortly after the war began. There was in fact the earlier German 10cm Kanone 04, which he does not seem to indicate any exports for. The Turkish 10.5cm L/30 listed above was largely modeled on this earlier German gun. As for the Krupp 15cm M-1913 howitzer, this was not at all the same weapon as the German service 15cm sFH-13 (this weapon was, however, used by the Ottoman Turks during the war, and by the Swiss, who called it the sFH M-17) shown in the one of the photos above, but rather the commercial update of the earlier 15cm Krupp M-1906 field howitzer, better optimised for motor towing. The M-1906 was exported to Sweden (these had no shields) and Bulgaria (with shields). The above referenced Turkish 15cm L/14 field howitzer was largely identical to the M-1906, even though it appeared slightly earlier. Argentina also used a Krupp 150mm M-1904 field howitzer (actual cal. 149.1mm?), and seems to have been the first export customer for this type of weapon. The commercial Krupp M-1913 was built under license in Italy by Ansaldo and Vickers-Terni, hence the Italian origin of these weapons in Bulgarian service (I wonder if however Bulgaria might not have gotten some during the war directly from Krupp to supplement the earlier M-1906?) In Italy this howitzer was designated "Obice da 149/12 modello 1914A" and there were also modello 1916 and 1918 variants, with the mod. 1914 and 1918s produced in the most quantities. I suppose that it is perfectly possible that the Bulgarians received some small quantity of ex-German Army 15cm sFH-13s during the war, but it has to be remembered that its ammunition was not compatible at all with the stocks used with the then Bulgarian service 15cm field howitzers (Krupp M-1906, Schneider M-1897, Schneider M-1912). All the German service field howitzers used a 149.7mm shell, whereas the commercial Krupp export products fired a 149.1mm projectile. Please see my new article on these weapons to be posted shortly on "Landships" and Dominique LeMaire's "The Guns Of the Second World War" (lemairesoft.be). In it is a post war photo of what I believe are Bulgarian Army Pavesi P-4-100 artillery tractors towing Krupp 15cm M-1906 field howitzers. One other note: Russia did not use 150mm caliber weapons; theirs were chambered for 152mm. See the list above covering ammunition deliveries.

Well, you asked for it!


Serbian troops left Corfu Island without any artillery. There was THREE armies, 1st, 2nd & 3rd, each 2-division strong (4-regiment formations). At the region of Micra, east of Salonica, artillery units got their new equipment. There were not enough guns for all units, basically one group of modern 75 mm Schneider-Creusot Mle1912 and one group of old 80 mm De Bange Mle 1877 mountain guns per division.

During 1916 August-December battles, Serbian artillery was strongly supported with French heavy batteries. 11 guns were lost (some captured by Bulgarians), most of them during defensive fighting in August. Casualty rate was high, no new troops were available, so Army was re-formed: 3rd Army was cancelled, remain two armies were now 3-division strong, and divisions became 3-regiment formations, in accordance with French pattern.

During 1917. artillery was strengthened with new deliveries, each division fielded a three-group artillery regiment, mix of 75 mm field guns and 65 mm mountain guns (80 mm De Bange guns were revoked). Some heavy artillery was also obtained, but all of these guns were out-dated; these were used on Army level, together with few captured modern heavy pieces. Not surprisingly, additional French artillery support was essential for any large-scale fighting.

At the end of the war, Serbian artillery counted: (according to the French military attaché, December 1918)

- 57 pcs 37 mm infantry guns (Puteaux Mle 16)
- 48 psc 58 mm trench mortars (model N°2)
- 108 pcs 65 mm mountain guns (Puteaux Mle 06 "Alpine" gun)
- 4 pcs 70 mm mountain guns (old Serbian Schneider-Creusot M.07)
- 4 pcs 75 mm mountain guns (captured, probably Krupp guns)
- 112 pcs 75 mm field guns (majority Schneider-Creusot Mle 12, some old Serbian M.07/07A, some captured)
- 16 pcs 120 mm light howitzers (Mle 1890 "Baquet" with short-recoil system, still slow-firing gun)
- 16 pcs 120 mm heavy field guns (report says "type Schneider", but probably Mle 1878 De Bange)
- 16 pcs 155 mm heavy howitzers (report says "type Schneider", but probably Mle 1881 De Bange)

:sm100: The 120mm Schneider field guns that the French D.A. listed may have in fact been actually the Schneider "Canon de 120mm long L/28 Mle. 1897" which was the exact same weapon as the Bulgarian 120mm Schneider M-1895 L/28 field gun. Serbia took delivery from Schneider-Creusot (not "Cresuot" or whatever someone said above) of 16 of these guns and Bulgaria received 24. The Serbs also had 120mm long mle. 1878 de Bange field guns that were delivered largely prior to the war. By this point in the war, needless to say, the Serbs did not have alot of heavy guns of any type left. The 155mm howitzers were likely the Schneider C17S, quantities of which France provided towards the end of the war and post war as well to the new Yugoslav army. The 120mm Baquets were probably hand-me downs from French army stocks, replacing lost Schneider 120mm M-1897 and M-1911 field howitzers.

[SASH155]

For more info. on artillery in general in WW1 please see the "Landships" site, where there is alot on artillery. Also, does anyone have a photo of the Schneider 120mm M-1895 L/28 field gun above? I don't know what one even looks like. The reported 12 cm Krupp M-1895 L/30 gun in one of the photos above is too large (look at the shell) and is actually a Krupp 15cm M-1895 L/30 weapon. Wesley

[MCP]

203mm (8 inch) mortar

If I'm correct, in Sofia War Museum there is a 203mm mortar, about it I could know nothing.
Can anybody help me? When it was received by Bulgarian Army? And how many 203mm mortars it had?
Thanks.

[MCP]

Updates

I hope you may forgive me if I continuously correct my previous posts. In fact I'm always trying to correct my mistakes and to add new informations about Bulgarian Artillery. Today I have updated posts n° 1, 2, 8, 11, 13, 18, 19, 21, 22, 22, 23, 43, 45, 73 (I hope I don't forget anything).
I must admit that I am not so methodical as Dibo and I think that would be better if this thread is fully reorganised. But I think it is possible to orientate in it.

[MCP]

German Field guns - additions

Previously I said that I had no evidence that Germany sent the new 7.7cm FK 16. Now I have found that no Krupp Field gun M. 1896/1916 were sent to Bulgarian Army, but Bulgaria received a little number of Rheinmetall M. 1916.

Gun model : Rheinmetall 77mm QF M. 1916
German designation : 7.7cm FK 16
Calibre : 77mm L/35
Weight : 1325 kg
Tube Lenght : 2.695 m
Shell Weight : 7.2 kg (5.89 kg with Granate/C-Geschoß from 1917)
Muzzle Velocity : 545 m/s (602 m/s with Granate/C-Geschoß from 1917)
Max. Range : 9100 m (10700 m with Granate/C-Geschoß from 1917)
Elevation : + 40° / - 10°
Traversing angle : 4°
Remarks : Quick firing field gun. This gun had a longer tube with a different twist of rifling than the FK 96 n/A. The shell and shrapnel remained the same, but the propellent was in two different charges, the greater one containing more powder than before. The tube was mounted on the carriage of the leichte Feldhaubitze 16, introduced at the same time.

[MCP]

Bulgarian Howitzers - new pictures

Since I cannot add further picture in my post n° 12, I put them here.

[MCP]

Turkish Heavy howitzers

I have to say the same for the fourteen 15cm heavy howitzers that Bulgarian Army had in 1915. Since the howitzers that Turkish Army bought in 1905 and received 1908 are not Krupp M. 1902 I add here the data of the Turkish modell.


Gun model : Krupp 150mm QF Turkish
German designation : 15 cm Haubitze L/14
Calibre : 149,1mm L/14
Weight in action : 2290 kg
Tube Lenght: 2100 m
Shell Weight : 41 kg
Muzzle Velocità : 300 m/s
Max. Range : 6815 m
Elevation : + 43° / - 5°
Traversing angle : 5°
Remarks : Quick firing heavy howitzer with hydraulic recoil system, running-out springs, single-motion wedge breech mechanism, shielded.

[MCP]

Turkish Heavy guns

In my post n° 8 I listed fortress and siege guns in service in Bulgarian Army in 1915. From different sources I know that Bulgarian Army had 12 105mm heavy guns. Since the Austro-Hungarian Intelligence Feldbuch Die Bulgarische Armee September 1915 asserted that at that time Bulgarian Army had some "Schnellfeuerbelagerungskanonen Krupp 10.5 cm, Modell 1904", I wrote the data of that gun. I thought that it was the same gun bought in 1905 by Turkish Army and received in 1908. Now I find that the Turkish guns are of a different pattern. So if the Bulgarian 105mm guns were captured in Odrin, they were not M 1904. I could not verify when and how Bulgarian Army obtained its 105mm guns, therefore I decided to add the data of Turkish guns.


Gun model : Krupp 105mm QF Turkish
German designation : 10.5cm Belagerungskanone L/30
Calibre : 105mm L/30
Weight in action : 2835 kg
Tube Lenght : 3.150 m
Shell Weight : 16 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 530 m/s
Max. Range : 9250 m
Elevation : + 27° / -5°
Traversing angle : 4°
Remarks: Quick firing heavy gun with hydraulic recoil system, running-out springs, single-motion wedge breech mechanism, shielded.

[MCP]

Additions and corrections

Thanks to The Edge I was able to correct some mistakes in Post on Serbian guns. :tup:

[The Edge]

What was the strenght of Serbian Artillery in 1914? In post 39 I listed the artillery pieces of Serbian Army at the end of Balkan war? Is it correct?
There is problem that expecially I would like to solve. I know that in 1912 Serbian Army had 47 75mm field batteries and that it had ordered another 40 batteries. I know also that Turkey seized thirteen of these batteries in Solun, that in 1914 were assigned to 2nd Army Corps. Did Serbian Army receive the remaining twenty seven batteries? And when?

According to the Serbian general Dragolyub Dinic, professor of Yugoslav Military Academy in 1930s (Science of Arms & Armament) Serbian artillery orders from France totalled:
- 45 batteries of 75 mm Schneider-Cresuot M.1907 field guns (total: 180 guns)
- 40 batteries of 75 mm Schneider-Cresuot M.1907A field guns (total: 160 guns)
- 9 batteries of 70 mm Schneider-Cresuot M.1907 mountain guns (total: 36 guns)
- 8 batteries of 120 mm Schneider-Canet M.1910 light howitzers (total: 32 guns)
- 2 batteries of 150 mm Schneider-Canet M.1910 medium howitzers (total: 8 guns)

ALL of these guns were delivered. Even the mentioned guns, seized by Turks in Salonica harbour, reached Serbia.
(After capturing the city on November 9th, 1912, Greek Army found these guns in pier warehouse. Turkish Army didn't have time to make a benefit of this unfamiliar armament. Serbian Government requested from Greece to forward these guns to original owner; Greeks, although themselves short of artillery, but keen to keep the alliance with Serbia, allowed the delivery to take place)

Your rewiev of Serbian Artillery after Balkan Wars is fairly accurate. I found only a few mistakes, mainly about slow-firing weapons.

[MCP]

As always, you are extraordinary! :nworthy:
This is the reason why I'm looking forward to having new post in Оръжейни и прочее доставки за Българската армия 1878-1945 thread.
BTW thanks for adding western firm names in Latin alphabet too.

[dibo]

I can answer partly the ammo question.
Here are the ammo deliveries in 1915-1917:
75 mm QF Field Guns - 1,5 mln shells in 1915-1916, 3,8 mln. more in 1917.
75mm QF Mountain Guns - 400 thousand in 1915-1916, 110 thousand in 1917.
75mm Skoda Mountain Guns - 388 thousand in 1915-1916, 760 thousand in 1917.
77mm QF German - 40 thousand in 1915-1916, 55 thousand in 1917.
105mm D/30 QF guns - 45 thousand in 1915-1916, 46 thousand in 1917.
105mm D/35 guns - 47 thousand in 1915-1916, 83 thousand in 1917.
105mm German howitzers - 288 thousand in 1915-1916, 760 thousand in 1917.
105mm howitzers, captured from Romania - 57850 in 1915-1916, 60 thousand in 1917.
120mm howitzers - 109 thousand in 1915-1916, 160 thousand in 1917
105mm QF mountain howitzers - 24 thousand in 1915-1916, 71 thousand in 1917.
120mm QF field howitzers - 24 thousand in 1915-1916, 20 thousand in 1917.
120mm D/25 guns - 12 thousand in 1915-1916, 22 thousans in 1917.
120mm D/28 guns - 36 thousand in 1915-1916, 36 thousand in 1917.
150mm D/14 howitzers - 24 thousand in 1915-1916, 36 thousand in 1917.
150mm howitzers, captured from Serbia - 7500 in 1915-1916, 80 thousand in 1917.
150mm Russian howitzers - 66 thousand in 1915-1916, 32400 in 1917.
150mm QF howitzers - 20 thousand in 1915-1916, 4 thousand in 1917.
150mm German guns - 6 thousand in 1915-1916.
75mm field old guns - 35 thousand in 1915-1916.
87mm field old guns - 90 thousand in 1915-1916.
75mm Brazilian(?) guns - 8864 in 1915-1916.
76.2mm Russian guns - 54 thousand in 1915-1916.

[MCP]

Really many thanks.
Since you are so well informed in Serbian Army, I have another question for you.
What was the strenght of Serbian Artillery in 1914? In post 39 I listed the artillery pieces of Serbian Army at the end of Balkan war? Is it correct?
There is problem that expecially I would like to solve. I know that in 1912 Serbian Army had 47 75mm field batteries and that it had ordered another 40 batteries. I know also that Turkey seized thirteen of these batteries in Solun, that in 1914 were assigned to 2nd Army Corps. Did Serbian Army receive the remaining twenty seven batteries? And when?

[The Edge]

Schneider-Creusot Mle 1912 Field Gun

(this is the type captured by Bulgarians in 1916; I don't have exact number, but it is probably a battery strength of usable guns)

Calibre: 75 mm
Barrel: L/30, 24 grooves
Shield: 4 mm
Elevation: -8° to +16°50'
Range: 6500 m (shrapnel), 7500 m (HE shell)
Shell types:
- steel HE shell: 5.35 kg (529 m/s) - HE load .75 kg
- casted HE shell: 5.5 kg (520 m/s) - HE load same as above
- shrapnel shell: 7.24 kg (500 m/s) - usually loaded with 261 balls
Propellant: .69 kg normal, .25 kg for reduced load (goes to 328 m/s)

This is commercial Schneider gun, adopted from French military as a stop-gap solution after so many Mle. 97 gun were lost in 1914. Slightly inferior, compared to standard gun, nevertheless it was lighter (MCP's data of 985 kg for gun firing weight works fine with my data of 487 kg for mount only), less complicated, easier to produce - and cheaper too.
When 1915-16 supply of standard Puteaux Mle 97 guns met the demand, Schneider Mle 12 guns became available to French allies: Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Greece. (French keep their precious Mle 97 for themselves jealously; only allies I knew, supplied with Mle 97 during WWI, was US Army and Rumania, both in 1917/18 - I suspect the production of Mle 12 was discontinued in 1917, with no more Russian orders).