Bulgarian Artillery in WW1

[The Edge]

Serbian Artillery on Salonica Front

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)

[MCP]

Bulgarian Artillery Ammunition in 1912

New issue: Every review of artillery in World War One deals with enormous expenditure of ammounition. Each army involved had their own "Shell crisis", often for a long period of time. What happened with Bulgarian Artillery - I doubt that Bulgarians went to war 1915 with full stock of ammo (lot of ammo was spent during 1912/13, and new supply in 1914 was near to impossible). Did Bulgaria possess some domestic production of artillery ammo? (And how much was production rate?) One source (see Chapter II of http://www.gwpda.org/memoir/Salonica/salon1.htm#c2) give account of Bulgarian artillery ammo problems as early as November 1915. Germans & Austrians later supplied Bulgaria with both their guns and ammo (Germany was probably used as a source for captured Turkish, Rumanian, even Russian guns), but how the problem was solved for considerable number of Schneider batteries?

I have no answer to this question. I can only attach the situation of Bulgarian Artillery shells in 1912 according with Die Bulgarische Armee, Wien 1912, p.52. During Balkan Wars Bulgarian Army fired a lot of its shells. I know that other shells were purchased abroad in 1912-15, but I have no the exact number.
Sorry.

[MCP]

WOW, great! :tup:

Btw, there are TWO different French models on pictures - on the left is classic Puteaux Mle.16,
and the crude-looking one (on the right) is complete mystery for me.

Yes, I know it.
The photo of the second gun comes from Eugenio D'ANTONI, Storia della prima guerra mondiale 1914-18, Mario Stavolta Editore, Pordenone 1979, II, p. 498. The text says "French 37mm compress air trench gun". That's all.

As fot the data of Hotchkiss and Skoda Infantry Guns, I can only say:WOW, great! :tup:

Since you are so well informed, maybe you can add something or correct anything in my previous post.
Every addition is greatly welcomed!

[MCP]

Coast guns

First, may I say thank you for giving us such a good source of information. I am new to the forum and hope that you will continue to offer such high quality posts as the ones I have seen so far.

I have a question, if you don't mind, about one of the photos in post number 98, of a coastal gun at Kavalla. If possible, can you say anything about the picture, such as the date?

I am trying to find out anything I can about the capture of the forts around Kavalla, including (a) was the Allied naval bombardment effective against the occupying Bulgarian force and (b) what happened to the guns? Plus anything else about the occupation of these forts from the Bulgarian point of view.

Many thanks,

Bruce

Thank you

Unfortunately I have not many informations about Bulgarian Coast artillery, expecially about what was deployed on Aegean sea coast.
As for the picture in post 98, come from Бойните на България, Sofia, Balkani Publishing, p. 71. It is a collection of photoes with only a few lines of text. As fot this photo, the text says only "Aegean coast gun of Kavala Sector", the source is "Aegean historic library".

Unfortunately I know nothing about the number, calibre and pattern of the guns used there and about what happened during and after the war.

[brd]

First, may I say thank you for giving us such a good source of information. I am new to the forum and hope that you will continue to offer such high quality posts as the ones I have seen so far.

I have a question, if you don't mind, about one of the photos in post number 98, of a coastal gun at Kavalla. If possible, can you say anything about the picture, such as the date?

I am trying to find out anything I can about the capture of the forts around Kavalla, including (a) was the Allied naval bombardment effective against the occupying Bulgarian force and (b) what happened to the guns? Plus anything else about the occupation of these forts from the Bulgarian point of view.

Many thanks,

Bruce

Thank you

[The Edge]

One grateful reader

WOW, great! :tup:

Btw, there are TWO different French models on pictures - on the left is classic Puteaux Mle.16,
and the crude-looking one (on the right) is complete mystery for me.

My data for French Mle.16 gun:
Elevation: -8° to 17°;
Muzzle velocity: 324 to 388 m/s, depending on shell type;
Range: 2400 m;
Traverse: 35°;
Weight in combat: 108 kg; (mount 68 kg, ordnance 40 kg)
Weight during transport: 160.5 kg;
Shield: 6 mm (not always fitted);
Number of groves in barrel: 12;
Shell types:
- casted HE shell: .665 kg (propellant: .325 kg), 388 m/s;
- steel HE shell: .76 kg (propellant: .3 kg), 324 m/s;
- armour-piercing: .72 kg (propellant: .32 kg), 367 m/s;
- canister shell: data N/A;

For Skoda M.15 Infantry gun:
Elevation: -?° to 37°;
Number of groves in barrel: 8;
Shield: 4 mm;
Range: 2200 m;
Weight of mount: 45 kg;
Shell types:
- HE shell: .75 kg, 175 m/s; ( )
- canister: data N/A;
- star-shell: Wt .21 kg;

[MCP]

French and Austrian Infantry Guns

Even if off topic, I add the photoes of Austrian and French Infantry guns.
I hope I will be forgive for this.

Gun model : Hotchkiss 37mm Mle. 1916
Calibre : 37mm L/21.6
Weight in Action: 108 kg
Tube Lenght : 0,80 m
Shell Weight : 0,56 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 363 m/s
Max. Range : 2400 m
Elevation : + 21° / ?
Traversing angle : 40°


Gun model : Skoda 37mm M. 15
Calibre : 37mm
Weight in Action: 81 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 363 m/s
Elevation : + 17° / - 8°
Traversing angle : 33°

[The Edge]

Shell crisis

First - thanks for a tip. I'll examine this information cerefully.

Second - both photos are desired, but if these are off-topic, never mind.

Third - considering the fact that Bulgaria didn't place orders for modern medium howitzers (150-155 mm) before 1912, it's not difficult to comprehend why bigger caliber (120 mm) was chosen for light howitzers.

New issue: Every review of artillery in World War One deals with enormous expenditure of ammounition. Each army involved had their own "Shell crisis", often for a long period of time. What happened with Bulgarian Artillery - I doubt that Bulgarians went to war 1915 with full stock of ammo (lot of ammo was spent during 1912/13, and new supply in 1914 was near to impossible). Did Bulgaria possess some domestic production of artillery ammo? (And how much was production rate?) One source (see Chapter II of http://www.gwpda.org/memoir/Salonica/salon1.htm#c2) give account of Bulgarian artillery ammo problems as early as November 1915. Germans & Austrians later supplied Bulgaria with both their guns and ammo (Germany was probably used as a source for captured Turkish, Rumanian, even Russian guns), but how the problem was solved for considerable number of Schneider batteries?

[MCP]

Thanks for your consideration of my work.

Unfortunately I have not all the answers. But I try to tell what I know.

First.
AFIK Bulgarian Army did not use the standard French cartridge shells but I have not precise and detailed about the ammunitions used by B.A. This summer I was in French and I went also to Schneider Museum in Creuzot, but I was not able to find the information I need (unfortunately my stay there was very brief). I can attach the information I have about ammunition of B.A. in 1912. You can find some interesting informations about this topic also in pages 82-83 (post 25) of Russian Intelligence Report about B.A. in 1914 (УНИКАЛНА КНИГА ЗА БЪЛГАРСКАТА АРМИЯ В 1914).

Second.
Till now I found no evidence of an use of such Infantry guns by B.A. As for Austrian Infantry guns I'm almost sure that B.A. did not received any of them, since they are not listed in a list of artillery weapons (unfortunately without the number of guns sent) sent by Austrians during WW1. But I'm always studying this topic and looking for new informations about.
About the photos, I'm not sure what you are looking for. Are they French Mle.16 and M.16 Skoda?

Third.
Your hypothesis is really interesting and may explain such vexed issue.
Recently I read that in 1907 when Bulgarian Army decided to buy field howitzers in France, it was in doubt wether buy light 105mm howitzers or more powerfull, but also more heavy and less easy to handly, 120mm ones.
As everybody knows, at least B.A. adopted the 120mm howitzers. I was not able to know the main features of the Schneider 105mm howitzers tested by Bulgarians.

Best.

[The Edge]

Cartridges of Schneider guns

Congratulations for this exellent theme! :tup:

I have few questions/remarks. :sm186:

First, do you have dimensions of cartridge shells for Schneider-Creuzot guns?
(My information is that Bulgarian & Serbian guns used the same ammo, but the shells for Greek ones was somewhat longer, making them unusable in former two. Considering these were commercial guns, I doubt that any of them use French Mle.97's 75mm X 350R cases). Of course, complete list of cartige shells for Schneider, Krupp & Skoda guns will be most welcomed. (I already have data for Russian guns)

Second, what about "infantry guns"? Did Bulgarian Army captured/used any 37 mm infantry guns: French Mle.16, wierd Russian M.14 Obuhov or more practical M.15 Rosenberg, or got some M.16 Skoda from Austrians? (Photos of the first & last also needed).

Third, once again about "Schneider 105 mm howitzer for Bulgaria". I found an article about French authoritatives considering adopting 105 mm light howitzer for their divisional artillery (as Germans done) few years before World War I, "similar to model for Bulgaria". This information leads to the conclusion that Bulgaria had some French-made 105 mm howitzers. I beleive this is just a case of mis-quotation; what makes sense is following: "French considered adopting a 105 mm version of howitzer made for Bulgaria" (this was, of course, calibre 120 mm)

[MCP]

Coast Artillery

Unfortunately I was not able to find adequate informations about Bulgarian coast artillery. So I only list here what I could know, hoping that anybody add what is missing in my account.
In 1888 Bulgarian Danube Flottilla received by Russian Army five 65mm guns (I think they were built by Schneider, since this is a typical French calibre, often used in ships armed with Schneider guns).
In 1897 Bulgarian Black Sea Fleet obtained two 240mm L/45 Schneider guns, that were put at Evkinograd in order to defend the prince’s palace there and to protect the Varna bay from ennemy fleets’ raids.
At the beginning AFIK Bulgarian coast artillery had only these seven guns to defends the coastline. Since Turkish fleet had the full controll of Black Sea, coastal defences were reinforced with 13 batteries delivered from the Shumen (2nd) and Vidin (3rd) fortress battalions.
In order to increase the defences of Varna Bay the two 100mm guns of torpedo gunboad Nadezhda were removed from the ship and given to coast artillery, but in November 1912 they were mounted on the ship again.
During the war Turkish Navy made some raid along Bulgarian coastline, shelling the ports and sometimes landing little detachments, that were always easily repelled. The liberation of Thracia caused a lot of problem to Bulgaria, since it had to defend the Aegean Sea coastline, even if it had not even a little ship there. Turkish Fleet tried to take advantage of its superiority landing X Provisional Corps (31st and 32nd Infantry Division with 15.000 rifles, 16 machine guns and 48 guns) at Sarkoi in order to overtake Bulgarian 4th Army deployed in the Gallipoli peninsula. This amphibious invasion failed thanks to the reaction of Macedonia and Odrin Volunteer Corps (February 8 and 9, 1913).
At the end of the war Dedeagach and Portolago harbours were defended with a little group of 120mm and 150mm guns from fortress artillery.
At the outbreak of the World War the of Bulgarian coast artillery was not better than in 1912. It is very unlikely that in 1912-15 Bulgaria could obtain new coast guns, so in order to defend the Black Sea and the Aegean coastlines there were only about twenty guns, most of them coming from fortress artillery. Consequently two 100mm guns of torpedo gunboad Nadezhda were removed from the ship. I don’t know where they were placed, but during the war there was a battery of two 100mm guns at Balchik. I don’t know wether they were the guns from Nadezhda or there were other 100mm guns in service with Bulgarian Artillery at that time.
During the war German Army delivered some 254mm and 152mm Russian guns and in 1916 Burgas was reinforced by a new battery and Varna by two new batteries. In mid 1916 Bulgarian Navy obtained also four 87mm improvised anti-aircraft guns.
In 1918 most of the 312 guns of Bulgarian 4th Army were used for coast defence (according with Stefan Noikov, Belomorska otbrana alone had 97 guns). 4th Army used also some guns captured in Greek Thracian fortress.

[MCP]

Old pattern ex Turkish light guns

Gun model : Krupp 9cm M. 1873
Calibre : 88mm L/22.6
Weight : 361.8 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 394 kg
Weight in action : 1000 kg
Tube Lenght : 2.035 m
Shell Weight : 6.7 kg
Case shot Weight : 5 kg
Shrapnel Weight : 6.7 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 442 m/s *
Max. Range : 6500/6600 m *
Elevation : + 18° / - 15° *
Remarks :Turkish steel gun captured in 1877-78. Introduced in 1874 as 9cm schwere Kanone C/73, it was assigned to the field artillery batteries and remained in service with Fussartillerie (foot artillery) until the end of first World War. It was modernised twice: in 1888 by lightening the tube because of less offensive smokeless powder; in 1891 by the use of nikel steel for the tubes.
* I'm not sure wether these technical datas are correct.


Gun model : Krupp 8cm M. 1873
Calibre : 78.5mm L/20
Weight : 300 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 330 kg
Weight in action : 750 kg
Tube Lenght : 1.570 m
Shell Weight : 4.2 kg
Case shot Weight : 3.5 kg
Shrapnel Weight : 4.7 kg
Muzzle Velocity :
Max. Range :
Elevation :
Remarks : Turkish steel gun captured in 1877-78. Introduced in German Army in 1874 as 8cm leichte Kanone C/73, it was assigned to the horse artillery batteries. It was replaced by the the 9cm Kanone C/73/88.

[MCP]

Old pattern Russian light guns

Gun model : 9 pounders gun
Calibre : 106.7mm L/20
Weight : 574 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 630 kg
Weight in action : 1500 kg
Tube Lenght : 2133 m
Shell Weight : 11 kg / 13.4 kg.
Shrapnel Weight : 11.4 kg
Case shot Weight : 10.4 kg / 12.6 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 320 m/s
Max. Range : 6000 m
Elevation : + 20° / - 7°30'
Remarks : Russian steel or bronze gun supplied in 1877-78; it seems that in 1906 Bulgarian Army had 36 of such guns.


Gun model : 4 pounders light gun
Calibre : 86.8mm L/20
Weight : 320 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 338 kg
Weight in action : 802 kg
Tube Lenght : 1.740 m
Shell Weight : 5.7 kg /6.1 Kg
Case shot Weight : 7.3 kg
Shrapnel Weight : 5.9 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 305 m/s
Max. Range : 4000 m
Remarks : Russian bronze light gun shipped in 1877-78; it seems that in 1906 Bulgarian Army had 60 light guns of Russian and Turkish origin (including the 9 pdrs guns described above).

[MCP]

Old pattern Russian heavy guns

Gun model : 24 pounders long gun
Calibre : 152.39mm L/21
Weight : 2108 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 2235 kg
Weight in action : 4500 kg
Weight of the platform : 1370 kg
Tube Lenght : 3.230 m
Shell Weight : 29 kg / 30.7 kg / 35.1 kg / 35.8 kg
Case shot Weight : 35.2 kg
Shrapnel Weight : 34.9 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 325 m/s
Max. Range : 5300 m
Remarks : Russian bronze long gun supplied in 1877-78; it seems that in 1906 Bulgarian Army had ten 24 pdrs long or short guns.


Gun model : 24 pounders short gun
Calibre : 152.39mm L/14.3
Weight : 1435 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 1533 kg
Weight in action : 3500 kg
Weight of the platform : 1370 kg
Tube Lenght : 2.180 m
Shell Weight : 29 kg / 30.7 kg / 35.1 kg / 35.8 kg
Shrapnel Weight : 34.9 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 225 m/s
Max. Range : 3800 m
Remarks : Russian bronze short gun shipped in 1877-78; it seems that in 1906 Bulgarian Army had ten 24 pdrs long or short guns.


Gun model : 24 pounders mortar
Calibre : 152.39mm L/9
Weight : 1425 kg
Weight with breech mechanism : 1572 kg
Weight in action : 3400 kg
Weight of the platform : 1200 kg
Tube Lenght : 1.350 m
Shell Weight : 29.7 kg / 30.7 kg
Muzzle Velocity : 231 m/s
Max. Range : 3600 m
Elevation : + 45° / -°5°
Remarks : Russian bronze mortar shipped in 1877-78; it seems that in 1906 Bulgarian Army had 4 of such mortars.

[MCP]

Obsolete guns

At the outbreak of World War I, Bulgarian artillery had also a little number of old pattern guns with little or no use in a modern war. They were stored in fortress depots and it is very likely that they did not fire a single shot during the war.
They were old guns or mortars supplied by Russian Army during the war against Turkey in 1877-78 or captured by Russian and Bulgarian forces.
Even if they cannot be really regarded as artillery of Bulgarian Army during World War I, I think it may be interesting to add the information I have about them, expecially because recently Bisko was interested in artillery of Liberation War.
Unfortunately my scanner doesn't work now. So I'll add some pictures as soon as possible.