Robo-translation of a webpage linked above:
Hi all,
When the First World War became bogged down in the trenches, although the French were forced to realize that their opponents were able to take lessons THe recent conflicts, including the Russo-Japanese War.
The Germans had developed a specialized siege artillery, high capacity and explosive shot on goal near vertical, the fire which the French could hardly reply with inadequate makeshift and improvised.
From December 1914, the French made therefore appeal to all that could make any vertical shooting and realized crafts such as mortar or Cellérier trench crossbow, or the mine thrower Gatard. They put in service as long outdated equipment and forgotten the deepest arsenals and fortifications stocks. This was notably the case of mortars 15 cm model 1838, bronze, and to a lesser extent
mortars 22 cm, 27 cm and 32 cm.
Smooth the mortar 15 cm Model 1838 was a muzzle brass, caliber of 151.3 mm, core very short muzzle-loading and an average weight of 70 kilos. It was designed to run primarily spherical shells loaded with black powder.
Relatively easy to transport and set battery, it could make a valuable service in the trenches.
The propellant charge, black powder cartridge in paper is modulated according to the shooting angle and distance of the target from 15 grams (range: 30 meters at 45 ° C) to 140 grams (600 meters in 45 °).
Several types of projectiles were admitted
• - spherical shell of 15 cm, a weight of 7.56 pounds in order to fire, armed with rocket wood # 3 and trimmed 300 grams of black powder.
• A device Harvest topped four rounds of 12 or 13 cm 4 grenades each weighing 1162 grams ..
Also include memory boxes bales, abandoned around 1880 because pulling vertically inert projectiles.
Regarding projectiles launched by the 15 cm mortar model 1938 in
the First World War, it has existed spherical projectiles from the nineteenth century, cylindrical cast iron and wooden cylindrical, metal and wire.
Wooden projectiles:
These projectiles were more or less identified as craft generic Nicole bombs.
It was stated that each major unit as its bombs realized she heard. We therefore present below the bomb Nicole Manual, wood, sheet metal and wire.
Bomb Nicole was constructed from two circular plates, wooden, separated by a cylindrical thin sheet containing a charge of Cheddite cartridges.
The priming was performed by a lock side, ignited by the propellant gases and terminating in a detonator. There were bombs Nicole 5 kilos and 10 kilos. Litters were irregular, and keeping track pretty random. Faute de mieux, however these materials remained in service until May 1915.
Projectiles cylindriues:
This model has been met with versions of different heights or covers, but of the same order. The lid was held in place by three bolts 14. The truncated base passed the internal profile of the powder chamber of the mortar, but the wind was to remain important.
The front of the shot exceeded the previous installment of the mortar tube, allowing this specific binding cover three protruding ears and three bolts.
A variant of this projectile had received a cover plate in a recess in which were set two igniters to pull the same principle as the projectile Gatard.
Another bullet cast iron cylinder, truncated based internally reinforced by ribs, shorter than the previous one, but molded integrally with a reinforced bottom four internal ribs. A coupling screw with hexagon in the eye allowed the establishment of the fuse concutante after loading explosive. It has also been possible without fitting to receive a rocket type Gatard.
The body was carried to the diameter of 147 mm, but leaving two spots. Turned, they gave two belts guiding and sealing to the size of 149 mm. The projectile was almost completely inserted into the soul of the mortar flush with the front edge only, allowing to remove the pin.
In another version, the belt was replaced by former prominent longitudinal lines, which avoided the beating of the projectile in the bore while reducing wear and tear.
These projectiles were cast achieved Semi-craft on the rear of the front Lorraine. To our knowledge, we do not discover anywhere else.
They were loaded with explosive poor quality (the German recovered lost was even observed in one of them) and initiated by a simple rocket, brass, fusing time fixed by turning the device initially concutant shot. In 1987, a delay of 16 seconds was recorded.
The rocket through pin removed only at the time of the shooting.
Nowadays, such a projectile has a certain risk if the pin immobilizing the concuteur does not fulfill its function.
Indeed, the safety spring, already very low in 1915, is currently still heavily damaged or completely destroyed by corrosion due to bimetallism. The rocket can operate by simply turning or drop of the machine.
The primer consisted of a brass sleeve and cardboard, a typical hunting cartridge 16 gauge. It initiated a lock itself provided with a detonator placed in a cardboard box melinite relay.
Upon his release in 1915, the 15 cm mortar model 1838 could be drawn:
• - Former spherical shells loaded with black powder.
• - spherical shells similar to the previous, but loaded with explosive. These shots were initiated by a rocket fitted with a detonator timber opening into a detonation relay brass jacket itself forcibly inserted into the eye of the projectile.
• - device Combine and its share of munitions ignited by the propellant.
