The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
13 cm calibre German heavy field gun, with a box trail, recoil spade, splinter-proof shield and axial recoil system mounted in twin cylinders under the barrel.
The barrel can be elevated from -5 to 26 degrees, using a handwheel on left side of the barrel, and traversed either side by 4 degrees.
Stamped into the barrel's breech face is the number 32, with the maker's name, place of manufacture and date - 'Fried. Krupp Essen 1911'. The breech block is also inscribed with the number 32. On the upper surface of the barrel near the breech is inscribed the numbers 4490, and further forward is stamped 19512, while the carriage number, stamped into the towing ring, is 41. The rear-most upper surface of the gun's barrel is inscribed with the half-removed imperial cypher of Wilhelm II. The lower portion of 'W' and 'II' can be made out, as can a portion of the motto 'Ultima Ratio Regis' - The last resort of Kings'.
The gun's breech block is of an horizontally sliding type, operated using a handle on the right side of the breech. The sight mount and bracket are present on the left side of the barrel. The muzzle of the gun has been damaged by shell fre and the "A" tube (the inner rifled tube) has expanded and protrudes beyond the muzzle end. The guns carriage, shield and wheels exhibit further battle damage, much of which has been repaired (presumably during service) with a combination of weld-fill and thin metal rivetted plate.
The two wheels are of rivetted steel plate, with nine steel box spokes. The gun type as often fitted with Cingolis (pedrails), wooden and steel shoes which were fitted around the perimeter of the wheels to enhance movement on soft ground. The gun's brakes are applied using a metal four-spoked handwheel situated on the lower left side on the front of the axle. This wheel has sustained mechanical impact damage, and is out of round. Attached to the rear of the trail is a cast-metal, folding traversing bar. It terminates in a rolled metal tube, through which was fastened a wooden hand bar. This bar is missing. The gun is also missing its ranging bars, cleaning rods, and all equipment which would have been stored in boxes on the shield and carriage. The carriage trail has enclosed within it a 30cm x 20 cm box, covered by a thin sheet metal hinged lid. This has sustained battle damage, and has been weld and rivet repaired.
The entire gun is painted in a modern semi-gloss field grey enamel. This finish appears to have been applied over a surface which had its previous coatings entirely removed by air abrasion.
This was one of 29 guns captured East of Hamel by the 45th Batallion AIF on 8 August 1918, the so called 'Black day of the German Army'. No details exist for the precise event leading to its capture. The extensive weld and rivet repairs on the gun provide evidence that this weapon saw extensive service prior to its capture.
This gun fired 'separate ammunition', in which the projectile was first rammed home, following which a brass cartridge casing containing a set amount of propellant and the primer was inserted. Designed as early as 1906 by Krupp the 13 cm Kanone 09 was one of the very first heavy German guns having an axial recoil system, and was adopted officially in 1909. In its initial version it was transportable into two separate loads for horse traction. Later (from 1917) a modified version was introduced with reinforced carriage and wheels for mechanical traction.
The 13cm K 09 had a range of up to 16.5 km, and therefore was usually assigned a mission of anti-artillery and harassment fire. The gun was able to fire one round every minute for 15 minutes, in heavy fire, or 12 rounds per hour in sustained fire. Total wartime production was 202 guns, of which 120 guns were still in service at the end of the war.
See Ecole militaire de l'artillerie, Cours d'artillerie, L'artillerie allemande, p 153
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