BL 12 inch Railway Howitzer
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| Ordnance BL 12 inch Howitzer Mk I, III, V on truck, railway | |
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 12 inch howitzer Mk. I on railway mounting, 1916 |
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| Type | siege howitzer |
| Place of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1916 - 1940 |
| Used by | United Kingdom |
| Wars | First World War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Elswick Ordnance Company |
| Number built | 81 |
| Variants | Mk I, III, V |
| Specifications | |
| Barrel length | 144.5 inch (Mk I) 207.6 inch (MK III, V)[1] |
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| Shell | HE 750 lb (340 kg) |
| Calibre | 12 inch (305 mm) |
| Elevation | 40° - 65° (Mk I & III); 20° - 65° (Mk V) |
| Traverse | 20° L & R (Mk I & III); 120° L & R (Mk V)[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 1175 ft/s (Mk I); 1468 ft/s (Mk III & V); [1] |
| Effective range | 11,132 yds (MK I); 15,000 yds (Mk III); 14,350 yds (MK V) |
| Filling weight | 83lb 3oz (37.96 kg) Amatol |
The Ordnance BL 12 inch howitzer on truck, railway was developed following the success of the 9.2 inch siege howitzer.
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[edit] Design and development
The Mk I was introduced from March 1916, followed by a longer-barrelled Mk III with a heavier breech to balance the gun.
Mk V, dating from July 1917, had the recuperator below the barrel, a lighter breech with the gun balanced by the redesgned recoil system and altered gun positioning on the cradle.[2] Mk V also relocated the loading platform from the railway wagon to the revolving gun mounting, which now allowed 120° of traverse, and by overhanging the opposite side provided crew access when the gun fired to the side (90° traverse) and also helped to balance it.[2]
It was a similar but different weapon to the 12 inch siege howitzers Mk II and IV, which were directly scaled-up and nearly identical versions of the 9.2 inch siege howitzer.
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[edit] Combat service
They served on the Western Front in World War I, usually in 2-gun batteries, operated by the Royal Garrison Artillery.
Mk III and MK V were deployed for the home defence of Great Britain in World War II.
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[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Dale Clarke, British Artillery 1914-1919. Heavy Artillery. Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2005
- I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914-1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972.
[edit] See also
[edit] Surviving examples
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