Artillery - Austria: Books - History, Types and Construction

Austrian Napoleonic Artillery 1792–1815 (Osprey)

The Austrian artillery of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a creation of the renowned Lichtenstein system of the early 1750s. This weight system produced a series of weapons of 3-, 6- and 12-pdr. calibre along with 7- and 10-pdr. howitzers.
In the 1780s they were joined by Cavalry artillery guns with their Wurst seats. In 1811 Austria also began the establishment of rocket troops based upon the British invention, whilst their heavy and siege pieces remained the 12 -,18- and 24-pdrs throughout the period.

This book describes the system as well as its operational use during the Napoleonic Wars.

Contents: Introduction - Organisation - The Lichtenstein system - The Cavalry Artillery Guns - Tactics and Massed Batteries - The Rockets - The Siege Guns - Bibliography and Collections - Colour plate commentary - Index.

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Skoda Heavy Guns - 24 cm Cannon, 38 cm Howitzer, 42 cm Howitzer and Gasoline-electric Trains

This book presents the history of the second largest arms manufacturer in Europe, the Skoda Works, and of those of its heavy guns: the 24 cm Cannon, 38 cm Howitzer and 42 cm Howitzer.
Also included are the guns that were transported in an innovative and unique way - by gasoline-electrical trains.

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Die 7,5 cm Gebirgskanone - Das modernste Gebirgsgeschütz der k. u. k. Armee im Ersten Weltkrieg

With the 7.5 cm M.15 mountain cannon system Škoda, the Austro-Hungarian Army had the most modern mountain cannon used in the First World War. It replaced the 7 cm M.99 mountain cannon, which was already considered technically outdated when it was introduced.
As early as 1904, the Technical and Administrative Military Committee worked intensively on a successor model for the M.99 system, but the M.8 and M.9 cannons were only interim solutions. Although corresponding test models from the major gun manufacturers Schneider, Krupp and Škoda already existed, a new design was decided upon.

With the M.12 prototype, Škoda ultimately presented a completely equivalent gun. The cannon, eventually designated M.15, fulfilled all expectations and was used on all Austro-Hungarian fronts from 1915 to 1918, especially on the Italian theater of war.
In addition, imperial and royal artillery formations in Turkey and Turkish batteries were also equipped with this modern cannon.

From 1915 to 1918, a total of 2181 barrels and 2023 carriages were produced. The cannon was also delivered to Germany and was still used during the Second World War.
In this book, M. Christian Ortner documents the history of this famous mountain gun in an informative text and with the help of numerous previously unpublished illustrations.

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Der 30,5 cm Mörser - Österreich-Ungarns berühmtes Belagerungsgeschütz

The Austro-Hungarian 30.5 cm mortar in the M.11, M.11/16 and M.16 System Škoda versions was one of the most modern siege guns of its time and formed the backbone of the Austro-Hungarian siege artillery.
Its development history goes back to 1906, when modern tank and fortification designs made the creation of a large-caliber siege gun necessary. Together with the Austro-Hungarian Technical Military Committee, the Škoda works in Pilsen developed a sophisticated system by 1911, which set new standards, especially with regard to the fully motorized transport facility ("auto train").

During the First World War, the mortar proved its worth in all theaters of war, it was even used on the German Western Front and was modified several times. In total, the Škoda factory delivered 101 mortars to the Austro-Hungarian Army.
Due to its modern design, numerous countries continued to use the 30.5 cm mortar after 1918, and the gun saw its last use during the Second World War.

In this book, M. Christian Ortner documents the history of this famous siege gun in an informative text and with the help of numerous previously unpublished photos.

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