203 mm artillery

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 23. Chapters: 20.3 cm/45 Type 41 naval gun, 20.3 cm K (E), 20.3 cm SK C/34 naval gun, 203mm/50 Modèle 1924 gun, 203mm/55 Modèle 1931 gun, 203 mm /53 Italian naval gun, 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4), 2S7 Pion, 8"/55 caliber gun, 8"/55 caliber Mark 71 gun, 8 inch Gun M1, BL 8-inch howitzer Mk I-V, BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI - VIII, BL 8 inch Mk I - VII naval gun, BL 8 inch Mk VIII naval gun, Columbiad, M110 howitzer, M115 howitzer, RML 8 inch 9 ton gun, Type 4 20 cm Rocket Launcher. Excerpt: The BL 8-Inch Howitzer Marks VI, VII and VIII (6, 7 and 8) were a family of British artillery pieces of the First and Second World Wars, built by Vickers in Britain and by Midvale Steel in the USA. Mk 6 has slid off road behind Holt artillery tractor, WWI8 inch was a common howitzer caliber during the First World War. The Marks VI, VII and VIII (6, 7 and 8) were specifically designed as a howitzer and should not be confused with the stopgap early Marks 1 - 5 of 8-inch howitzer which used shortened and bored-out naval 6-inch gun barrels. Requested in August 1915 and first delivered March 1916. It had a barrel of built-up construction and was effectively a scaled-up version of Vickers's successful 6 inch howitzer and was 4-5 tonnes lighter than the current improvised 8 inch "howitzers". The barrel was 14.7 calibres (117.7 inches) in length, with a range of 10,745 yards (9,825 m). Introduced July 1916. Mk VII had a longer barrel (17.3 calibres, or 138.4 inches) of wire-wound construction and increased the range to 12,300 yards (11,250 m). The new barrels turned out to have short lives and suffered from cracked A tubes (the inner rifled layer of the built-up barrel). Mk 8 in WWI camouflage paint at the Canadian War Museum, OttawaMk VIII incorporated various small improvements and a thicker and stronger barrel. Gun on Vickers firing platform, and limber, gun and platform being towedEarly problems of stability on very hard or soft ground became apparent with the Mk VI, leading to the recoil system not functioning correctly. A Commission went to France to investigate, and a special level "Vickers platform" was adopted, to which the wheels and trail were secured for accurate shooting. A major change in the line of shooting required the platform to be relaid. Setting-up and adjusting the platform was labour-intensive. The US manual describes it :- "The platform consists of wooden beams which assemble to form a triangular platform. The spade must be removed and a special brac