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9cm Feldkanone M75/96

1898 WORLD WAR 1

History of 9cm Field Gun M75/96

The Austro-Hungarian army relied on a large number of artillery systems in the First World War (1914-1918). Many of them date back to the last century, and some have been modernized for the rigors of the new battlefield.

This was the case with the 9cm Feldkanone M75/96 (9cm FK M75/96), a 90mm system first introduced in 1875 and modernized in 1896. It was adopted in 1898 and fought until the last days of the war of 1918.

Stocks of M75 guns produced new barrels that were still bronze, but designed with higher tolerances. The new weapon is a breech-loading weapon (loaded from the rear of the barrel) that introduces a lock on the contact hole to provide the rifleman with some safety when handling ammunition and propellant near heat sources.

Added a spring-based shovel assembly for digging into terrain for better recoil and reduced weapon retargeting time. A lever on the frame allows the crew to lower or raise the gun mount when fighting over rough terrain or mountains. The total weight is 2,400 pounds and the barrel is 6.8 feet long.

Its official caliber is 87 mm (3.4 inches).

As a field gun, the M75/96 is primarily a line-of-sight weapon, firing projectiles with relatively low ballistics. Performance matched the time, with a maximum range of up to 6,600 yards with standard HE (high-explosive) projectiles, and an effective range of nearly 5,500 yards. The shells are fired at a muzzle velocity of 1,400 feet per second and can fire at a rate of up to 6 rounds per minute.

Transport is the movement of vehicles or "pack animals" with ammunition provided by accompanying porters. Some specimens ended up being fitted with gun shields, adding some localized protection to the crew, albeit lightly.