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15cm sIG 33 (Schweres Infanterie Geschutz 33)

1936 WORLD WAR 2

History

The German Army used all types of artillery during World War II (1939-1945) - field guns, howitzers, rail guns and infantry-level support guns. For the latter, the standardized system became the 15 cm cannon of the sIG 33 series ("Schwere Infanterie Geschutz 33"), which was introduced during the German rearmament in the 1930s.

Total production of the gun was around 4,600 before the battle ended in 1945.

Design work on the new infantry gun was extended from 1927 to 1933, and Rheinmetall began production in 1936. Eventually, the AEG factory and the Bohemisch Waffenfabrik got involved to support the war requirements.

The sIG 33 uses a very large caliber (150mm) for an infantry-level weapon, and its weight is far from advantageous in terms of mobility. In its original form, the type can be seen with a pair of massive multi-spoke wooden wheels mounted on box rail car assemblies.

The barrel is equipped with a horizontal sliding breech block and a hydropneumatic recoil mechanism. Mounting hardware allows an elevation range of 0 to +73 degrees and a lateral range of 11.5 degrees from centerline. The mounted sights are of the Rblf36 series.

A thin gun shield is designed to protect riflemen from dangers on the battlefield, but its overall protection is negligible at best.

Over time, it was decided to modify the carriage and combine the multi-spoke steel wheel design with rubber tires. This is better for services associated with the new mechanized method of movement warfare, with highway travel replacing the old, tried-and-true horse-drawn artillery.

The material shift only makes the weapon heavier and bulkier, but it still makes it a more modern field device.

By the end of the century, another approach was being implemented, using lighter alloys instead of all-steel. While this resulted in a more manageable weapon system, it consumed significant wartime resources for other critical projects, and production of this sonar was only in the hundreds before factories resumed manufacturing of original components.

Light alloy carriages were considered in 1939, but this development was not adopted.

In practice, like most German guns of the war, the 15cm sIG 33 worked well. It has a field weight of 4,000 pounds and its dimensions include a length of 4.4 meters and a width of 2 meters.

Due to its relatively compact size, it can be transported with relative ease by moving trucks or "pack beasts" with few problems for rail transport. The weapon's stated rate of fire is up to three rounds per minute at an effective range of 4,700 m (5,100 yd).

The muzzle velocity is 790 feet per second.

The sIG 33 fires a conventional fin-stabilized HE (High Explosive) round called the "I Gr 33". When loaded into the barrel, the projectile protrudes slightly from the barrel, as the propellant charge and drive rod are put into the barrel before the grenade is inserted into the barrel (the rod falls off during the flight of the projectile). Each bowl weighs about 84 pounds and is filled with Amatol. This standard high-explosive round was followed by the smoke bomb "I Gr 38 Nb" and the shaped charge I Gr 39 HI/A.

Grenade 42 rounds were used as obstacle-clearing explosives with a charge of 60 lbs Amatol - of course, there was no limit to its use against excavated enemy concentrations.

The 15cm SIG-33 system fought in various battlefield roles until the last days of 1945 - until Germany's surrender in May. The same gun was seen on sIG 33 self-propelled artillery (SPA) vehicles, 370 of which were built between 1939 and 1944. This development was in response to the low mobility of the sIG 33 components shown during the Polish campaign in 1939.

The chassis of the Light Armor I formed the basis for this new vehicle, and then the focus shifted to the Light Armor II hull. Then there was a similar version based on the Panzer 38(t) light tank, and then the Panzer III medium tank.