Produktbeschreibung
15cm sFH18 Heavy Howitzer Battery
(15cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18)
The 15cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"), was produced by Rheinmetall and Krupp companies and adopted by the German army in 1935. It was the first artillery weapon equipped with rocket-assisted ammunition to increase range. The 15cm sFH18 was also used in the self-propelled mounting of the Hummel.
By the outbreak of war the Wehrmacht had about 1,353 of these guns in service. Production continued throughout the war, reaching a peak of 2,295 guns in 1944. A total of 5,403 sFH 18 howitzers were produced.
One of the four battalions in each artillery regiment in infantry divisions was equipped with these howitzers.
Numerous experiments were carried out on the 15cm sFH18 to improve its range. These led to the 15 cm sFH18M version with a removable barrel liner and a muzzle brake that allowed a larger "special 7" or 8 charge to be used. The 18M increased range to 15,100 m, but it was found that the liners suffered increased wear and the recoil system could not handle the increased loads in spite of the brake. This led to a more interesting modification, the introduction of the 15cm R. Gr. 19 FES ammunition, which used a rocket-assisted round that could reach 18,200m and give it some level of parity with the Soviet A-19 gun-howitzer.
Finland bought 48 15cm sFH18 howitzers from Germany in 1940 and designated them 150 H/40.
15cm sFH18 howitzer Specifications
Weight: 5,530kg (12,191lbs)
Barrel length: L/30
Shell: 149mm × 260R (cased separate-loading ammunition)
Calibre: 149.1mm (5.89in)
Breech: interrupted screw
Recoil: hydropneumatic
Carriage: split trail
Elevation: -3 degrees, +45 degrees
Traverse: +/-30 degrees
Muzzle velocity: 515m/s (1,690ft/s)
Maximum range: 13km (8 miles)
Box Includes:
4x 15cm sFH18 howitzers
1x Command team
1x Staff team
2x Observer teams
4x Different resin scenic artillery bases
1x Resin scenic staff team base
In Flames Of War -
A number of German forces now have the option to upgrade there Artillery Battery or Motorised Artillery Battery from 10.5cm leFH18 howitzers to 15cm sFH18 howitzers.
This gives you a battery with a lot of hitting power.
The 15cm sFH18 howitzer is Immobile so you will have to move it with your tow vehicles. It has a good range out to 80"/200cm firing bombardments, and 24"/60cm firing direct. It has anti-tank 5 against the top armour of armoured targets under its bombardment and 13 against targets in its direct line of fire. It packs a big punch as well, with firepower 1+ direct, 2+ in bombardments and it's a Bunker Buster. However, because of its two-part ammunition it only has a ROF of 1 in direct fire. It can also fire smoke. It has no gun shield so remember to dig the battery in. |
