Bofors 75 mm mountain gun

The Bofors 75 mm mountain gun was a German-designed and Swedish-built mountain gun of the interwar years that was used during the Second World War.

Bofors 75 mm mountain gun
A Bofors 75 mm gun in Chinese service
TypeMountain gun
Place of originSweden
Service history
Used bySee users
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerKrupp
Designed1919-1920
ManufacturerBofors
Produced1923 onwards
VariantsL/20
L/22[1]
Specifications
MassCombat: 790 kg (1,740 lb)
Travel: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
Barrel length1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) L/20
1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) L/22
Width.95 m (3 ft 1 in)
Crew4[1]
ShellFixed QF 75 x 212mm R Fixed QF 75 x 241mm R[2]
Shell weight6.5 kg (14 lb 5 oz)
Caliber75 mm (3 in)
BreechHorizontal sliding-wedge
RecoilHydro-pneumatic
Carriage2-wheeled box trail
Elevation-10° to +50°
Traverse6°[1]
Rate of fire25 rpm
Muzzle velocity470 m/s (1,500 ft/s)
Maximum firing range10.5 km (6.5 mi)[1]
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History

In 1919–1920 Krupp designed a new 7.5-cm L20 mountain gun, but the Treaty of Versailles and German disarmament banned manufacturing guns under 170 mm in calibre at the company, so it licensed the product to Bofors[3] (also, since 1920 Krupp held 31.8% of Bofors stock through its Swedish subsidiary AB Boforsintressenter despite a 1916 law prohibiting foreigners from having over 20% stock of a Swedish business[4]). Under an 1921 agreement the company agreed not to export any Krupp-derived materiel to the victors of WWI: the UK, US, France, Italy and Japan.[5]

Bofors, which had never build mountain guns before, had to set up a saddler's workshop which worked until 1980s, and buy donkeys and mules to carry the pack guns. After a Swedish-made prototype passed field tests in Java, KNIL became the first customer in 1923, ordering 30 guns with ammunition and other auxilliary equipment; orders from Turkey and other countries followed starting from 1928.[6]

Design

The Bofors 75 mm mountain gun was built in two main versions, one had a barrel of 20 calibers in length and the other a barrel of 22 calibers in length. Both had a two-wheeled single-axle box-trail carriage with shield, which could be towed by a horse team or broken down into eight mule loads for transportation. In addition to its use by Sweden it was widely exported.[1]

Users
  • Brazilian army museum in Copacabana.
    Brazilian army museum in Copacabana.
  • Bofors 75mm mountain gun M1930
    Bofors 75mm mountain gun M1930

Notes
  1. Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 31. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
  2. "75–77 mm Calibre Catridges". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  3. Trials of War Criminals Before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals Under Control Council Law No. 10, Nuernberg, October 1946-April 1949. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1950. p. 273.
  4. Lorenz-Meyer, Martin (2007). Safehaven: The Allied Pursuit of Nazi Assets Abroad. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-6586-9.
  5. German Yearbook on Business History 1982 p=131.
  6. "Artillery pieces and combat vehicles | Stories | Saab".

Bibliography
  • Christopher Foss: Jane's Pocket Book of Towed Artillery. New York. Collier Books. 1977. ISBN 0354010867
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