Cannone da 149/40 modello 35

Cannone da 149/40
A battery of 149/40 guns.
Type	Heavy Gun
Place of origin	Kingdom of Italy
Service history
In service	1940-1945
Used by	Kingdom of Italy  Nazi Germany
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designer	Ansaldo
Manufacturer	Ansaldo
Produced	1940-44
No. built	51 by 1941[1]
Specifications
Mass	11,340 kilograms (25,000 lb)
Barrel length	6.036 metres (19 ft 10 in) L/40
Shell	45.96 kilograms (101.3 lb)
Caliber	149.1 mm (5.87 in)
Carriage	Split trail
Elevation	0° to +45°
Traverse	60°
Rate of fire	1-2 rpm
Muzzle velocity	800 m/s (2,625 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	23,700 metres (25,900 yd)

The Cannone da 149/40 was a heavy gun which served with Italy during World War II. It was intended to replace the obsolete Cannone da 149/35 A, but the small numbers produced prevented that. By 1940 orders had been placed for 590, but only 51 were in service at the end of September 1941. Weapons captured by the Germans after the Italian surrender in 1943 were put into service as the 15 cm K 408(i). Ansaldo produced a batch of twelve for the Germans in April 1944.

It was a good design despite the odd decision to use trail spade plates that had to be pounded into the ground to anchor the gun in place. Normally it was broken down into two loads for transport, but it could be further broken down into four loads for mountainous terrain.

References

1. "CANNONE DA 149/40 MODELLO 35 - Quartermaster Section".

• Chamberlain, Peter; Gander, Terry (1975). Heavy Artillery. New York: Arco. ISBN 0-668-03898-5.