Originally from a museum in Holywell, Wales, as other German 15 cm sFH 18 guns shown in UK museums, like Norfolk Tank Museum, this howitzer shows evidences of Russian modification, in particular the addition of a muzzle break, suggesting perhaps, that they were captured weapons from Hitler’s disastrous operations on the Eastern Front. Later it would be used by Soviet Army to fight the German Army in Czechoslovakia.
Captured ex-German weapon (15-cm-schwere Feldhaubitze 18) in Soviet 238-th heavy howitzer artillery brigade (Photo Credit)
The 15 cm schwere Feldhaubitze 18 or sFH 18 (German: "heavy field howitzer, model 18"), nicknamed Immergrün ("Evergreen"), was one of Germany's three main 15 cm calibre weapons. It was the basic German division-level heavy howitzer during the Second World War. It was generally outdated compared to the weapons it faced. It was, however, the first artillery weapon equipped with rocket-assisted ammunition to increase range.
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. Several other versions of the basic 15 cm were produced.
The first field combat for the 15 cm sFH 18 was with the Chinese National Revolutionary Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War. Against the Soviet Union however, the sFH 18 proved to be greatly inferior to the Red Army corps artillery. Several countries continued fielding the sFH 18 after the war in large numbers.
Despite poor storage conditions suffered in last 75 years, the gun looks like be in a incredible conservation statuts. You won't be able believe this German heavy field howitzer comes with no paperwork and that the gun still hasn’t been de-commissioned (it would have to be before the sale).
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