Look like British 6 inch howitzers - the lower right and top left seem to be the obsolete 30 hundredweight (cwt) M97 and the rest the 26 cwt M17. I doubt the claimed provenance of the
image since the 30 cwt howitzer was progressively replaced from 1915 onwards - I think the chances of the 30 cwt howitzers still being around in significant numbers in late 1917
are pretty small.
To be fair though - we could be getting caught by thinking about the timing of the Battle of Cambrai - these guns could have been photographed any time during the German
occupation of Cambrai. Anyone recognise the buildings around the guns?
Regards,
Charlie
-- Edited by CharlieC on Thursday 18th of October 2012 02:50:36 PM
Allegedly "Captured British Mortars at Cambrai". To be fair, that's also what the German caption says, but I have ma doots about everything except the "captured" bit.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Aha. And so it proves. Of course, Mörser translates as "mortar" or "howitzer". I've probably done the gent a disservice. But, as CharlieC says, a bit early for Cambrai 1917, especially with a Pickelhaube in the photo. Though where else would the Germans have been able to capture so many British guns?
__________________
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
I have some photographs of "Grand-Place" of Cambrai in december 1917 with at least 30 captured british howitzers and field guns, I think that the British Army had lost these guns in the german counter-attack of Cambrai. I have also german photographs dated april 1918 with many british guns, including three big 12 inch Railway Howitzers, a 15 inch Siege Howitzer and many 12 and 9,2 inch Siege Howitzers, they are photographs of german attacks of 21 march 1918 in Oise and Aisne and in april 1918 in Flanders. Yours sincerely, Guy François.
