Landships II

JamesH · Major

Odd Italian Gun

Peter Kempf · Field Marshal

What you saw was most certainly the 75mm Deport, that had a very odd recoil device indeed, that, by the way, worked very well. The last test for the gun being a Deport is the trail: is it split? The Deport was one of the first guns using a split trail.

You can find an article on the Deport here on this site:

http://www.landships.freeservers.com/75mm_deport_walkaround.htm

All the best

Cadorna · Corporal

James
regarding the motorcycles with machineguns: I have a book on the battle of Pozzuolo del Friuli, (it was a delaying action during the retreat to the Tagliamento) this book contains many first hand accounts and one of the soldier describes the sidecars with machineguns fighting in first line with the austrian soldiers.
I guess that they were part of some scout detachment at division or army level but I'd like to know more

JamesH · Major

Thank you, gentlemen.

You're quite right, of course, Peter. Sorry; I missed that article.

Signor Cadorna - that's also very interesting. I wonder what machines they were and what the gun was. I've got a book on the way which might contain some info on this episode. I'll let you know if anything emerges.

JamesH · Major

Cadorna wrote:

James
regarding the motorcycles with machineguns: I have a book on the battle of Pozzuolo del Friuli, (it was a delaying action during the retreat to the Tagliamento) this book contains many first hand accounts and one of the soldier describes the sidecars with machineguns fighting in first line with the austrian soldiers.
I guess that they were part of some scout detachment at division or army level but I'd like to know more

I've been in touch with Christian Ortner at the Vienna War Museum and he is adamant that Austria never had any motor-cycle combinations with MGs, at least not in the Great War. Which makes you wonder what the Italian veteran did see.

Centurion · Legend

Re side cars

Given that German units sometimes operated alongside KuK ones perhaps these were German NSU equiped troops.. If I was a retreating Italian soldier being harried by mg fire I doubt that I'd be interested in looking at the finer details of the uniforms of the guys who were doing the firing. I'd just lump them all together as bleeping* Austrians.

* substitute your Italian profanity of choice.

JamesH · Major

Yes, I can see how that would happen.

Have you got any photos of this NSU arrangement? I'd love to have a look.