Hat 8243 British QF45 Howitzer WWI

The Ordonance QF 4.5-inch gun is a British 114mm towed howitzer from World War I and the interwar period. The initial velocity of the demolition shell from this gun was up to 310 m / s, with a maximum range of 6,700 meters. The effective shot range was about 6000 meters. The first prototypes of this howitzer were made around 1905, and the howitzer entered service in 1910.

The Ordonance QF 4.5-inch howitzer was created under the influence of the experience gained by the British Army during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and due to the considerable effectiveness demonstrated by the Krupp light field howitzers in the course of this conflict. When designing the new weapon, particular emphasis was placed on its rate of fire, but also on its off-road mobility. After a relatively long period of analytical and research and development work (which lasted de facto since 1900), the new weapon entered service in 1910. The new howitzer initially complemented and later completely replaced the 140mm BL 5-inch howitzer, quickly becoming one of the main guns of the British Army during the Great War. It is assumed that at certain times of this war it accounted for up to 25% of the total British field artillery! They were used not only on the Western Front, but also in the Middle East. The weapon survived the entire interwar period, and during World War II it was still used by some BEF batteries that were sent to France in 1939 and 1940.