Historic context :

Designed by KRUPP in 1892 as a fortress heavy gun dedicated to fire over the parapets, on the base of the older 15 cm RK 72, the 'lange 15 cm R K 92' ('RK' = 'Ring Kanone') was an old-fashioned weapon that did not have a quick-action breech nor any kind of recoil recuperator system. Moreover, its 'Ring Kanone' name indicated that the tube was produce by binding of different diameters steel tubes, a technique that was later replaced by steel forging.

This gun was therefore obsolete in 1914, but this did not prevent ihe German Army to extract the existing guns from their arsenals and fortresses to use them on the different fronts during several years, bringing a solution to the lack of heavy guns.

Technical data :

• Complete description : 15cm long Ring Kanone M 92
• Design year : 1892
• Calibre : 149.10 mm
• Weight in firing position : 6015 kg
• Weight for transportation : 2 loads 5035 kg and 3860 kg
• Tube length in calibres : 30.00 (total tube length) - 23 for the grooved part only
• Grooves : 36
• Projectile weight : 35.53 kg à 44 kg
• Initial speed : 495 m/s
• Fire rate :
• Range : 8200 to 10000 m
• Elevation range : -4 to +40 degrés
• Direction range : None

• German Artillery of World War One           Herbert Jager                   Crowood   2001  
• Das Geraet der Schweren Artillerie vor, in und nach der Weltkrieg       Herman Schirmer                   Bernard und Graefe, Berlin   1937  
• Das Ehrenbuch der Schweren Artillerie (I. Band)       Major Franz Nikolaus Kaiser                   Verlag Tradition, Berlin   1931