10.4 cm M. 15 Kanone barrel on Rohrwagen (limber transporter) : 3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment, Palestine

10.4 cm breech-loading gun barrel, on its two-wheeled transport limber. The limber supporting the barrel is constructed of sheet steel, rivetted to internal transoms, terminating in a towing eye. Mounted near the towing eye is a threaded post terminating in a pivot. Once the gun barrel limber is manouevered into position over the gun carriage, this threaded post is used to raise the limber carraige into an horizontal position, so that the barrel may be winched into place. The rear right hand side of the breech has a hook mounted onto it: this is to allow a pulley to be attached. The breech is missing its breech block. The limber and barrel are both painted with a foliage green oil-based paint. This coating has partially cracked where it overlies a wooden substrate, such as the spoked wheels. On either side of the limber are containers for equipment. These exhibit considerable corrosion in their corners.

Captured by the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in Palestine, this Austrian 104 mm barrel on its transporter limber was made at the famous Skodawerke in 1917. It was, therefore, one of the modern pieces of Austrian artillery brought to the Holy Land to assist the Turks. The gun weighs 1 1/4 tons and the carriage another 1 3/4 tons.

The gun was too heavy to transport in a complete unit and had to have its barrel removed and transported seperately. The barrel was removed by placing the transporter over the rear of the trail and sliding the piece from the transporter to its cradle on the carriage. A threaded screw lifting gear in the trail or the perch of the transporter limber raised the breech until the slides of both carriage and wagon were in alignment and the barrel was then moved from one to the other.

The shell, either high explosive or shrapnel, weighed 39 Ibs. and the maximum range was 12, 000 yards.