| Place | Middle East: Syria, Damascus |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RELAWM03994 |
| Collection type | Technology |
| Object type | Artillery |
| Place made | Austria |
| Date made | pre 1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
37 mm infanteriegeschütz M.15, Turkish Forces, Damascus : 4th Light Horse Regiment, AIF
Description
Austrian 37mm infanteriegeschütz M.15, serial number 1484, carriage number 3019. The gun has a rear tubular trail and two folding tubular front legs which when folded out, create a tripod. The gun wears its original paint. The gun could be mounted on small wooden spoked wheels, and could also be fitted with a splinter-proof shield. This example has neither.
History / Summary
This was a light infantry support weapon with a range of up to 3 km. The weapon could be broken into three loads for transport, and fired a range of HE, HE/ Shrapnel and tracer fixed ammunition. This example, made by the Skoda Arsenal, was captured at Damascus by the 4th Light Horse Regiment, probably on 1 or 2 October 1918, when they captured the Turkish Hospital and took over 11,000 prisoners. The unit War Diary for 2 October makes mention of the capture of "four small model field pieces".