Cannone da 149/40 modello 35
| Industry | Defense, armaments |
|---|---|
| Products | Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 artillery gun |
The Cannone da 149/40 modello 35 was a heavy artillery piece employed by Kingdom of Italy throughout World War II. Designed as a successor to the outdated Cannone da 149/35 A, its limited production prevented it from fully replacing its predecessor. Although orders for 590 units were placed by 1940, only 51 had been delivered and were operational by late September 1941. Following Italy's capitulation in 1943, the German forces captured these guns and designated them as the 15 cm K. 408(i). Additionally, Ansaldo manufactured a further twelve units for German use in April 1944.
The design was generally effective, albeit with the unusual feature of trail spade plates that required manual hammering into the ground to stabilize the gun during firing. For transportation, the gun was typically disassembled into two main components but could be further divided into four parts to facilitate movement across mountainous regions.
References
- Chamberlain, Peter, and Terry Gander. Heavy Artillery. New York: Arco, 1975. ISBN 0-668-03898-5.