§§- 15cm Type 38 (Japon) Russe à Hameenlinna, Finlande

18 novembre 2023

De la part de Charlie Clelland

Hi Bernard

The Japanese built 15cm Type 38 howitzers (license built 15cm Krupp M1905) sold/given to Russia during WW1 do appear to fit the criteria for WW1 surviving guns. There are 5 surviving Type 38s - 1 in Finland, 2 in St Petersburg and 2 in Vladivostok.

The museum at Hameenlinna says the Type 38 howitzer was built in 1909 - this is wrong - production at Osaka Arsenal didn't start until 1911. I haven't found an image fo the Hameenlinna howitzer's markings to figure the build date for myself - I wrote an article on Japanese markings for Landships II

Hameenlinna 150 H/14j

61.00502526276186, 24.45728341882429

Serial #44 - Build 1909 (wrong) production didn’t start until 1911

12 guns captured by Finnish forces in 1918, all 12 used in the Winter War but 11 captured by the Red Army

In Finnish Civil War of 1918 Finnish White Army captured 12 of these howitzers. According some sources Finnish Red Guards and Russians had used them against Finnish White Army before capture, but according another source they were captured without battle use either at Huopalahti warehouses of Russian Army or Russian Garrison in Södervik (Suvilahti) - both places are in Helsinki area. Either way White Army did not use them during Civil War.

These dozen heavy howitzers might not see much in scale of this day, but considering the weaponry situation of Finnish military before Winter War they were very important - all other heavy howitzer models in Finnish use at that time were even less numerous. Being the only howitzers numerous enough to arm whole Heavy Artillery Battalion (of 12 guns/howitzers) they became main training weaponry for Finnish heavy field artillery before World War 2. In late 1930's four of the howitzers were in training use of Civil Guard (Suojeluskunta) artillery units (of Pietarsaari/Jakobstad and Uuskaarlepyy/Nykarleby Civil Guards), while eight howitzers remained in use of Heavy Artillery Regiment (principal heavy artillery training unit for Finnish Army at that time). The training use took its toll - ammunition for these howitzers was in short supply already before Winter War.

In mobilisation for Winter War all 12 howitzers were issued to Heavy Artillery Battalion 2, which supported Finnish troops in vitally important Summa sector of Mannerheim-line. Because of their short range the howitzers they had to be close to frontline. 13th of February 1940 Soviets succeeded breaching Finnish defences in Lähde sector of Summa in Carelian Isthmus, due to breakdown in communications Heavy Artillery Battalion 2 did not receive warning about the breach time. So the Soviet tanks roared into artillery positions of Heavy Artillery Battalion 2 without alarm. Surprised howitzer crews had no change of fighting back and 11 of these horse-towed howitzers were lost in matter of minutes.

Only one 150 H/14j howitzer survived in Finnish hands that day - it had been under repair in Viipuri/Wiborg the day when the others were lost. When Continuation War started and Finnish troops took back the lost areas in Carelian Isthmus two of the 150 H/14j lost in Summa were recaptured in Perkjärvi, where the Soviets had stored them after Winter War. Three howitzers were still too little for reintroducing the howitzer model for any real use, but one of the recaptured howitzers got a prestigious job. The Finns set it on pedestal to replace statue of Lenin centre of Äänislinna / Petroskoi / Petrozavosk city. Once the Soviets recaptured the city in 1944 they in their own turn replaced the howitzer with Lenin statue. The remaining two howitzers did see any use after World War 2 either. The only howitzer that avoided capture in February of 1940 is nowadays in Finnish Artillery Museum.

Regards,

Charlie