Type Howitzer In service 1930-1945 Designer Skoda | Place of origin Czechoslovakia Wars World War II | |
 | ||
Used by Czechoslovakia
Nazi Germany
Romania
Slovakia | ||
The 10 cm houfnice vz. 30 (howitzer model 30) was a Czechoslovak howitzer used in the Second World War. The 158 weapons captured after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 were taken into Wehrmacht service as the 10 cm leFH 30(t). It was used by a variety of German units during World War II, including II. and III./SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 3 between 1939 and 1940 and SS-Artillerie-Abteilung 51 during 1941. 30 served with the Slovak Army.
Design and history
It was modified from an earlier Skoda design, the 10 cm houfnice vz. 28, that attempted to combine the field and mountain gun roles into one weapon. The Czechoslovak army decided to adopt it to replace their plethora of aged Austro-Hungarian field guns. They replaced the wheels with modern rubber-tired wheels, but curiously chose to retain the crewman's seat on the gunshield. It used the same carriage that could break down into three pieces for transport as the 8 cm kanon vz. 30. It fired a 16 kilograms (35 lb) shell.