Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903

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Type
  
field gun

Designer
  
Krupp

Place of origin
  
German Empire

Manufacturer
  
Krupp

Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903

In service
  
1904-1945  German Empire Korean Empire  Denmark  Nazi Germany  Ottoman Empire  Romania  Kingdom of Serbia

Wars
  
Balkan Wars World War I World War II

The Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 was a field gun used by a number of European armies in both World War I and World War II. The Model 1903 was a "stock gun" from Krupp that could be supplied to customers on short notice with minor alterations to suit the customers needs.

Romania acquired 636 of these guns and used them with a more sophisticated sighting device (than the one offered by the Germans) made locally, known as the Ghenea-Korodi sight. By number of guns, this was largest import of a single type of cannon ever made by Romania. It was the mainstay of the Romanian field artillery in World War I, equipping all artillery regiments of the Romanian infantry divisions. The number of these guns in Romanian service had decreased to 312 by 1926. The Romanians used them until 1942, although by this time they had become obsolete.

During First Balkan War 126 field and 6 mountain Ottoman Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 guns were captured by Royal Serbian Army and later used in World War I.

The Model 1903 was also bought by Denmark and the Netherlands and used in World War II. The Model 1903 also formed the basis for the Type 38 75 mm Field Gun used by Japan. In Danish service it was known as the 03 L/30 and doesn't appear to have been modified in any significant way before World War II.

The Dutch bought some 204 of the slightly earlier Kanone M.02/03 and purchased a production-license as well. 120 appear to have been manufactured in the Netherlands, where it was known as the 7-veld. During the 1920s, the Dutch rebuilt their guns to increase their elevation. At least 16 were modified for motorized traction, presumably with steel wheels and pneumatic tires, for service with the Light Division. Gander and Chamberlain claim there were three almost identical versions, the M 02/04 vd, OM 04 and NM 10, but this has not been confirmed. The Germans designated these guns as the 7.5 cm Feldkanone 243(h) after the Battle of the Netherlands.

Danish guns were known in German service as the 7.5 cm Feldkanone 240(d).

References

Krupp 7.5 cm Model 1903 Wikipedia