BL 5.4-inch howitzer

Ordnance BL 5.4-inch howitzer
Ordnance BL 5.4-inch howitzer
	hydro-spring constant
Carriage	Wheeled, box trail
Elevation	-5° - 45°
Muzzle velocity	781 ft/s (238 m/s)
Effective firing range	4,800 yards (4,400 m)

The Ordnance BL 5.4-inch howitzer was a version of the British 5-inch howitzer designed for British Indian Army use, especially on the Northwest Frontier.

Design

The unusual calibre of 5.4 inches may have been determined by a requirement to fire a 60 lb shell. Since the 5-inch howitzer with its 50 lb shell was later found deficient in both firepower and range, it is possible the Indian Army may have foreseen this, and in fact the 5.4-inch could fire its 60 lb shell the same distance as the 5-inch fired its 50 lb shell i.e. 4800 yards. Also, Hogg & Thurston surmise that raw weight of shell was seen as necessary in India to "put a reasonable amount of fear into the hearts of obstreperous tribesmen inhabiting home-built but robust local fortresses":^[2] different conditions than regular British Army artillery was expected to be employed in.

Combat service

World War I

Four guns were sent from India and served in the

East Africa campaign. They were manned by the 134th (Cornwall) Howitzer Battery (TF) from England. The battery was formed at Maktau on 4 February 1916 and drawn by oxen.^[3]

The battery is reported as firing 102 rounds in the bombardment of German positions on the Mgeta river (approximately 100 miles (160 km) SW of Dar es Salam) on 1 January 1917, part of the Rufiji River campaign. This allowed Cunliffe's Nigerian Brigade to cross the Mgeta river and pursue the German force south. One of the guns was destroyed by a premature explosion in this action, with 1 gunner killed and 2 wounded.[4]

The 134th Battery landed at

11th (Hull) Battery, who were short of men through sickness. The 134th were then heavily engaged using one 5.4-inch and two 5-inch howitzers at the major Battle of Nyangao on 16–18 October 1917.^[5] The guns knocked out the last of the ten 4.1-inch guns from the Königsberg

which the German forces had used as field guns, and provided fire support for the Indian and Nigerian troops.

Ammunition

Mk I
cartridge
, 13½ oz
Mk I
common shell
, iron
Mk I shrapnel shell, cast steel
Mk I
lyddite shell
, forged steel
T friction tube
Mk I

Notes and references

^ ^a ^b ^c Hogg & Thurston 1972, p. 121
^ Hogg & Thurston 1972, p. 122
^ Farndale 1988, p. 318
^ Farndale 1988, p. 340
^ Source : war diaries of 11th & 134th batteries. Farndale 1988, pp. 347–349 incorrectly states 134th battery were equipped with two 5.4-inch at Nyangao.

Bibliography

General
ISBN 1-870114-05-1

I.V. Hogg & L.F. Thurston, British Artillery Weapons & Ammunition 1914–1918. London: Ian Allan, 1972

External links

Handbook for the 5.4 inch B.L. howitzer mark I 1897, 1902 Hosted online by the State Library of Victoria, Australia

[Hogg&Thurston1972page121-1] Hogg & Thurston 1972, p. 121

[2] Hogg & Thurston 1972, p. 122

[3] Farndale 1988, p. 318

[4] Farndale 1988, p. 340

[5] Source : war diaries of 11th & 134th batteries. Farndale 1988, pp. 347–349 incorrectly states 134th battery were equipped with two 5.4-inch at Nyangao.

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v t e British Empire artillery of the First World War
Armoured vehicle guns	QF 3-pounder Vickers QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss QF 6-pounder 6 cwt
Infantry guns	1.59-inch breech-loading Vickers Q.F. gun, Mk II
Field artillery	BL 12-pounder 6 cwt QF 12-pounder 8 cwt QF 12-pounder 18 cwt QF 13-pounder BL 15-pounder BLC 15-pounder QF 15-pounder QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch gun Mk III BL 4-inch gun Mk VII QF 4.5-inch howitzer
Medium & heavy artillery	QF 4.7-inch gun BL 5-inch howitzer BL 5.4-inch howitzer BL 60-pounder gun BLC 6-inch siege gun BL 6-inch gun Mk VII BL 6-inch gun Mk XIX BL 6-inch 26 cwt howitzer BL 6-inch 30 cwt howitzer BL 8-inch howitzer Mk I – V BL 8-inch howitzer Mk VI – VIII
Siege artillery	BL 7.5-inch Mk III naval gun BL 9.2-inch howitzer BL 9.2-inch Mk X naval gun BL 12-inch howitzer BL 12-inch Mk X naval gun BL 15-inch howitzer
Mountain artillery	RML 2.5-inch mountain gun BL 10-pounder mountain gun BL 2.75-inch mountain gun QF 2.95-inch mountain gun QF 3.7-inch mountain howitzer
Mortars	Garland trench mortar 3-inch Stokes mortar Vickers 1.57-inch mortar 2-inch medium mortar Newton 6-inch mortar 9.45-inch Heavy Mortar
Smoke and chemical weapons	4-inch Stokes Mortar Livens Projector Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector
Anti-aircraft guns	QF 1-pounder pom-pom QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk II 75 mm AA gun QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 13-pounder 6 cwt QF 13-pounder Mk IV QF 13-pounder 9 cwt QF 3-inch 20 cwt QF 18-pounder QF 4-inch Mk V
Coastal artillery	QF 12-pounder 12 cwt QF 4-inch naval gun Mk I – III BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun BL 9.2-inch Mk IX – X naval gun RML 9-inch
Railway guns	BL 9.2-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway gun BL 12-inch railway howitzer BL 14-inch railway gun