Turkish or German hardware, Can you ID this piece? Options

[michaeldr]

The attached image is from a Turkish web-site
and has the caption
"Galicya cephesinde yeni vesait-i harbiyemizden"

I would guess that the first word indicates that it was taken somewhere on the Galician front
but what really interests me is
What is it that they are standing around? An early trench mortar??

Thanks in advance for your ideas
Michael

[Greg1]

Think it may be Austrian Have seen something like it before effectively a bomb launcher
Greg

[michaeldr]

Thanks for your reply Greg1
It being Austrian would tie in with the Galician front I think.
Am I correct in thinking that the cap of the left-hand chap also suggests Austria-Hungary?

regards
Michael

[grantsmil]

There are a series of photos taken of Austrian and Turkish troops training with a variety of trench weapons in Galicia, and this would appear to be part of that series.
You are correct, the individual on the left certainly appears to be wearing an Austrian uniform.

[bob lembke]

It is, I believe, a rather large spigot-mortar. The shell fits over a rod-like shaft fitting into a cylindrical hole centric to the shell, and there is no barrel. The Germans had a 76 mm model; I think that they called it the "Priest", or something like that.

I am developing a very slight ability to puzzle out some Turkish, but my dictionary is not at hand. I could take a run at it later. What a language! It may be the most difficult major language. My wife, who reads 11 European (9 modern, 2 ancient) languages very well, looked at Turkish for a day or two and decided to take a run at Arabic instead.

Bob Lembke

[michaeldr]

Grant,
Many thanks for your thoughts on this


Bob,

Thanks for yours too on the “Priesterwerfer” or Priest thrower, which brought me to our own GWF Pal, Ralph J. Whitehead who has written about these in some detail here at
http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/i...showtopic=12326
see his posts #9 & #13
[its a pity that the photographs have not been saved on the old thread but I am fairly sure that we are talking about the same thing here - or something very similar indeed]

Thanks again
Michael

[michaeldr]

I asked Ralph to have a look at this - he has obliged and this quote is from Ralph's PM of yesterday:
"Hello Michael, Just returned home from Washington and found your message. This is a similar items but not a Priesterwerfer. The one I discussed was much smaller and used by 1-2 men in batteries of 2-4 mortars. I have never seen this particular model before."
So, perhaps this is a larger, later development? [one is tempted to say Bischofwerfer ]
I think that we are on the right lines with 'spigot mortar'
If anyone comes across the correct identity of this piece with any more details [range etc?] then please let us know
Thanks for all the replies
Michael

[bob lembke]

The finned shell, itself, looks much more like the French mortar shells than German ones. I guess, with the fins, that the French weapons were also spigot mortars. They also were in larger caliber than the German 76 mm Priester. The German tubed mortars were 76 mm and 17 and 24 cm.

Bob Lembke