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The artillery collection here kind of surprised me. I knew there was artillery, but I wasn't prepared to the amount and variety.

This is an Hungarian gun, same design as German 3.7 cm Pak, using 40 mm Bofors ammo


4 cm M40 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

Very rare german gun from WW II


5 cm Flak 41 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

Massimo, this is a 40mm Bofors with an unusual (user fitted) shield. Specifically, this is a Hungarian Bofors. The 5cm Flak fed from the left side and was generally very different. I will post links to more pictures, with and without the shields, soon.

worldwartwozone.com/fo...an-forces/ (scroll down to find it)

www.flamesofwar.com/ho...art_id=300

ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=6473

www.ww2incolor.com/hun...+1942.html


And now for the juicy part:
www.ww2incolor.com/mod...5_002.html

www.ww2incolor.com/mod...2_003.html

www.ww2incolor.com/mod...1_005.html

www.ww2incolor.com/mod...12004.html

www.ww2incolor.com/mod...12002.html

Thanks for spotting this, I trusted the Museum blindly... I just looked around for the 5 cm Flak and I agree, it's a completely different beast!

Massimo

You are most welcome. It is a very interesting modification to the piece and I'd never seen it before. I arrived at the conclusion of its Hungarian origin by a process of deduction, assuming it was a captured weapon from WW-II and Hungary was the nearest country with a significant number of Bofors guns. A quick Google search just confirmed the hunch.

There are other weapons of Hungarian origin over there too.

Massimo

7.5 cm Gebirgsgeschutz 36 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

- Massimo_Foti

There are other weapons of Hungarian origin over there too.

Massimo

So I noticed.

There is a great assortment of pack artillery. Here is a classic Skoda 75/13 from WW I:


7.5 cm Gebirgshaubitze M 15 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

After WW I Skoda added a longer barrel. This version was also used by Yugoslavian Army:


7.5 cm Gebirgshaubitze M 28 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

We have been talking about the Skoda 100 mm howitzer and its evolution in the past. This is the original WW I design, used by the Austro-Hungarian Army. After WW I many were captured by the Italian Army and used up to WW II. Additional guns were manufactured in Italy too, named 100/17:


10 cm Feldhaubitze M 14 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

After WW I, Skoda kept the same basic design with a longer barrel. This gun served, among others, in Poland and Yugoslavia. Relevant numbers were captured by the Germans and turned to the Italian Army, where they served as 100/22:


10 cm 14/19 Skoda by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

It's worth noting that the 10 cm Skoda was available both as field and mountain howitzer. The mountain version can be splitted into three load and has smaller wheels (see the 14/19 above)

Massimo

The original 10 cm evolved even more, once again with a longer barrel:


105mm Skoda D9 by Massimo Foti, on Flickr

At the end of 1930s Romanian Army ordered Skoda 10cm mountain howizers (factory designation 8, 100mm L/25, analog to field gun M1934). Because of German occupation, this order remained unfulfilled. As a compensation, Germans offered 105mm Skoda D9 howitzers (L/24) made for Afghanistan, from the captured Skoda stock; having not a better option (all Europe was artillery-hungry) Romanians accepted the deal; they became M1939 model.
The gun still spots Afghan markings.

Looking at this gun allowed me to finally identify another two pieces in Bucharest that are in front of the Museum over there and not too easily accessible:
www.flickr.com/photos/...4595717860

Massimo