Ralph Lovett

Any chance this instrument is for sale?

Making progress. I got the lower shield in. Still looking for the WW2 Era German wheels and a Limber for this howitzer.

I have recently picked up a barrel and carriage for a German WW2 10,5cm lFH 18M. I am looking for the correct WW2 Era German wheels (either wooden or metal), the lower shield, and a Limber (Protze) for the 10,5cm lFH 18. By the way, the wheels currently on it are Finnish Post-WW2. Any help is much appreciated. R/ Ralph Lovett

It looks like one of two types used with the 9cm Kanone 1873. The 9cm K 73 was used by both the German Field Artillery and the Foot Artillery branches so that may account for the two different types of quadrant for the same gun. Any interest in selling or trading? R/ Ralph Lovett

If you happen to be in the Middle East during Ramadan (27 MAY - 24 JUNE) you might notice artillery fire at the end of the day. This is not an attack necessarily, more likely it is the Ramadan Gun. Ramadan Guns signal the end of the fasting for the day and the beginning of the evening when you can eat and celebrate. This is a tradition that I first heard about in Kesan, Turkey where they use a German 9cm Kanone C/1873, which is a veteran of Gallipoli and the Turkish Revolution. This tradition continues and can be found at many parts of the Middle East. This link is for an article on this year's Ramadan Guns in UAE, where they are using British 25 pdrs: http://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/ramadan/heres-where-you-can-spot-dubais-ramadan-cannons/ar-BBBiTHX?li=AA4RE6&ocid=spartandhp R/ Ralph Lovett

Try removing the breech handle first, then heat only the Breechring not the breech block. I recommend using a oxygen/acetylene rose bud torch. You want to heat and expand the outside (Breechring) while the interior (breech block) stays the same size. Once heated, try knocking the breech block out with a brass block and hammer or even better use a hydraulic press. Sometimes it can take up to 20 tons of pressure plus heat. The breech block will move a few inches then come to a hard stop. This is the extractor key stopping movement of the breech block. The extractor key should be exposed at this point and can be removed. Once it is removed the breech block will be free to slide completely out of the Breechring. If you cannot remove the extractor key, you might consider cleaning the breech block as well as you can while still in the Breechring. Then see if there is relatively free movement. This is a real simplification of the process. It can be extremely difficult to remove and breech block that has been exposed to the elements for many decades. Don't get too discouraged by a failure or two. It might take a lot of effort and thought. One note of caution, make sure there is no shell case, or explosive projectile in the shell chamber of the artillery piece before applying heat. Hope it goes well R/ Ralph Lovett

Trevor I have known many of the owners for over thirty years. These guns predate all of us by serval generations. None of the current owners have the background story on these pieces. I think they might be Bannerman's Guns, imported even before WW2. R/ Ralph

Today, a friend emailed a Dutch technical drawing that seems to show this gun's barrel and breech bock. May be the gun is Dutch. Any additional information on this gun will be greatly appreciated. R/ Ralph Lovett

I have recently added a German manufactured 7,5cm Kanone dated 1881 to the collection and a made a web page for it. This is the link: http://www.lovettartillery.com/7,5cm_Kanone_1881_Export_Gun.html This gun was an export gun and was never in German national or colonial service. I think it was an export piece to Spain or one of her colonies but don't know for sure. Any help would be appreciated in identifying the country this type was in service with. There are four guns of this type in private collections in the USA. Amazingly all are just a few hours drive from one anther near Washington DC. R/ Ralph Lovett

Over the Christmas holiday, I set up the M1904 Saddles,M1916 Harnessing, with the French 75mm mle/1897 and its US Limber forphotos. There are a few breechingsmissing from this series of photos and the Limber is really the M1918 CaissonLimber not the Gun Limber M1918 and well, I am missing six horses, but the photosgive the idea of what the French 75mm mle/97 looked like in US service in the WW1Era. This is the updated web page: http://lovettartillery.com/US%20M%201918%20Limber.html Hope you enjoy the photos and the update to the web site.

Thanks for the link. I am quite interested in that R/ Ralph

Gradez Thanks for the kind words about the collection. It is always great to hear there are others with an interest in these things. Thanks for posting the photo of the decoy gun. Interesting piece. R/ Ralph

Enigma Sorry you are having the trouble with the video of the US 3 Inch Ordnance piece. I have just tried it from several different computers and got it to play. It could be a download speed issue. For anyone following this, the link is: http://lovettartillery.com/3_inch_Ordnance_Piece_American_Civil_War.html Just click onto the first image of the US 3 Inch and the streaming video should download. I also have a streaming video at this link for live fire with a French 25mm SAL 1937: http://lovettartillery.com/25mm_SAL_Puteaux_1937.html Again, just click onto the first photo of the 25mm and the video should play. By the way, I'm looking back while firing because I am looking for the signal to fire from a sound technician from Skywalker Sound. This is a sound shoot for War Horse. The filming was done in the UK but because they could not live fire there, the sound of all live fire for War Horse came from a live fire shoot I put together in Georgia, USA. All the sounds came from rifles and artillery from my collection. If you get these to work, another is at: http://lovettartillery.com/15cm_lang_schwere_Feldhaubitze_1913_02.html This was a blank fire with the German 15cm lg.sFH 1913. Hope it works for everyone. R/ Ralph

The 10,5cm lFH 18 and the later 18/40 had different limbers from the 10,5cm lFH 98/09 and 1916 models dedicated to them. However, I have seen photos of the 98 limber being used as a substitute with a 10,5cm lFH 18/40 in the late war period. I have also seen a few images of the 98 limber being used with the PAK 38. R/ Ralph

Yes, I have the howitzers that go with this limber, the German 10,5cm lFH 1898/09 and the 10,5cm lFH 1916: http://lovettartillery.com/10,5cm_lFH_1898_09.htm http://lovettartillery.com/10.5cm_leichte_Feld_Haubitze.html The links in my original post are for these and the other associated equipment. The pieces in the background are a German 10cm Kanone 1917, German 15cm lg.sFH 1913, and two German 15cm sFH 1902s. I have 34 pieces of artillery, anti-tank guns, mortars, and naval guns in the collection, not counting the associated equipment like limbers, caissons and prime movers. See my web site at: http://lovettartillery.com/index.html Hope you enjoy it. R/ Ralph

In the last week and a half I nearly completed the restoration work on the 10,5cm lFH 98 Limber. It is made up of original parts found in France, Germany, Poland, and Russia, along with new footboards/trace chain hooks, and arm rest. It has been an eight year restoration project that pulls together the systems that support the 10,5cm lFH 98/09 and 10,5cm lFH 1916 howitzers. At a later date, I will put photos on the web site of the limber with the howitzers, ammunition, fuzes, sights, horse harnessing, and saddles. There are few of these surviving today. There is one at Atatürk's Mausoleum, a reproduction 10,5cm lFH 98 Limber, along with parts to complete much of one in a private collection in Germany and the remains of one, badly rusted, in Russia. remains of one, badly rusted, in Russia. This is the link on the web page for the recent work: http://lovettartillery.com/10.5cm_leichte_Feld_Haubitze_Limber.html This is the link for the two howitzers I have to go along with this limber: http://lovettartillery.com/10,5cm_lFH_1898_09.htm http://lovettartillery.com/10.5cm_leichte_Feld_Haubitze.html The WWI and WW2 Era six horse team, saddles and harnessing: http://lovettartillery.com/Field%20Artillery%20Saddle%20and%20Harness.html http://lovettartillery.com/WW2_ERA_German_Art_Saddle_Harnessing.html and the ammo carried in the limber: http://lovettartillery.com/10,5cm_lFH_98_09_Ammunition.html Hope this is of interest R/ Ralph

In the last few days I have finally been able to get leave from work and make a bit more progress on the restoration on the German 10,5cm lFH 1898/09 Limber (Protze). The limber box came from France. It survived all these years as a wine cabinet in a Frenchman’s basement. The other parts including the under-frame, and wheels came from eastern Germany. I attached one photo but to see much more click onto the link below: http://lovettartillery.com/10.5cm_leichte_Feld_Haubitze_Limber.html This is the WWI Era harnessing and saddles for this limber: http://lovettartillery.com/Field%20Artillery%20Saddle%20and%20Harness.html And the WW2 Era harnessing and saddles for this limber: http://lovettartillery.com/WW2_ERA_German_Art_Saddle_Harnessing.html R/ Ralph Lovett

The link for the petition to keep Firepower at Woolwich: The petition requires UK citizenship or residence. This is the link to sign: https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/64840/signature/new R/ Ralph

Another recent article about Firepower mentions a petition for the museum staying in Woolwich: http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/11240933.Petition_launched_against_Woolwich_Firepower_Royal_Artillery_Museum_closure/ The petition requires UK citizenship or residence. This is the link to sign: https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/64840/signature/new R/ Ralph

Yesterday, I was told by a staff member at Firepower (Royal Artillery Museum) that their buildings have been sold and that they are set to leave London by 2016. It is unclear where the collection will go and if the staff is to be retained. This conversation was punctuated by several articles (see links below) To me it is amazing and terrible that this would happen to a museum that has such a fantastic collection of WW1 era artillery just as the WW1 Centennial is occurring. My hope is that a way is found to maintain the pieces as much as possible and keep them in a setting that allows those of us with an interest to see and study them. http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1624 http://www.greenwichconservatives.com/news/1631

Rob I'm not sure if it is the same one. This one is out of Augusta, GA. I bought a French 105mm mle/1913 sight from him and noticed the 3.7 inch slide rule. Do you want me to try to get it for you? R/ Ralph

Rob I have a lead on a 3.7 inch slide rule for calculating eleveation/range. Is this one you need? R/ Ralph

Rob I have visited FT Nelson on other trips to the UK so I decided to spend my time in the Portsmouth area with Clive. I agree with you about Fire Power but unfortunately much of their collection is not available for the public to see since their move from main post area of Woolwich. That said, I was lucky and they gave me a good tour of that part of the collection as well. Glad to hear your collection is still growing R/ Ralph

Rob, I’m doing well. I recently returned to the US from a period of training with Royal Irish units at Salisbury Plain. This was with the US/UK Officer Exchange. There was also a bit of time at the Fire Power Museum at Woolwich. They have talked me out of one of my US ACU uniforms for their collection. I was thrilled for it to become a permanent part of this Royal Artillery museum. I also visited a bit with Clive H. It was very nice to finally meet him and see his collection. In the collecting realm, I have recently picked up a US M1918 Caisson for use with the French 75mm mle/97 in US service. This has been on wanted list a long time so I’m quite happy with it. How are your restorations going? R/ Ralph

The howitzer is a German 15cm. lg.s.F.H. 1913 These are late war Krupp designs. Responding to the post at the top of the page--Schneider is a French company not German and 155mm howitzers are a French and American caliber type not German. I have all the howitzers of the 15cm sFH series from 1893-1918 in my collection and these can be seen on my web site: http://www.lovettartillery.com/index.html An example of a slight variation of the howitzer in the photo can be seen on this web page. This is my 15cm. lg.s.F.H. 1913/02: http://www.lovettartillery.com/15cm_lang_schwere_Feldhaubitze_1913_02.html R/ Ralph Lovett