Thanks to John of “Just Needs Varnish” fame for putting me right on this piece of artillery. I had wrongly thought it to be the Panzerbusche 41 which it is clearly not. This post has been updated as a result of John’s excellent advice. The model IS that of a Leichtgeschütz 40 (LG 40) 105cm gun.

Following the success of the 7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40 during the Battle of Crete, both Rheinmetall and Krupp developed larger caliber recoilless guns, with Krupp’s design entering service first. This larger weapon featured the same overall design as the manufacturer’s failed competitor to Rheinmetall’s LG 40, with the addition of torque vanes, which ensured its nozzles didn’t get clogged.

The 10.5 cm LG 40 was certainly larger than its 7.5 cm counterpart, weighing 855 pounds and stretching over six feet. It fired the same shells as the 10.5 cm leFH 18, which allowed for current stockpiles to be used, saving money and precious materials. It had a muzzle velocity of 1,099 feet per second and an effective firing range of 8,695 yards.

Various artillery batteries used the 10.5 cm LG 40 in the latter stages of World War II. The 20th Mountain Army equipped it in the Arctic, while the Army Group Center used it in central Russia.

When deployed, the gun could be broken down into five parts or air-dropped as a single unit in a shock-absorbing crate.

Technical Data:

Type: Leicht Geschütz

Calibre: 10.5 cm
Length: 1.902 m
Weight: 388 kg
Breech: side opening, percussion fired
Recoil:
Carriage: box trail
Elevation: -15° to +40°30
Traverse: 80°
Rate of fire: rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: m/s
Effective range: m
Shell Weight: 14.80 kg
Used by: Heer
Variants:
10.5 cm Leicht Geschütz 40/1 alloy mountings
10.5 cm Leicht Geschütz 40/2 steel mountings

More great paintwork from S.O.G. Makes a great mini diorama as well as an excellent gaming piece.

Most of the information in this post was obtained from Wart History online.