30 and half

One of the advanced weapons of the Monarchy was the 30 and a half mortar. Its formidable firepower was already proven in 1914, when the Austro-Hungarian mortars that supplemented the equipment of the German attackers were also effective in breaking through the Belgian fortress system. By the end of the war, roughly a hundred guns were produced. Today, only three of the formidable weapon remained. One is kept in Rovereto, Belgrade and Bucharest. Unfortunately, in the successor states of the Monarchy none remained (it is true, Rovereto was in the territory of the Monarchy until 1918).

The attached wearing photo is a rarity, since for some reason the gunners either wore fewer badges or took fewer photos of themselves (this is less likely). In any case, in this picture we see a gunner with an insignia with the word “Gretl” above his tunic pocket, forming a 30 and a half shell. Several other insignia can be seen on his cap: Italian officer’s star, Isonzo-Armee, Armeegruppe Rohr, Tiroler Landesverteidigung. These are all common, the wreath gunner insignia is rare.