M75/96 field gun

I recently came across a field correspondence stamped with the number 5/5 positional battery. This number was similar to the ones shown on the commemorative plaques on Mount Mengore (1/5, 3/5). And indeed, the card was posted at the post office box used by the 8th Mountain Brigade, i.e. at the Tolmein bridgehead.

What was even more interesting was the reference on the stamp to the type of gun used by the battery. This was the 9 cm field gun. A quick search showed that only one type of gun was produced with this bore size, the M. 75/96. The number also shows that it was an old, outdated weapon, but it fitted in with the inventory of the anti-siege positional artillery units. I assume that the obsolete guns were used for this purpose.

The cannon itself is an Austro-Hungarian version of an 1873 Krupp development. It is breech-loading, but still equipped with a bronze barrel. The recoil is not dampened by hydraulics, but by a claw placed on the gun base. The basic version of 1875 was modernized in 1896, the casting material of the barrel was modified and strengthened. At the beginning of the Great War, the gun was supplemented with a gun shield providing protection against bullets from infantry weapons. Due to the severe shortage of equipment, the obsolete weapon was used throughout the war, on all fronts. A two-part gun base was developed for fixed-position guns that could be moved laterally in a circular.

In addition to the photo of the gun, I can attach a general artillery badge to this post.