Historic context :

At the beginning of the XXth century, Germany had to react urgently to the arrival of the French revolutionary 75 mm Mle 1897 fieldgun and proceed with a modernizing program for its Krupp 7.7cm FK 96 fieldguns that had become suddenly and prematurely obsolete, transforming them in modern 7.7cm FK 96 n/A by integrating RheinMetall concepts.

The first modernised guns only arrived in the 2nd Reich units in 1905. Surprisingly, Krupp did not wxait so long to integrate these new concepts in its catalogue for export : the foreign customers of the company were proposed a 75 mm quick firing fieldgun equipped with this period new technical standards in 192-1903, therefore long before the German army even own its first equivalent weapons !

Under its generic design, the export 75mm quick firing fieldgun of Krupp was equipped with a 30 calibres long barrel, a sliding block breech, a hydro-spring recoil brake / recuperation system and a protection shield. This base could be adapted to the specifications of the foreign countries with some minor customizing.

Sometimes built in association or under licence by the ordering country industries, these derivated versions equipped numerous nations such as Denmark and Sweden (75mm M02), Switzerland, Netherlands and Rumania (75mm M03), Belgium and Japan (75mm M05), Italy (75mm M06 et M11), Turkey (M03 et M09) but also China and South American nations (Brazil, Argentina). Isarël was using some second hand guns of uncertain origin (captured to Turkey in WW1 by UK, or bought to Switzerland) in the 1950's.

Romania, allied to Germany but not participating to thye fights until the death of its King Charles I during WW1 and its subsequent rally to the allies, was owning artillery weapons of several origins. The country bought 360 M. 1904 fieldg uns (Krupp 75mmM1903 type) and 240 field guns M. 1907/12. There were only little differences between the two models of the gun.

Technical data :

• Complete description : 7.5 cm light fieldgun M 1904
• Design year : 1903
• Calibre : 75.00 mm
• Weight in firing position : 990 kg (M03) / 1000 kg (M09)
• Weight for transportation : 1863 kg with limber (M03)
• Tube length in calibres : 30.00 (27 calibres for the rifled part only)
• Grooves : 28
• Projectile weight : shrapnell 6.35 kg - explosif 6 kg
• Initial speed : 500 m/s
• Fire rate :
• Range : shrapnell 5400 m - explosif 5800 m (M03) ou 5900 m (M09) porté plus tard à 8000 m (M03)
• Elevation range : -5 to +16 degrees
• Direction range : 7 degrees total range

• Landships II     http://www.landships.info/                           
• Wikipedia http://fr.wikipedia.org/                           
• Bulgarian Artillery 1878 - 1918 https://www.bulgarianartillery.it/