The 57mm Gun
from Sturmpanzerwagen SCHNUCK
by
James H Reeve
A great deal of misleading and incorrect
information has been written about the guns with which
the A7V was equipped, and
much of it is still in circulation, in old literature and, disappointingly, on
several websites. Various accounts state them to have been Belgian, Russian, or
a mixture of both. Some describe them as “Sokol” guns, giving the impression
that that was the manufacturer’s name. None of this seems to be true.
They were, indeed, captured in both Belgium
and Russia, but were not made there. There is no evidence of an ordnance
manufacturer in either country by that name, and the word Sokol doesn’t
appear in any contemporary German sources. The Sokolov wheeled carriage for the
Russian Maxim machine-gun might have added to the confusion, but I can find no
details of the origin of that name, presumably that of the inventor.
The misunderstanding arises from the German
for the two types of mounting used to fit the gun in the A7V: Bocklafette
and Sockellafette. Die Lafette means the gun carriage. Der
Bock is one of those versatile German words that means, amongst many other
things, a rack or trestle, even a clotheshorse or vaulting horse, so clearly
some sort of framework. Der Sockel (the S is pronounced like Z) means a
base, pedestal, or stand. The English is socle – a base or plinth for a
statue or column.
German dictionaries include Sockelgeschütz,
a pivot-gun, so it does seem to be a fairly common word, and German troops
undoubtedly abbreviated the two terms in everyday use.
The problem may have arisen simply from an Allied soldier writing the
word down phonetically and not being sure to what exactly the expression
referred. The misapprehension must have somehow found its way into works on the
subject.
There is one final reference to this matter later on.
So what make were the guns and where did they come from?
Max Hundleby, in The German A7V Tank, is in no
doubt. The Belgian and Russian governments each bought a batch of these guns
from their country of manufacture, which was Great Britain.
The manufacturer was The Maxim-Nordenfelt Company, formed when Hiram Maxim’s arms company essentially took over that of Thorsten Nordenfelt, in 1888. Nordenfelt had moved to England from Sweden some 20 years earlier, working in the steel industry. He diversified into armaments and was soon designing and producing a wide range of guns and even submarines. His name is most often linked with the Nordenfelt Gun, a similar weapon to the Gatling, but he only manufactured it; was patented by Helge Palmcrantz, another Swede. Nordenfelt made several models of quick-firing guns, from 37mm to 57mm, to counter the new threat of the torpedo boat. So, like the British 6-pounder, the gun was at first a naval weapon.
(Nordenfelt left the company in 1890. As is often the case in this period, his story is interwoven with others. He moved to France and designed the screw breech for the Schneider 75mm).
The company then became Vickers, Sons, and
Maxim. At some point Belgium and Russia had bought quantities of the 57mm, and
these duly fell into German hands, the Belgian batch early in the War and the
Russian in March 1918.
The former were put to a number of uses. When the Germans were looking for a gun to equip the A7V, they considered but rejected the 2cm Becker canon. Then the 57mm came to their attention and it proved ideal. The Bocklafette was designed to accommodate it in the A7V.
The Bocklafette from Mephisto
The gun was also designated for the A7Vu, which was under
development at the same time, and the Sockellafette was designed at the
Spandau ordnance works for mounting it in the sponsons. Although the project was
eventually abandoned, it was discovered that the mount was suitable for the A7V
and, as it happened, the captured British Tanks. Over time the Bocklafette
was phased out and replaced by the Sockellafette in all A7Vs.
In addition, after the Tank offensive at Cambrai, 150 of the guns were mounted on socles on the back of motor lorries, and proved to be effective anti-tank weapons.
Up to now, all the guns had come from the
Belgian stock, but the Russian ones became available in the Spring of 1918.
These were now used to arm the British Tanks and to refit A7Vs.
A7V 504 was originally
completed as a cargo-carrying Geländewagen
but became a fighting Tank when the chassis of
another vehicle failed and the armoured body was transferred. It was then fitted
with a Russian 57mm and named Schnuck.
Schnuck’s career was short. She took part in the successful attack at Villers-Bretonneux in April 24th, 1918, and in the indecisive action at Reims on June 1st. On August 31st, at Frémicourt, after a 20Km trek to get into position, she and A7V Hagen were hit by their own artillery. She was only very slightly damaged, but her crew abandoned her. The attack failed and Schnuck was captured by New Zealand troops.
Schnuck abandoned ... ... and on her way to captivity with Hagen.
The New Zealanders, unlike the Australians, did as they were told and handed their trophy over to the British. Schnuck and Hagen were exhibited for a time in London after the War and then broken up, but Schnuck’s 57mm gun was acquired by the Imperial War Museum. It spent many years not at the main museum in London, where there is a stunning collection of Great War artifacts, but at the branch in Cambridgeshire, which is predominantly an aircraft museum.
However, in 2002 a new museum opened in Manchester and the gun was transferred to form part of the exhibition. It is one of only two which survive. The other is, of course, in Mephisto in The Queensland Museum.
The 57mm in its original state and as displayed:
The object above the gunner's left hand is a steel plate. The two wheels are for traverse and elevation, and the firing handle is on the right.
Confirmation of the gun's Russian origin; the Cyrillic inscription above the breech:
Various views of the gun:
This is only an opinion, but I think the way the gun has been displayed is very poor. The only information on it is on this plaque next to it:
I've spoken to one of the curators, who agrees that the gun is a Maxim-Nordenfelt but says they have called it a "Sockel" because that was how the Allies referred to it. I also pointed out that there isn't a photo of an A7V on display, so no one will have any idea what it looked like. There are, of course, several showing the crew riding on the roof as described. The response was that there isn't room; there clearly is. It would be a simple matter to include a photo, but they don't seem to be bothered. Pity.
Other items on display are a Tanker's face mask and an original, hand-written battle report of August 8th, 1918 by Sgt. J. Gordon, commander of Tank No. 9107, E Company, 4th Battalion at Amiens.
For details of the Museum, see: www.north.iwm.org.uk
For more info on the A7V, click here!