View source for 12-cm Kanone M 80

{{no footnotes|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox weapon
|name=12 cm Kanone M 80
|image=12_cm_M.80_Minimalschartenkanonenrohr_aus_der_Predilsattel_Batterie,_adaptiert_für_die_Verwendung_in_hoher_Batterielafette._Standort,_Cellulosefabrik_Seebach._Aufgen._13.September_1915._(BildID_15461763).jpg
|image_size=300
|caption=
|origin=Austria-Hungary
|type=[[Siege gun]]
<!-- Type selection -->
|is_ranged=
|is_bladed=
|is_explosive=
|is_artillery=yes
|is_vehicle=
|is_UK=
<!-- Service history -->
|service=1881-1918
|used_by=Austria-Hungary
|wars=[[World War I]]
<!-- Production history -->
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<!-- General specifications -->
|weight={{convert|1700|kg|lb}} (barrel only)
|length=
|part_length={{convert|3.2|m|in}} L/26.6
|width=
|height=
|crew=
<!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
|cartridge={{convert|19.8|kg|lb}}
|caliber=120 mm
|action=
|rate=
|velocity=
|range=
|max_range={{convert|7900|m|yd}}
|feed=
|sights=
<!-- Artillery specifications -->
|breech=[[Rifled breech loader#The sliding block|Horizontal wedge]]
|recoil=none
|carriage=[[Gun carriage#Modern gun carriages|Box trail]]
|elevation=
|traverse=
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}}
The '''12&nbsp;cm Kanone M 80''' was a light siege gun used by [[Austria-Hungary]] during [[World War I]]. Designed to replace the M 61 series of siege guns the M 80 family of siege guns offered greater range and armor penetration than the older guns.
The steel-bronze<ref>{{cite web|title=Artillerieunterricht fur die k.u.k. festungsartillerie|trans-title=Artillery Instruction for the k.u.k Fortress Artillery |url=https://nkerepo.uni-nke.hu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/15587/artillerieunterricht_fur_die_kuk_festungsartillerie_i_theil_2_heft.pdf}}</ref> (see [[Franz von Uchatius]]) was considered inferior to steel as early as 1870s, but due to the lack of steel industry in Austria it was used for the barrel, and the iron carriage lacked any system to absorb recoil other than the traditional recoil wedges placed underneath and behind the wheels of the carriage. These wedges helped to absorb the recoil force and encouraged the wheels to run forward to bring the gun back into battery. Generally a wooden firing platform was constructed for these guns in action to provide a level and smooth surface. Shortly after these guns were adopted a hydraulic recoil cylinder was adapted to absorb the recoil forces. It was attached to the underside of the carriage and the firing platform.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.landships.info/landships/artillery_articles/Kanone_m80.html|title=12cm Kanone M.80 |website=landships.info}}</ref> For transport the barrel was removed from the carriage by a crane and carried separately.
While designed to penetrate the walls of fortifications the 12&nbsp;cm siege gun was no longer useful against modern armored fortresses by the outbreak of World War I and its combination of long-range and light weight saw many in the field to fill the need for long-range artillery.
== References ==
{{Commons Category}}
{{reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
* Ortner, M. Christian. ''The Austro-Hungarian Artillery From 1867 to 1918: Technology, Organization, and Tactics''. Vienna, Verlag Militaria, 2007 {{ISBN|978-3-902526-13-7}}
* Łukasz Chrzanowski "Artyleria Austro-Węgierska 1860-1890" Przemyśl, Wydawnictwo FORT, 2008, {{ISBN|978-83-923657-7-8}}
{{Austro-Hungarian artillery of World War I}}
[[Category:World War I guns]]
[[Category:World War I artillery of Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:120 mm artillery]]