21 cm Mrs 18
The 21 cm Mörser 18 (21 cm Mrs 18), or 21 cm Mörser M 18/L31, was a German heavy howitzer used in the Second World War by Independent artillery battalions and batteries. A number were also used by coastal artillery units.
Also recorded as 210 mm howitzer M 18 · Howitzer, Towed, 210 mm, M 18 · M 18/L31 · 21cm Mrs 18
21 cm Mrs 18

Jason Long en:User:Sturmvogel 66 · Jason Long · Jason Long en:User:Sturmvogel 66 Originally uploaded to en Wikipedia as en:Image:Mrs18 rear.jpg by en:User:Sturmvogel 66 17 December 2007 · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- 21 cm Mörser 18
- Field
- field howitzer · 210 mm artillery
- Region
- Germany
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Documentary summary
The 21 cm Mörser 18 (21 cm Mrs 18), or 21 cm Mörser M 18/L31, was a German heavy howitzer used in the Second World War by Independent artillery battalions and batteries. A number were also used by coastal artillery units.
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — 21 cm Mörser 18 • Origin — Germany • Type — Heavy howitzer • Is Artillery — yes • Service — 1939–45 • Used By — Nazi Germany • Wars — World War II • Designer — Krupp • Design Date — 1933 • Manufacturer — Krupp • Production Date — 1939–45 • Number — 711+ • Weight — 16,700 kg (36,817 lbs) • Part Length — 6.51 m L/30 • Cartridge — separate-loading cased ammunition (6 charges) • Cartridge Weight — 113 kg (HE) • Velocity — 550-565 m/s • Range — 16725 m • Breech — horizontal sliding-block • Recoil — dual-recoil hydro-pneumatic • Carriage — box trail • Elevation — -6° to +70° • Traverse — 16° on wheels 360° on platform
Design
Design
• Illustration — A Mrs 18 deployed in Norway. The Mörser 18 was designed to replace the obsolescent World War I-era 21 cm Mörser 16. The gun design itself was not significantly different from its predecessor but the carriage was improved considerably. It was one of the first artillery pieces that incorporated a dual-recoil system. The barrel retracted naturally in its cradle, and the entire top carriage—which held the barrel and its cradle—retracted across the body of the carriage as well. This system damped out the recoil forces and made for a very steady firing platform. This carriage was also used for the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette and the 15 cm Schnelladekanone C/28 in Mörserlafette. • Illustration — Rear of Morser 18 at Fort Sill artillery museum The Mrs 18 was transported in two pieces, as was often the case for similarly sized weapons. For travel the barrel was slid on to a separate trailer. The carriage carried an integral firing platform that was lowered to the ground when emplacing the howitzer. The wheels were then cranked up off the ground and it was now ready for firing. A rear castor-wheel jack was used to raise the rear spade off the ground if the gun needed to be traversed more than the 16° allowed by the mount proper. The Mrs 18 entered production at a low rate in 1939 shortly before the war began. The Germans cancelled production in 1942 in lieu of its smaller brother, the 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette, which could fire almost twice as far, but resumed production in 1943. Beginning in 1942, the 21 cm M 18 was one of a pair of weapons to have been mounted on production Geschützwagen Tiger self-propelled guns. A prototype was under test at the end of the war and was captured by American forces.
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- Germany
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which 21 cm Mrs 18 stands. Manufactured by Friedrich Krupp AG. 21 cm Mrs 18 is recorded as artillery model.
Literature
Scholarly footprint
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Munition der 21 cm Geschosse. www.michaelhiske.de.
- 2.Engelmann, Joachim. German heavy mortars. Schiffer. 1991. 088740-322-0.
- 3.Hogg, Ian V. German Artillery of World War Two. Frontline Books. 91. 2013. 978-1-84832-725-2.
- 4.http://sturmvogel.orbat.com/GermWeapProd.html , accessed 13 January 2009
Bibliography printed in the source article · 2
- Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliederung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. C. A. Starke. 1974.
- Hogg, Ian V. German artillery of World War II. Greenhill. 2002. 1-85367-480-X.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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