Captured German
Krupp 105mm CannonReceived by
2nd Lieutenant Whit M. DuBose
of Company L, 141st Infantry
Regiment of the 36th Division
on April 21, 1926
where it stands today on the
East Avenue in what was known
as the Gonzales State Park.
“Texas State Park Commissioners
prepared the base, sidewalks, and
erected light posts for the
captured German Cannon.”
The Gonzales Inquirer April 20, 1926
Erected by Gonzales County Historical Commission.
The Obuzierul Krupp, caliber 105 mm, model 1912, was a Romanian requested upgrade of the German 10.5 cm Feldhaubitze 98/09 howitzer used extensively during World War I. After two years of planning and experimentation by Romanian officers, the final design was approved and put into production by Krupp. The German aiming system was replaced with an improved Romanian system and the maximum range was increased to 6,500 meters, being superior to the 6,300 meters maximum range of its German counterpart. Maximum elevation was also increased from 40° to 60°. The first pieces started to arrive in Romania in 1912, and by the start of World War I thirty batteries (120 pieces) were in service, their performance during the war being described as “flawless”. However, wartime attrition was heavy and by the beginning of 1918, only 64 remained in service. They appear to have lingered in Romanian service into World War II. Guns captured by the Bulgarians appear to have been placed into service during World War I, although they seem to have been out of service by the outbreak of World War II.
The cannon is available at all times for public viewing.
