Improvising siege artillery WW1

I hope this isn't breaching the rules of hospitality in a thread too much, but I'm going to digress a bit. The UK purchased the M98 Skoda 240mm Howitzers in 1900, yet they never went forward with either more purchases or licensed development. Why? One source stated that the UK didn't like the fact it couldn't depress far enough to allow a closer fall of shot. This is hardly an insuperable obstacle, and I've racked my brain trying to see how this is not something that could be overcome without TOO much effort. Had the UK had even a modest stock of these they would have (IMO) given good service early in the war. Which brings me back to the question of "Why didn't they buy more of them or the license?"
 
I hope this isn't breaching the rules of hospitality in a thread too much, but I'm going to digress a bit. The UK purchased the M98 Skoda 240mm Howitzers in 1900, yet they never went forward with either more purchases or licensed development. Why? One source stated that the UK didn't like the fact it couldn't depress far enough to allow a closer fall of shot. This is hardly an insuperable obstacle, and I've racked my brain trying to see how this is not something that could be overcome without TOO much effort. Had the UK had even a modest stock of these they would have (IMO) given good service early in the war. Which brings me back to the question of "Why didn't they buy more of them or the license?"
Because they wanted certain changes and capabilities added to the original and developed the BL 9.2 inch Howitzer instead. It took a while to develop but the first one was in trials by the outbreak of WWI and more were quickly built. The 9.2 inch is essentially the UK's method to overcome the problems you mentioned would cause problems, and in a way is their (unlicensed) development of the M98.
 
Because they wanted certain changes and capabilities added to the original and developed the BL 9.2 inch Howitzer instead. It took a while to develop but the first one was in trials by the outbreak of WWI and more were quickly built. The 9.2 inch is essentially the UK's method to overcome the problems you mentioned would cause problems, and in a way is their (unlicensed) development of the M98.

If you've got a book recommendation that gives more detail, I'd love it. Yeah, you can take the man out of artillery but you cant take the artillery out of the man. :)
 
If you've got a book recommendation that gives more detail, I'd love it. Yeah, you can take the man out of artillery but you cant take the artillery out of the man. :)
One of Ian Hogg's books probably covers it well, but I don't really have much myself beyond Landships II, Wikipedia, and one other website which (though limited in the major guns described) is probably my preferred source due to the amount of otherwise obscure weapons it describes.
 
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