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By Francisco Jose Diaz Diaz

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The 75 mm Krupp could be packed on four mules. The first carried the gun tube, the second the trail, the third the wheels, and the fourth the ammunition.
 
 

Background:

The 75 mm Krupp was designed by Alfred Krupp and manufactured in Germany beginning in 1895. This gun was a modern breechloading rifle capable of firing smokeless powder. The weapon could be transported to generally impassable areas by being taken apart into major components and packed on three mules. The ammunition would be carried on a fourth mule.

Spanish utilized the 75 mm Krupp gun against the American forces at the action at San Juan Hill. The weapon was also used by Escario's Column during its advance to reinforce Santiago.

Ammunition:

The 75 mm Krupp mountain gun could fire three types of projectiles: shell, shrapnel, and canister. Shell was used against personnel, or fortifications. Shrapnel was an anti-personnel round used at long ranges. Canister was an anti-personnel round used at shorter ranges. All three types of projectiles are loaded into the gun as fixed ammunition.

Advantages/Disadvantages:

The 75 mm Krupp mountain gun was an excellent modern breechloading weapon. It showed good performance during the Battle of San Juan Hill. It was, perhaps, one of the best small guns in that era.

The gun used smokeless powder, an advantage in battle in that the location of the firing gun could not as easily be determined by the enemy without the tell-tale smoke which would issue from a black powder weapon.

Memorial de Artillería (Artillery memorandum-book") 1896 published by Spanish Ministry of War

Website of Military Museum of Valencia (Spain)