page_title: BL 12-inch railway howitzer
section_title: Combat service
hierarchical_section_title: BL 12-inch railway howitzer / Combat service
caption_attribution_description: Soissons, France. A twelve inch shell being fired from one of the British Army heavy guns north of the town. Comment&#160;: This is a 12 inch railway howitzer Mk V. This photograph is part of the same shoot as Image:12inchMkVRailwayHowitzerFiringSoissons1917.jpeg NOTE&#160;: This version of the photograph has brightness and contrast artificially increased to highlight details.
context_page_description: The British Ordnance BL 12 inch howitzer on truck, railway, a type of railway gun, was developed following the success of the 9.2-inch siege howitzer. It was similar but unrelated to the 12-inch siege howitzers Mk II and IV.
context_section_description: All 3 versions served on the Western Front in World War I, usually in 2-gun batteries, operated by the Royal Garrison Artillery.
  Mk III and MK V were deployed for the home defence of Great Britain in World War II.
caption: Mk V in action at Soissons, France, 19 May 1918
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