This gun was captured on 31 August 1918 by the 33^rd Battalion as part of a formation attacking west of Bouchavesnes, near Peronne, France. The unit war diary¹ records:

‘While clearing these trenches a battery of six 77’s placed in the open without any concealment was firing over open sights from C.26.b. West of the RANCOURT-FEUILLAUCOURT Road. A few of the enemy infantry who had retired rallied at the battery position. Lewis gunners who although suffering heavy casualties continued firing. Under cover of our fire we charged and captured the battery. When nearing the guns most of the gunners retired, but a few remained with the battery commander and fought till the last.’

In the same report under the heading ‘ENEMY ARTILLERY’ the following is recorded:
‘ After capturing ROAD WOOD a battery in C.26.b fired over open sights. The gunners fought very gallantly to the last. We captured this battery, also an anti-tank 77mm gun at C.20.c.0.3. This gun was very well camouflaged.’  This latter gun is likely to be a 77mm minenwerfer.

On the same day during the action to capture ROAD WOOD Private George Cartwright, of the 33rd Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in capturing a machine gun and nine prisoners.

In 1896 the German Army received the 77 mm FK96 field gun. Lacking barrel recoil it became obsolete almost overnight. A major redesign was required which basically saw the barrel and wheels being retained and placing them on a new trail with hydro-pnematic recoil system, a shield and a new breech. It became known as the FK 96 n/A (neuer Art, or new type). The German Army entered World War I with 5,086 of this field gun in service.

¹ AWM4 Australian Imperial Force unit war diaries, 1914-1918 War, Infantry, Item number 23/50/22 PART 3, Title: 33rd Infantry battalion, August 1918, Appendices, pp155-156.