The leFH-16 was designed during WWI as a replacement for the older standard light howitzer lFH-98/09. It had a longer barrel and a new type of breech which was easier opened. The ammunition was the same as the gun it replaced with the addition of C-Geschoss (gas shells). By the end of WWI, 3.044 leFH-16 were still in service. A large number were subsequently used during WWII particularly as part of the Atlantic Wall defenses.