Materiel de 155 sur affut-truck Schneider

Materiel de 155 sur affut-truck Schneider
Materiel de 155 sur affut-truck Schneider
Type	Railway gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
Used by	France
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Schneider-Creusot
No. built	6
Specifications
Mass	44 t (43 long tons; 49 short tons)
Barrel length	4.2 m (14 ft) L/27
Shell	Separate-loading, bagged charges, and projectiles
Shell weight	43 kg (95 lb)
Caliber	155 mm (6.1 in)
Breech	de Bange
Recoil	Top-carriage recoil
Carriage	Top carriage traverse on 4-axle carriage
Elevation	0° to +35°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	1 rpm
Muzzle velocity	600 m/s (2,000 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	12.7 km (7.9 mi)

The Materiel de 155 sur affut-truck Schneider was a railway gun designed and built early in the First World War.

History

Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery before the outbreak of the First World War, none had adequate numbers of heavy guns in service, nor had they foreseen the growing importance of heavy artillery once the Western Front stagnated and trench warfare set in. Since aircraft of the period were not yet capable of carrying large-diameter bombs the burden of delivering heavy firepower fell on the artillery. Two sources of heavy artillery suitable for conversion to field use were surplus coastal defense guns and naval guns.^[2]

However, a paradox faced artillery designers of the time; while large caliber naval guns were common, large caliber land weapons were not due to their weight, complexity, and lack of mobility. Large-caliber field guns often required extensive site preparation because the guns had to be broken down into multiple loads light enough to be towed by a horse team or the few traction engines of the time and then reassembled before use. Building a new gun could address the problem of disassembling, transporting, and reassembling a large gun, but it didn't necessarily address how to convert existing heavy weapons to make them more mobile. Rail transport proved to be the most practical solution because the problems of heavy weight, lack of mobility, and reduced setup time were addressed.^[2]

Design

The Materiel de 155 sur affut-truck Schneider began life as six coastal defense guns based on the Canon de 155 L mle 1877 field gun converted by Schneider to railroad guns during the First World War. The 155 L had a hooped steel construction with gain-twist rifling. The guns had a de Bange breech and fired separate loading bagged charges and projectiles.^[3]

The guns sat on a Vavasseur mount with a gun shield which was bolted to a four-axle, well-base flatcar. The Vavasseur mount was a type of top-carriage recoil system where the gun sat on a cradle that held the trunnioned barrel. When fired a combination of hydraulic buffers and inclined rails returned the gun to position. Once in position, the timber firing platform under the center of the carriage was lowered onto the rails and the carriage was lifted by four jackscrews through the floor of the car. The combination of jackscrews, outriggers, and rail clamps stabilizing the carriage during firing.^[4] The gun was capable of 360° of traverse at elevations from +10° to +35° with a maximum range of 12.7 km (7.9 mi) and provided counter-battery fire during the Battle of Verdun.^[5]

Photo Gallery

Canon de 155 L mle 1877.
A closeup of the de Bange breech mechanism.
A gun with its firing platform lowered and outriggers extended.
French artillery in action near Verdun.
French artillery in action near Revigny.

References

^ "Catalogue des matériels d'artillerie Schneider et Compagnie mis en service sur les fronts alliés en 1914-1917". pandor.u-bourgogne.fr. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
^ ^a ^b Hogg, Ian (2004). Allied artillery of World War One. Ramsbury: Crowood. pp. 129–134 & 218. ISBN 1861267126. OCLC 56655115.
^ Romanych, Mark; Heuer, Greg; Noon, Steve (2017). Railway Guns of World War I. New Vanguard. London: Osprey Publishing. pp. 5–15. ISBN 9781472816412. OCLC 999616340.
^ United States. Army. Ordnance Dept; Miller, Harry W. (1921). Railway artillery; a report on the characteristics, scope of utility, etc., of railway artillery, in two vols. . Cornell University Library. Washington : Govt. Print, Off.
^ Romanych, M. (2017). Railway Guns of World War I. Greg Heuer, Steve Noon. London. ISBN 978-1-4728-1641-2. OCLC 999616340.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[1] "Catalogue des matériels d'artillerie Schneider et Compagnie mis en service sur les fronts alliés en 1914-1917". pandor.u-bourgogne.fr. Retrieved 2021-02-15.

[:1-2] Hogg, Ian (2004). Allied artillery of World War One. Ramsbury: Crowood. pp. 129–134 & 218. ISBN 1861267126. OCLC 56655115.

[:2-3] Romanych, Mark; Heuer, Greg; Noon, Steve (2017). Railway Guns of World War I. New Vanguard. London: Osprey Publishing. pp. 5–15. ISBN 9781472816412. OCLC 999616340.

[4] United States. Army. Ordnance Dept; Miller, Harry W. (1921). Railway artillery; a report on the characteristics, scope of utility, etc., of railway artillery, in two vols. . Cornell University Library. Washington : Govt. Print, Off.

[5] Romanych, M. (2017). Railway Guns of World War I. Greg Heuer, Steve Noon. London. ISBN 978-1-4728-1641-2. OCLC 999616340.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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v t e French artillery of World War I
Anti-aircraft guns	Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913-1917
Coastal artillery	Canon de 100 mm Modèle 1891 Canon de 19 C modèle 1870/93 Canon de 19 C modèle 1875 Canon de 24 C modèle 1876 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889
Field artillery	Canon de 75 modèle 1897 Canon de 75 modèle 1912 Schneider Canon de 75 modèle 1914 Schneider De Bange 90 mm cannon Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890 Obusier de 120 mm mle 15TR
Infantry guns	Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP
Medium and heavy artillery	Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider Canon de 155 court modèle 1904 Rimailho Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 Canon de 145 L modele 1916 Saint-Chamond Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 St. Chamond Canon de 155 L modèle 1877/14 Schneider Canon de 155 L Modele 1917 Schneider Canon de 155 L modèle 1918 Schneider Canon de 155 mm GPF De Bange 155 mm cannon Canon de 220 L mle 1917 Mortier de 220 modèle 1915/1916 Schneider
Mortars	Cellerier Mortar Mortier de 58 T N°1 Mortier de 58 T N°1 bis Mortier de 58 mm type 2 Mortier de 75 modèle 1915 Schneider Mortier de 150 mm T Mle 1917 Fabry Mortier de 240 mm Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889
Mountain artillery	Canon de 65 M modele 1906 75 mm Schneider-Danglis 06/09 Canon Court de 105 M modele 1909 Schneider
Railway artillery	Canon de 120 L mle 1878 sur affût-truc Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 Canon de 140 sur affut-truc mle 1884 Obusier de 155 C mle 1881 sur affût-truc Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 Materiel de 155 sur affut-truc Schneider Canon de 164 modèle 1893/96 TAZ Canon de 19 C modèle 1875 Canon de 19 modèle 1870/93 TAZ Obusier de 200 "Pérou" sur affût-truck TAZ Schneider 24 cm Canon G modèle 1916 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Canon de 240 modèle 93/96 TAZ Canon de 274 modèle 93/96 Berceau Canon de 274 modèle 87/93 Glissement Canon de 305 modèle 93/96 TAZ Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à berceau Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/81 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/84 à glissement Canon de 32 modèle 1870/93 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1893 à glissement Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à berceau Canon de 340 modèle 1912 à glissement Obusier de 370 modèle 1915 à berceau Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement Obusier de 400 Modèle 1915/1916 Obusier de 520 modèle 1916
Siege artillery	Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890 Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1890 Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 Canon de 240 L Mle 1884 Canon de 240 TR Mle 1903 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1885 Mortier de 270 mm modèle 1889 Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider Mortier de 293 Danois sur affut-truck modèle 1914 Mortier de 370 modèle 1914 Filloux
Self propelled artillery	Canon de 194 GPF Canon de 220mm L Mle1917 Schneider (FAHM) Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond
Armoured vehicle guns	Puteaux 37 mm SA 18 Canon de 75 modèle 1897