Battle of Honey Springs

The Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement was a French railway gun that saw action during World War I. These guns were rebored late in the war and held in reserve between the wars then mobilized by France during World War II.

History

Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery prior to 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 did not 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 Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement started life as eight surplus Canon de 305 mm Modèle 1893/96 naval guns which armed pre-dreadnought battleships of the Charlemagne, République, and Liberté classes. The guns were typical built-up guns of the period which consisted of a rifled liner reinforced by layers of hoops. The guns used a Welin interrupted screw breech and fired separate loading bagged charges and projectiles. To load the gun the barrel was lowered to +3° and there was an elevated shell handling trolley at the rear.^[3]

The eight guns for the Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement were first deployed as the Canon de 305 modèle 93/96 TAZ built by St. Chamond. The guns were removed from that chassis because the elevation was too low, the range was poor, balance was poor and the recoil forces were too great for that carriage to handle. In order to produce a better weapon, the 305 mm (12 in) guns were replaced with eight smaller 240 mm (9.4 in) Canon de 240 de côte modèle 1893 coastal defense guns to produce the Canon de 240 modèle 93/96 TAZ.^[4]

The carriages consisted of a large rectangular steel base, which was suspended on two six-axle articulated rail bogies manufactured by Schneider. The number of axles was determined by the weight limit for European railways of 17 tonnes per axle.^[2] The carriage was similar to that used by the contemporary Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement produced by Schneider. Since the carriage did not have a traversing mechanism it was aimed by drawing the guns across a section of curved track. Once in firing position, a section of rail bed was reinforced with wood and iron beams to support the weight of the gun. Six steel beams under the center of the carriage were then lowered to lay across the tracks and the carriage was jacked up to take the weight off the bogies and anchor the gun in place.^[3] When the gun fired the entire carriage recoiled a few feet and was stopped by the friction of the beams on the tracks. The carriage was then lowered onto its axles and was either pushed back into place with a shunting locomotive or a windlass mounted on the front of the carriage pulled the carriage back into position. This cheap, simple and effective system came to characterize Schneider's railway guns during the later war years and is known as the Glissement system.^[3]

World War I

The Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à glissement first saw action during the Nivelle Offensive in the Spring of 1917 and the Flanders Offensive in mid-1917. They also saw action during the German spring offensive of 1918 and during the Hundred Days Offensive in mid-1918.^[5] After the barrels became worn out they were returned to Schneider and bored out to fire 320 mm (13 in) ammunition during 1918–1919 and were designated Canon de 320 modèle 1917 à glissement. These were placed in reserve between the wars.^[6]

World War II

Eight Canon de 320 modèle 1917 à glissement guns were mobilized at the beginning of the Second World War by the French Army. Four guns were assigned to the Fourth Heavy Artillery Battery of the 372° Regiment of the ALVF (Artillerie Lourde sur Voie Ferrée) stationed at Aboncourt.^[7] The four guns were named (Sneezy, Dopey, Happy and Grumpy) after characters of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.^[8] Four guns were assigned to the Tenth Heavy Artillery Battery of the 373° Regiment of the ALVF stationed at Reguisheim.^[9] Guns captured by the Germans after the Fall of France were given the designation 32 cm Kanone (Eisenbahn) 651/1(f).^[10]

Ammunition

APC (Armor Piercing Capped) - 340 kg (750 lb)
CI (Common Incendiary) - 292 kg (644 lb)
SAPC (Semi-Armor Piercing Capped) - 340 kg (750 lb)

Gallery

A diagram of the chassis components.
The breech of a 1893/96 gun.
A 320mm mle 1917 named Joyeux in German service.
A 320 mm mle 1917 in German service.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Batchelor, John (1973). Rail gun. Hogg, Ian V. New York: Scribner. p. 20. ISBN 0684133423. OCLC 760898.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hogg, Ian (2004). Allied artillery of World War One. Ramsbury: Crowood. pp. 129–134 & 218. ISBN 1861267126. OCLC 56655115.
^ ^a ^b ^c Miller, H. W., LTC, USA (1921). Railway Artillery, vols. I and II. Washington: Government Printing Office. pp. 80–83.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ François, Guy (2008). L'artillerie lourde à grande puissance. Vol. 2. Paris: Histoire & collections. ISBN 9782352500858. OCLC 470674275.
^ "Canons de 305 mm ? - Forum PAGES 14-18". forum.pages14-18.com. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
^ "2- Le matériel de l'A.L.V.F. en 1940". www.artillerie.asso.fr. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
^ "Wikimaginot - Le wiki de la ligne Maginot". wikimaginot.eu. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
^ Zaloga, Steve (2016). Railway Guns of World War II. Dennis, Peter. Oxford: Osprey. p. 5. ISBN 978-1472810687. OCLC 907965829.
^ "Wikimaginot - Le wiki de la ligne Maginot". wikimaginot.eu. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
^ Gander, Terry (1978). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of all Small Arms, Artillery, and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces, 1939-1945. Chamberlain, Peter. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 245. ISBN 0385150903. OCLC 5071295.

[:0-1] Batchelor, John (1973). Rail gun. Hogg, Ian V. New York: Scribner. p. 20. ISBN 0684133423. OCLC 760898.

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

[:3-3] Miller, H. W., LTC, USA (1921). Railway Artillery, vols. I and II. Washington: Government Printing Office. pp. 80–83.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[4] François, Guy (2008). L'artillerie lourde à grande puissance. Vol. 2. Paris: Histoire & collections. ISBN 9782352500858. OCLC 470674275.

[5] "Canons de 305 mm ? - Forum PAGES 14-18". forum.pages14-18.com. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

[6] "2- Le matériel de l'A.L.V.F. en 1940". www.artillerie.asso.fr. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

[7] "Wikimaginot - Le wiki de la ligne Maginot". wikimaginot.eu. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

[8] Zaloga, Steve (2016). Railway Guns of World War II. Dennis, Peter. Oxford: Osprey. p. 5. ISBN 978-1472810687. OCLC 907965829.

[9] "Wikimaginot - Le wiki de la ligne Maginot". wikimaginot.eu. Retrieved 2019-04-18.

[10] Gander, Terry (1978). Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of all Small Arms, Artillery, and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces, 1939-1945. Chamberlain, Peter. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. p. 245. ISBN 0385150903. OCLC 5071295.

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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