www.passioncompassion1418.com
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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 862)
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USA
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Heavy artillery
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Contributor :
Bernard Plumier      http://www.passioncompassion1418.com
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Location :
USA Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Ordnance Museum
Coordinates :
Lat : 39.49000 / Long : -76.14220
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General comments on this surviving gun :
The extraordinary tanks and artillery collections of the Aberdeen Proving Groun unhopefully has been scattered amongst several othe US sites. The new location of this particular gun is not known to me.
Identical items in the same location :
1
Items covered by this file : 1 |
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Nice gun in tranport set-up in this rich museum |
Note the rubber wheels of this gun optimized for the automotive towing. Breech markings '155GPF 1917 - Nr 629 - Puteaux 1918' |
'A well maintained gun equals two guns'... sentence probably invented by an sergeant ! |
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Historic and technical information
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Denomination :     155 GPF | Origin :       ( Etablissements et Arsenaux de Bourges)             ( Etablissements et Arsenaux de Puteaux )             ( Renault ) | ||||
Historic context :
Fruit of the Commandant Filloux works, began before the war in the Ateliers de Bourges, that high power gun was mounted on a two-trails scissor-like carriage allowing high elevation and direction angles. Its weight, largely bigger than the 155 L Schneider Mle 17 gun, and its manufacturing complexity nearly killed the project when it was presented in the end of 1916 at the same time than its Schneider competitor, but its potential for a mechanical towing and its high directional range saved it, so it was delivered to the front from 1917.
The 155 GPF was also adopted in 1917 by the US Army because of its efficacity and simplicity. As a consequence the French plants (State Arsenals of Puteaux that systematically assembled the gun and, the automotive industry Renault as a contractor) had to dedicate an important part of this weapon production to the deliveries of the US ally. For this reason the dotation to the French army could not reach the expected amounts during the war, since, although introduced in June 1917 and available in 26 pieces in August of the same year (first operation on the Flanfers front), there were only 224 such weapons in service in November 1918 (and 400 produced). It was engaged in the French Army in 1940, then was used by Nazi Germany, to finally come back in a modified version to participate to the Europe invasion with the US troops. |
Technical data :
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Sources
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