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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 1317)
Version française

France

75 mm Mle 1897 de casemate

Fortress artillery

Contributor :
François Garnier     
Jean-Luc Kaluzko     
Jean-Luc Jalabert     
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Location :
France
Uxegney (88)
Fort d'Uxegney
Coordinates : Lat : 48.20156 / Long : 6.38379
General comments on this surviving gun :
Uxegney Fort : http://fort-uxegney.pagesperso-orange.fr/


Identical items in the same location : 4
Items covered by this file : 4

The fort d'Uxegney still has 4 guns of 75 de casemate in its two Casemates de Bourges


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     75 Mle 1897 de casemate Origin :       ( Arsenaux de l'Etat)          

Historic context :

In 1889 the pioneers Commandant Laurent designed the forts flanking casemate concept. This designe inherited the name of 'Casemate de Bourges' following the experiments that took place in 1899 in the French town with the same name. The role of this fortification element was to protect the sides of the forts as well as the intervals of the fortified rings. Their openings were not facing the enemy side, in order to protect the guns from a front enemy fire.

First equipped with two 95 mm Lahitolle guns on coastal carriage; they were quickly given two guns of a variant of the famous and brilliant 75 mm fieldgun. This 'Canon de 75 Mle 1897 de casemate' was built with the same barrel, the same breech, the same recoil recuperating system than the fieldgun. The casemate carriage was made with a truncated trail resting on small wheels at its both ends, beams linking it to a front pivot, and a steel shield. A rail was attached to the casemate roof to assist the barrel change manoeuvre.

DIn this configuration, the gun needed a 15 men crew. 92 such guns were placed into 46 casemates in August 1914

Technical data :

  • Complete description : 75 mm Mle 1897 casemate gun
  • Design year : 1899
  • Calibre : 75.00 mm
  • Weight in firing position : unknown
  • Weight for transportation :
  • Tube length in calibres : 34.50 (2475 mm - 30 calibres rifled part only)
  • Grooves : 24 to the right, constant 7 degrees angle
  • Projectile weight : 5.3 kg (obus explosif normal) / 7.24 kg (obus à balles) / 7.98 kg (obus explosif allongé) / etc...
  • Initial speed : 550 m/s (normal high explosive shell)
  • Fire rate : 11 rounds / min
  • Range : 5800 m
  • Elevation range : -10 to +15 degrees
  • Direction range : 54 degrees total range


Sources
  • Ministère de la Guerre - Règlement de manoeuvre de l'artilelrie à pied - Service des Canons sous tourelle et casemate et des mitrailleuses sous tourelle - titre VI, VII, VIII - Canons de 75 sous tourelle à éclipse et sous casemate, Mitrailleuses 1900 sous tourelle           Collectif                   Paris - Imprimerie Nationale   1911  
  • Le Canon de 75 modèle 1897       Général Guy François                   YSEC   2013  
  • Croix de Guerre contre Croix de Fer, La bataille des forts, Verdun face à Metz       Alain Hohnadel       Philippe Bestetti             Heimdal   1995  
  • Le site web la fortification Séré de Rivières http://www.fortiffsere.fr                           
  • Index de la Fortification Française 1874-1914       Marco Frijns       Luc Malchair       Jean-Jacques Moulins       Autoédition   2008