SURVIVING GUN FILE

Contribution :

Jean-Marie Brams

Location :

Belgium

Vierves sur Viroin

Monument aux Morts

There are two similar guns near that memorial. Both have been abandonned by Germans during their retreat after November 11th 1918 armistice, most probably because of the lack of traction equipments.

The oldest gun is marked Nr 9760 on its breech (date unknowne - Spandau), and 3 arms are engraved on its barrel. The first is the Prussia one, with Whilhelm II anagramm (Reich, Wilhelm, II) and the sentence 'ULTIMA RATIO REGIS'.

The second engraving on the middle of the tube is just a flowers scheme, and the third one, near the muzzle, includes the sentence 'PRO GLORIA ET PAX'. Most of the guns made before the war wore this kind of marks with the origin state of the regimenty. Later, the productivity needs for war productiuon did not allow that kind of sophistication anymore.