SOME BELGIAN FUSES

Before 1914, the Belgian Army equipped its Antwerp, Namur and Liège fortresses with numerous small Cockerill-Nordenfeld 57mm Mle 1888 guns. These guns, with additional steel shield, were also used as Fortress Infantry guns and ship guns.

A specific percussion fuze for 57mm gun was designed for that weapon that was firing either small high explosive shells or canisters.

Brass fuse, with 51 mm screw thread.

Designed and built by the Belgian Pyrotecnics School ("EP" marking).

This fusée percutante de place (fortress percussion fuse) was dedicated to gun shells in its basic design, but also built under different versions :

• fusée percutante de place "O" for howitzer shells
• fusée percutante de place "M" for mortar shells

The model shown in the pictures, wearing "OM" markings, was supposingly suitable for at least both mortars and howitzers.

This fuse equipped the munitions of the

• 120 mm guns
• 150 mm guns
• 150 mm howitzers
• 150 mm mortars, 3900 m range

Notable exception to the general use of revoluting fusing tubes for time fuses in France, this Saint Chamond time and percussion 2-discs fuse was using the classical revolving discs system that was generalized in all the other armies. The lower disc was graduated from 1 to 18.

The St Chamond time and percussion fuses were set by using a special apparatus named 'Regloir' ('regloir automatique sur banc a trepied')

It mainly equipped the projectiles of the :

• 70 mm semi-automatic mountain gun Saint Chamond
• 75 mm campaign guns of various types Saint Chamond

In 1905 the Belgium army tested a St Chamond 75mm fieldgun battery, before choosing the same caliber Krupp fieldgun.

Brass fuse, graduated from 2 to 55 hundreds of meter with 50 meters steps, with 51 mm screw thread.

Designed and built at the Belgian Pyrotecnics School before 1914 ("EP" markings sometimes visble - not on the model shown).

That fuse equipped the :

• 75 mm Krupp guns.

A model entirely made of aluminium was also existing.