| Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement | |
|---|---|
A mle 1877/79 captured from the Germans. | |
| Type | Railway gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1918–1945 |
| Used by | |
| Wars | World War I World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Schneider |
| Designed | 1917 |
| Manufacturer | Schneider |
| Produced | 1918-1919 |
| No. built | 6 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 250 t (250 long tons; 280 short tons) |
| Length | 33.2 m (109 ft) |
| Barrel length | 10.36 m (34 ft) L/28[1] |
| Shell | Separate loadingbagged charge and projectile |
| Shell weight | 700 kg (1,500 lb) |
| Caliber | 370 mm (15 in)[1] |
| Breech | Interrupted screw breech |
| Recoil | Sliding recoil mount |
| Carriage | Two eight-axle articulated rail bogies. |
| Elevation | +3° to +40° |
| Traverse | None[1] |
| Rate of fire | 1 round every four minutes |
| Muzzle velocity | 745 m/s (2,440 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 23 km (14 mi) at +40°[1] |
TheCanon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement was a FrenchRailway gun designed duringWorld War I but produced too late to see action during the war. The six guns built were held in reserve between the wars and were not mobilized by France duringWorld War II.
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 theWestern Front stagnated andtrench 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 surpluscoastal defense guns andnaval guns.[1]
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 fewtraction 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.[1]
The mle 75/79 started life asCanon de 370 modèle 1875/1879 naval guns which were the primary armament of the twoAmiral Baudin-class ironclads of theFrench Navy. The guns were typicalbuilt-up guns of the period with several layers of steel reinforcinghoops. The guns used aninterrupted screw breech and fired separate loadingbagged charges and projectiles. To load the gun barrel was lowered and a shell was brought forward by an elevated hoist on the rear of the carriage.[2]
The guns consisted of a large rectangular steel base, which was suspended on two eight-axle articulated railbogies manufactured bySchneider. The number of axles was determined by the weight limit for European railways of 17 tonnes per axle.[1] The carriage was similar to that used by the contemporaryObusier de 520 modèle 1916 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. Five steel beams under the center of the carriage were then lowered to lay across the tracks and the carriage was jacked up to take weight off the bogies and anchor the gun in place. There were another two beams located between the quadruple bogies on each end of the carriage.[2] 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 ashunting locomotive or awindlass 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 theGlissement system.[2]
The six guns were delivered too late to participate in the First World War and remained in reserve between the wars.
At the outbreak of the Second World War the six guns remained in reserve and were not mobilized. The Germans assigned the designation37cm H(E) 714(f) but what use they made of them is unknown.
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