Artillery

[maddox]

The largest mobile artillery weapon used by the French armies. The 155mm artillery houwitser.





Own weight 3200 kg
Shell weight, up to 43 kg
Known shells.  HE, shrapnell, Chlorine.
Max range 6000 meters.

[maddox]

The smaller , sleightly older compagnion. More mobile, and equaly annoying to the enemy.
The 75mm mod 1897.



Shell weight up to 7.25 kg
Max range 6.5 km

Known shells. HE and Shrapnell.

max rate of fire 15 rounds/min

[maddox]

The French Chauchat machine gun is getting its first introduction into the armée in 1912 in field trials





It uses the same rimfire 8mm*51 as the main French armée rifle, the 8mm Lebel

[maddox]

Based on the pistol designed by J Browing, and first build by the Dutch arms facturer FN Herstal,
France made an own 8mm*25 variation of this heavy, but sturdy and dependable sidearm.
These guns are replacing the less powerfull and difficult to maintain Rubies with Iberian origin.

The French principal sidearm



The older Ruby

[maddox]

1917 brings a new addition to the French armies, extensive testing with new field army equipment, and the experience of the Kolkattan War pushed France into a re-armament .

The new 155 mm Schneider Howitser.
.

Own weight, 3.3 ton (7600lbs).
Caliber, 155mm (6.1")
Range, up to   11,300 metres (12,400 yd)
Muzzle velocity 450 metres per second (1,500 ft/s)
Rate of fire 3 rpm.
Elevation 0 to +42° 20'
Traverse 6°
Shell weight, up to 43.61 kilograms (96.1 lb)

Developed shells.  HE, shrapnell, Chlorine/1917 Tiamat and cannister
(cannister is a late addition, but a lesson from the Kolkattan war, the older howitsers couldn't fire directly in the attacking hordes of Bharati's)



Additional information.
The towing eye is brand new , and can be used to tow this howitser with horse teams, but also with the new Italian armored cars- only on good roads tough. For other motorised use, towing tractors are being tested.

The munition is interchangable with the older style 155mm munition, but then the charge has to be diminished to avoid damage to gun or round.

[maddox]

This posting explains why the photo's are here.



The new 1917 infantry rifle  is a licenced Giademo(giacimento della molla=springfield) 7.62 bolt action build that is standard equipped with a 6 bullet stick magazine, but a 20 round stick magazine is exchangable with the Benet-Mercie machine gun.




Benet-Mercie light machine gun M1909 mod 1917.

Weight 12 kg.
Munition 7.62 Italian
20 round stick magazine, (exchangable with the Giademo rifle)    50 round drum magazine or belt fed.