1942 Canadian 75mm Mk l HE PD

[Gspragge]

Picked this up today.
The projectile is a bit loose in the case so I'll drop it out once
for images etc. It came without the fuze ( I had one) but had had in it
a "red thing with a ring on it" so that was a transit plug as these were isuued unfuzed.
It may turn up ~

 

[Gspragge]

Last year I was working on repainting one of these projectiles. It had been a lamp
and all markings gone as usual. I mistakenly tried to match the American yellow.
When instead I should have been trying to match the Britiah yellow. So I gave it a repaint
with Caterpiller yellow and it's quite good. A bit bright as it's new and dirtying it up a bit
wouldn't be amiss - Fuse is French, fits, but not correct.
Humbrol No 24 has been recommended, but the shop which may have it is an hour
away with terrible hours so I haven't got there yet.

While this didn't help the shinyness I went over it with some black shoe polish
(instant dirt in a can :xd.
Having previously rubbed the surface with 800 fine paper it had some purchase.
The result certainly helped -

 

[Darkman]

The fuze on your repainted shell is more like what I would expect on an American shell - a PD Mk 5

 

[Gspragge]

I think it is a French fuze which the Americans copied more or less. This one is all brass
and what looks like French marks, nothing American at any rate. But these Mk 1s whether ww1 or ww2
are copies of the French 75 so a french fuze fits ~ It's all I have on hand, would be happy to trade it
for a U.S. fuze or another of the type on the Cdn. Mkl - well faint hope there - :tinysmile_hmm_t:

 

[US-Subs]

I don't believe that the US has ever licensed/copied this French fuze, and it is not the US MK5. The MK5 is much shorter, and is a copy of the French 24/31. I've got a number of them in projectiles and separate, some are unmarked, some PDF M. V., some PDF MK V and others just MK V. It also shows up on the Frankford Arsenal 1920 fuze board, though the tag is difficult to read.

 

[US-Subs]

Sorry, just noticed the part which read repainted shell. Thought the reference was to the new one.

 

[Gspragge]

Thanks, what I have is the French original being all brass with a French looking mark as far as I know -

 

[MINENAZ16]

Thanks, what I have is the French original being all brass with a French looking mark as far as I know -

you have a French Schneider design fuze (model 1914 or model 1916)

 

[M8owner]

I am confused. What is the proper fuze for a Canadian made Mark I shell?

 

[Gspragge]

This fuze either MKVl or Vll what is it for exactly - 75mm MKl or others ? Is it the same as on the board.

 

[MINENAZ16]

This fuze either MKVl or Vll what is it for exactly - 75mm MKl or others ? Is it the same as on the board.

I'm confused with your picture, markings of MARK VII and top screw of MARK IV.
US copy of french fuze 24-31 M1899/1915 is MARK IV.
US MARK VII used the same body but with a safety device added on top (for trench mortar - different operation), missing on your example.

 

[Gspragge]

The image is from a militaria site - not my fuze ~ So no wonder it's messed up ! But you have answered my question ~

So I have a French fuze (also 75 casing, lots around) but little chance of ever finding an actual French 75 HE here in
any kind of condition -

 

[Gspragge]

Out of it's shell ~
I dropped the Mk 1 75 out of the casing for a look.
The base is not recessed, the plate is spotwelded on.
Sealed with petmans cement from the look of some
red substance. Can anyone identify the manufacturer -

 

[wingsofwrath]

Since in my neck of the woods we have the opposite problem - plenty of French shells but hardly any US or Canadian (ok, some WW2 US from lend lease to Russia, but I digress), what are the dimensions of the Canadian shell compared to a standard French Mle.1915?
I also notice the Canadian one has two grooves below the rotating band - does that mean that the cartridge casing would have had some sort of crimping?

 

[Gspragge]

There are two rows of indentations to match the two grooves. I don't know if this projectile
is U.S. made or Canadian ? It would follow the demensions for the U.S. 75mm field gun round
which I don't have - It would not surprize me that these are the same as the French it being a copy ~
But I'm sure someone can set us straight on this.