Caisson of French 75mm field gun M1897

[sksvlad]

I was taken aback by observing brakes on the caisson of this French gun. Both the gun and caisson have brakes. So, I assume, they were towed not by horses but by a tractor. So, was this ammunition carriage and corresponding gun (very heavy) moved by horses or mechanical means?
The display is in the front of Numrich Gun Parts, West Hurley, NY, which you antique gun collectors would recognize as an important purveyor of gun parts.

 

[highlandotter]

The caisson may be for a M1897, but the gun shown with it is a M1912.

 

[bacarnal]

Vlad, Most if not all of the field guns and caissons of that era have brakes. If you look at buckboard wagons and carriages, you'll find they have them also. A horse or team is all well and good for pulling but once you get that amount of mass going, it is hard to stop it without the use of brakes, especially on a downhill where the mass could overrun the horses. You would also need it when you are man-handling the piece and caisson into firing position.

Thanks for showing the field gun. I've seen several M1897's throughout the country and this ones design had me stumped. Took some digging on the web, but I finally found that this particular gun is the Saint Chamond/Mondragon field gun. Numerich has a rarer one than they have any idea of. Thanks again, Vlad. Cheers, Bruce.

 

[bacarnal]

The 1912 is similar, but the recoil mechanism under the gun is different than the Saint Chamond/Mondragon shown.

 

[Mannlicher]

the owner could do something to restore those wheels.... metal spokes embedded in new wood ones could do the trick and be more durable.

 

[sksvlad]

Bruce, I also was puzzled by the lack of under-the-muzzle attachment, whatever it is. I figure it must be an older version, because most of war pics have that thing under the muzzle.

 

[bacarnal]

As much as most seem to hate Wikipidia, I went there and started out looking for the M1902 field gun to see if it matched what you show. Since it didn't, I linked to the field gun list and the went down it to see what matched. Finally (after bypassing it) looked at the Saint Chamond/Mondragon and the recoil mech, the shield and the gun tube were a perfect match.

Thanks for starting to show your trips here. As at the OTHER site, they are GREATLY appreciated. Not to mention, it's easier to upload the pix here and they won't delete your post. Cheers, Bruce.