75mm Mle. 1931 case (and gun)

[Falcon]

This morning at a car boot sale I bought a French 75mm Mle. 1931 case. I don't usually buy non-British cases, however I bought this as I'd never seen one before. It appears to be a shortened Mle. 1897 style case.

The case measures 75 x 245R (Rim 87mm)

The headstamp is:

75 . Mle 1931

ARS 13.38.P

What do the "13" and "P" in the headstamp mean?

Can anyone give me any more information about this gun? How was the gun intended to be used? Was it a mobile artillery piece, mounted in a fortress etc.?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Hoeksel]

The length is original and actually a case you do not see a lot. It is for a French tank gun SA35 L/17.1 .

 

[Vasco Da Gama]

I am not an expert in this area but my understanding is that this case is for the French Char B heavy tank hull gun.

 

[Dronic69]

So how scarce are these cases to find?

 

[Hoeksel]

Not really rare, but not easy to find. I think I found about 6 or so in over 10 years of collecting. I think you typically find them in France only.

 

[Dronic69]

Thank you Hoeksel,

Any ideas on the type of base primer used?

Here's a photo of one (post#6)

http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threa...osive-Projectile?highlight=75mm+ARS+case+1931

Cheers
D

 

[Hoeksel]

I have only seen the same type as in the image, without any markings.