The Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913–1917 were a family of French 75 mm anti-aircraft guns designed and manufactured by Schneider et CieatLe Creusot. The guns were used by the French Army during the First World War and Second World War.
| Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913–1917 | |
|---|---|
French canon de 75 mm antiaérien mle 1915 at Salonika in World War I.
| |
| Type | Anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1914–1945 |
| Used by | France Finland German Empire Nazi Germany Poland North Vietnam |
| Wars | World War I World War II First Indochina War |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1897 |
| Manufacturer | Schneider et Cie |
| Variants | Modèle 1913 Modèle 1915 Modèle 1917[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) |
| Barrel length | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) L/33[1] |
| Shell | Fixed QF 75 × 350 mm R[2] |
| Shell weight | 6.25 kg (13.8 lb) |
| Caliber | 75 mm (3.0 in) |
| Breech | Nordenfelt eccentric screw |
| Recoil | Hydro-pneumatic |
| Elevation | +10° to 70°[1] |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 12 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 575 m/s (1,890 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 6.5 km (21,000 ft)[1] |
The origins of the modèle 1913–1917 go back to the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 field gun which was first employed on improvised anti-aircraft mounts, which were typically earthen embankments or scaffolds to get the muzzle pointed skyward. Later in the war, specialized anti-aircraft mounts were developed.
These included:
The most common anti-aircraft configuration was a fixed battery of four mle 1915 guns located near cities, factories or military bases. Target range was measured by optical coincidence rangefinders and height by optical height finders which measured the distance to the target and the elevation angle, which together gave the height of the aircraft. These coordinates were transmitted to a single Brocq fire-control station, which was an electric tachymetric device that calculated target speed, altitude and direction to determine deflection angles. The deflection calculations were transmitted to displays on each gun for the crew to aim at for barrage fire. The guns themselves had only simple sights and lacked the ability to engage individual targets.[6]
Anti-aircraft effectiveness during the First World War was poor but many of these systems remained in use without improvement until the Second World War. By which time they were nearly useless against faster, higher flying targets. During the late 1920s it was realized that the mle 1897 was outmoded as an anti-aircraft weapon and development of a new gun barrel was begun in 1928. The goals of the rearmament program were faster rate of fire, higher muzzle velocity, increased vertical range, modern fire control and greater mobility with new gun carriages. Priority for armaments was given to the Maginot Line fortifications being built and work moved at a slow pace. Lack of funds meant all three anti-aircraft versions of the mle 1897 were still in use in large numbers when World War II began in 1939. It is estimated that 913 mle 1897 anti-aircraft guns were still in service in 1940.[3]
Large numbers of 75 mm guns were captured by Germany after the French defeat in 1940.
Guns in German service were called:
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Media related to Canon de 75 modèle 1897 AA gun at Wikimedia Commons