Cannon Walk - Part One

All information corresponding to guns on the Cannon Walk is used courtesy of the Fort Sill Museum.

150 mm Trench Mortar
M1917 (DE FABRY)
France – U.S.A. WW I

The rapid transition of the First World War from a war of movement to a static trench war led to the development of heavy mortars capable of high- angle trajectories and deep penetration of overhead earth cover.

The design of the 150 mm M1e 1917 was the same as conventional Field Artillery weapons, the tube was supported by two recoil-recuperators in a flask rocker assembly. This upper carriage was mounted and traversed on a platform with six fixed spades. The round was a finned bomb-type projectile carrying a eleven pound, explosive charge and was loaded from the muzzle. The propellant charge was loaded from the breech and ignited by a percussion ignition system.

The mortar battery, with its six pieces, could assist the infantry in reducing strong points, such as machine gun nests or prepared positions. In addition, the batter could attack enemy troops under cover or on the counter-slope of a hill to prevent counter-attack.

Broken down into three loads carried on machine gun carts, the separate loads were transported in tandem. One horse or eight men towed the paired loads. The ammunition carts carried twenty bombs. Two bombs could be transported by a crewman using a special harness.

The 150 mm Mortier M1e 1917 was used by both French and American forces. The end of the WW I saw the trench mortars replaced by the Stokes-Brandt mortars, which were invented simultaneously in England and France during the war, and are still in service today.

Caliber:             150 mm                     5.9 in
Weight:             615 kg                       1,353 lbs
Range:              2,000 meters             2,167 yds (1.23 miles)
Shell Weight:    17 kg                         37.4 lbs
Elevation:          800 to 1,279 mils      45 to 72 degrees
Traverse:           480 mils                     27 degrees

240 mm Howitzer, Model of 1918
(SCHNEIDER)
U.S. World War I 

This outstanding howitzer was French design, modified for U.S. manufacture and produced entirely in American plants, beginning in September 1917. An entire second American army of 30 divisions was to have been equipped with these in 1919 if the war had continues. The production goal was 1,160 cannon.

Although nearly the same size as the British 9.2-inch howitzer and the 8-inch howitzer, the 240 was by far more powerful than either. The former had ranges of about 6 miles. The 240 howitzer hurled a shell weighing 365 lbs. and carrying a bursting charge of 45 to 50 lbs. of high explosive to a range of almost 10 miles.

This piece was served by a shot truck which carried two 365-lb. projectiles and rand on an industrial track to and from the ammunition dump. The projectiles were lifted from the shot truck and placed on a rammer car by shot tongs and cable operated by a hand crane, all of which was supported by the loading platform at the rear of the top carriage. The rammer car, operated by hand cranks, moved along a track into the cradle, registering and locking with the breech of the howitzer, after which the projectile was pushed into position by a semiflexible chain, the powder charge being pushed in by hand. 

8-Inch Howitzer

75 mm Field Gun M2A2

During WW I, the United States Army ordered large numbers of the 75 mm Field Gun, Model of 1897(French), the famous “French 75.” The weapons manufactured to U.S. specifications were converted to become the 75-mm Field Gun, M1897A4 in the late 1920’s. In 1933, the old single trail carriage was replaced with a new split-trailed carriage, the M2. The M2A2 utilized a firing jack, the M2A3 used segmented wheels.

 

The 75 mm Field Gun, M2, was nearly obsolete in 1940, and was being relegated to a training role at the outbreak of WW II. A few saw service in the Phillipine Islands against the invading Japanese, and a stop-gap anti-tank weapon was produced by mounting the M2 in the M3 Half Track to become the Gun Motor Carriage, T-12. The T-12 saw service in the North African Campaign against the German Afrika Corps, but was quickly replaced by newly designed Tank Destroyers. They continued to serve against the Japanese in the Pacific Theater until the end of WW II in the configuration.

 

One of the most unusual employments of the 75 mm Field Gun was the M1897A5E1, which was mounted in the nose of the B-25 Mitchell Bomber for use as a heavy aircraft cannon employed in a ground attack role. The 75-mm Field Gun is no longer in service with any major power. 

Caliber:                         75 mm                                          2.95-in

Weight(in action):       1544 kg                                         3400  lbs

Shell Weight:               6.628 kg                                       13.6 mils

Range:                          12,960 m                                     13,8970 (14 miles)

Elevation:                     -164 mils to 809mils                  -9 degrees to 45 degrees 30’

Traverse:                      1066 mils                                     60 degrees

Traction:                       6 Horses or a 2 1/2 ton truck

---

Carriage Limber, M1918
For the 155 mm Schneider Howitzer
U.S. Army

155 mm Gun

155 mm Howitzer

150 mm Gun Towed