Greek Canon de 75 modèle 1897 & Crew (Great Escape Games)

Resin. Modelling skill is required. Please use a fresh, sharp blade when removing the "scaffold" resin pieces from the model. Refer carefully to the pictures displayed and those here: https://www.greatescapegames.co.uk/online-store/miniatures/tanks-vehicles-and-atgs-28mm/atguns/atg020#img11

Gun comes with 4 crew. Further crew from pack Greek Anti-tank Gun Crew I GRK008.

The French 75 mm field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. Its official French designation was: Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897. It was commonly known as the French 75, simply the 75 and Soixante-Quinze (French for "seventy-five"). The French 75 was designed as an anti-personnel weapon system for delivering large volumes of time-fused shrapnel shells on enemy troops advancing in the open. After 1915 and the onset of trench warfare, other types of battlefield missions demanding impact-detonated high-explosive shells prevailed. By 1918 the 75s became the main agents of delivery for toxic gas shells. The 75s also became widely used as truck mounted anti-aircraft artillery. They were also the main armament of the Saint-Chamond tank in 1918.

The French 75 is widely regarded as the first modern artillery piece. It was the first field gun to include a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism, which kept the gun's trail and wheels perfectly still during the firing sequence. Since it did not need to be re-aimed after each shot, the crew could reload and fire as soon as the barrel returned to its resting position. In typical use, the French 75 could deliver fifteen rounds per minute on its target, either shrapnel or melinite high-explosive, up to about 8,500 m (5.3 mi) away. Its firing rate could even reach close to 30 rounds per minute, albeit only for a very short time and with a highly experienced crew.

There is some interesting further info here - http://www.landships.info/landships/artillery_articles.html?load=/landships/artillery_articles/75mm_Mle_1897.html - and it may be noted that this weapon was used by the Poles, Finns and Germans. There is some postulation that some may have been in service with the Greek Army as they were their chief artillery weapon in the Balkan Wars. British troops at the Battle of Crete used 75mm field guns at the Battle of Crete in emergency, lacking their own guns. These were reportedly "previously taken from Greeks" and they were "Mle 1897" model. These pieces may have been from an American shipment of Mle 1897's which arrived in early 1941. Greek 75 pictured is from the Balkan Wars.

Weight for shipping is 220g. See Customer Service page (link at bottom of page) for full postage rates. Gun sculpted by Oliver Piotrowski. Painted by GEG.