Canon de 75 modèle 1897 *No 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.

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.

At the opening of World War I, in 1914, the French Army had about 4,000 of these field guns in service. By the end of the war about 12,000 had been produced. It was also in service with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), which had been supplied with about 2,000 French 75 field guns. Several thousand were still in use in the French Army at the opening of World War II, updated with new wheels and tires to allow towing by trucks rather than by horses. The French 75 set the pattern for almost all early-20th century field pieces, with guns of mostly 75 mm forming the basis of many field artillery units into the early stages of World War II.

Romania had a considerable number of World War I guns of 75 mm and 76.2 mm. Some models were modernized at Resita works in 1935 including French md. 1897. The upgrade was made with removable barrels. Several types of guns of close caliber were barreled to use the best ammunition available for 75 m m caliber which was explosive projectile model 1917 "Schneider". The new barrel was made of steel alloy with chrome and nickel with excellent mechanical resistance to pressure which allowed, after modifying the firing brake, the recovery arch and the sighting devices an increase of the range from 8.5 km to 11.2 km and a rate of fire of 20 rounds/minute. During World War 2 these guns also used Costinescu 75 mm anti-tank rounds. These upgraded field guns were used in all infantry divisions in World War II. 

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. In German service it was designated 7,5 cm KM97(f), though many captured pieces were mounted on German chassis as the PaK 97/38.

If you want a particular nation's crew, please go to the relevant shop page for our WWII ranges: www.greatescapegames.co.uk/miniatures/miniatures-rules-of-engagement.html

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