Canon de 105 court modèle 1935 B

The Canon de 105 court modèle 1935 B was a French howitzer used in World War II. It was designed by the State Arsenal at Bourges to replace the Canon de 105 court modèle 1934 Schneider. Some 610 were originally ordered, although production was terminated in 1939 in favor of anti-tank guns. Only some 232 were in service when the German attacked in May 1940. Captured weapons were used by the German Heer as the 10.5 cm leFH 325(f) and assigned to training and second-line occupation units.[3] During Italy's occupation of southern France, 127 pieces were captured by the Royal Italian Army, which used it under the name Obice da 105/15.

Canon de 105 court modèle 1935 B
In the Draguignan artillery museum
Typehowitzer
Place of originFrance
Service history
In service1936–1945
Used by
  • France
  • Nazi Germany
Wars
Production history
DesignerState Arsenal at Bourges
ManufacturerBourges
Produced1936–1939
Specifications
Mass1,627 kg (3,587 lb)
Barrel length1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) L/16.7

Shell105 × 245mm R
Shell weight15.6 kg (34 lb)[2]
Caliber105 mm (4.1 in)
CarriageSplit trail
Elevation−6° to 50°
Traverse58°
Rate of fire5 rpm
Muzzle velocity442 m/s (1,450 ft/s)
Maximum firing range10,300 m (11,300 yd)

Design

edit
 
A rear view showing its toed-in wheels.

An unusual feature of the design was that the wheels, which were pressed steel with either solid rims or pneumatic tires, moved with the trail legs and "toed-in" when the gun was in action to provide more cover for the crew.

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Vaïsse, Maurice; Bizard, André (2000). L'Armée française dans la guerre d'Indochine (1946-1954) : adaptation ou inadaptation? (in French). Brussels: Complexe. p. 186. ISBN 9782870278109.
  2. ^ "101". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  3. ^ Bishop, p. 138

References

edit
  • Bishop, Chris, ed. Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. New York, Barnes and Noble, 1998 ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
  • Englemann, Joachim and Scheibert, Horst. Deutsche Artillerie 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation in Text, Skizzen und Bildern: Ausrüstung, Gliderung, Ausbildung, Führung, Einsatz. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: C. A. Starke, 1974
  • Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3