Schneider-Canet 75mm field gun M. 1912

 

 

 

 

Serbian designation :

75 мм. пољски топ М. 1912 Шнаjдер

French designation :

Canon de campagne de 75mm mle. 1912 Schneider

Schneider designation :

Matériel de cavalerie à tir rapide de 75mm, type PD 13bis

Calibre :

75mm L/25.4

Weight of the barrel :

298 kg

Weight of the breech-block :

15.5 kg

Weight of the carriage :

667 kg

Weight in action :

965 kg

Weight of the limber :

555 kg

Weight in marching order :

1520 kg

Weight of the ammunition wagon:

1617 kg

Barrel length :

1.905 m

Number of barrel grooves :

24

Angle of twist :

7°

Height of the line of fire :

994 mm

Shield

thickness :

3.5 mm

weight :

46 kg

Cartridge

weight :

 

charge :

695 g  (normal)

250 g (reduced)

Steel H.E. shell

weight :

5.35 kg – charge : 0.75 kg

muzzle velocity :

540 m/s

max. range :

6400 m

Cast H.E. shell

weight :

5.5 kg  - charge : 0.75 kg (Obus Mle 1900)

muzzle velocity :

540 m/s

max. range :

6400 m

Shrapnel

weight :

7.25 kg – charge : 110 g of black powder

261 bullets x 12 g (Obus à balles Mle 1897 M)

7.24 kg – charge : 440 g of black powder

290 bullets x 12 g (Obus à balles Mle 1897 A)

muzzle velocity :

498 m/s

max. range :

6000 m

Height of the line of sight :

1200 mm

Elevation :

+ 17° 30’ / - 8°

Traversing angle :

9°

Wheels

weight :

137 kg

height :

1.43 m

tyres width :

60 mm

track :

1.52 m

Transport :

Drawn by six horses

Ammunition :

gun limber – 6 shells, wagon limber – 6 shells, wagon body – 60 shells

Remarks :

In spring 1912 French Army adopted a light guns for its 30 horse artillery batteries. At that time as a rule every horse can draw on every kind of ground and at great velocity only 260 kg. So an artillery team with its six horses could draw only 1560 kg, too much for the standard field artillery gun (the “soixante-quinze”) that weighted in marching order 1970 kg). The new gun was developed from a light gun offered to Russian Army (Schneider designation PD 13, calibre 76.2 mm) and was tested by 1st Cavalry Division.
In 1912 30 batteries were ordered and they were assigned to the ten cavalry division of the French Army. In September 1914 further 12 batteries were ordered and they were delivered within summer 1915. In May 1915 200 more guns were ordered and delivered during 1916.

Since its features are inferior to the standard 75mm Mle 1897, the French Army used only a little number of these guns. In 1915-16 it became available to French allies: Russia, Belgium, Serbia, and Greece. The National Museum of Military History in Sofia exibits a 75mm mle. 1912 gun, a trophey probably captured to the Serbian Army during the battle of Gornichevo in autumn 1916.

 

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