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SURVIVING GUN FILE (# 1338)
Version française

France

Canon de 155mm R Mle 1907 de tourelle

under Galopin turret

Fortress artillery

Contributor :
Andreas Liebold      http://www.festungsbauten.de/
     
     
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Location :
France
Douaumont (55)
Fort de Douaumont
Coordinates : Lat : 48.21712 / Long : 5.44025
General comments on this surviving gun :


Identical items in the same location : 1
Items covered by this file : 1


Historic and technical information
Denomination :     155 R Mle 1907 sous tourelle Origin :       ( Arsenaux de l'Etat)          

Historic context :

The Galopin retractable turret Mle 1890 for two 155 L de Bange guns that was a result of the famous '1888 Chalon experiments' founders of the French Army know-how in fortress artillery under turrets, was giving entire satisfaction when considering its technical characteristics, but not at all in regards of its exorbitant price that limited the production to 5 pieces only.

In 1903 the Section Technique du Génie revisited the Galopin's concept and designed a similar turret but with significantly reduced dimensions and armed with two shortened 155 mm guns, decreasing the cost about to its half. Initially designed in two versions, for two 155 mm guns and for one single 155 mm gun, it is eventually the single barrel cersion that was finally adopted by the French Army in 1907, as the 'tourelle à éclipse Galopin Mle 1907 pour un canon de 155 R' . Only 13 pieces were buit, and 12 of them actually installed, before the WW1 start, even if it was planned to build another 22.

The barrel used for this turret was a new 'Canon de 155 R Mle 1907' mantled, with a de Bange type shape profile but shortened and adapted to quick fire, mounted on a carriage equipped with a recoil recuperation hydro-spring system. Its performances were such that the single tube alone equaled the fire rate of the two 155 L guns of the former turrets, with an equivalent range of 7200 m. The concentric threads breech 'Canet', with its hemispheric mobile block, that was replacing the usual de Bange breech system had been developped by the famous engineer of the Schneider Company before 1900.

Technical data :

  • Complete description : 155mm M 1907 shortened gun under turret
  • Design year : 1907
  • Calibre : 155.00 mm
  • Weight in firing position : unknown
  • Weight for transportation :
  • Tube length in calibres : 0.00 unknown
  • Grooves : 0 unknown
  • Projectile weight : 43 kg (obus explosif allongé Mle 1890) - 40.8 kg (obus à mitraille)
  • Initial speed :
  • Fire rate :
  • Range : 7200 m
  • Elevation range : -2.5 to +20 degrees
  • Direction range : 360 degrees range


Sources
  • Index de la Fortification Française 1874-1914           Marco Frijns       Luc Malchair       Jean-Jacques Moulins       Autoédition   2008  
  • Croix de Guerre contre Croix de Fer, La bataille des forts, Verdun face à Metz       Alain Hohnadel       Philippe Bestetti             Heimdal   1995  
  • Ministère de la Guerre - Règlement de manoeuvre de l'artilelrie à pied - Service des Canons sous tourelle et casemate et des mitrailleuses sous tourelle - titre IV - Canons de 155 R Mle 1907 sous tourelle à éclipse       Collectif                   Paris - Imprimerie Nationale   1914  
  • Le site web la fortification Séré de Rivières http://www.fortiffsere.fr