Canon de 155 mm GPF
| Canon de 155 mm GPF | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | Canon de 155mm GPF, 15.5cm cannon 418 (f) |
| Manufacturer designation: | Canon de 155 GPF (Grand Puissance Filloux) |
| Manufacturer country: | France |
| Production time: | 1917 to? |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 5.725 m |
| Caliber : |
15.5 cm |
| Caliber length : | L / 38.2 |
| Cadence : | 1 shot / min |
| Elevation range: | 0 ° to +35 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 60 ° |
The Canon de 155mm GPF ( Grande Puissance Filloux ) was a French- made field cannon that was used in the First and Second World Wars . The Wehrmacht used captured cannons of this type in the western campaign in 1940 under the designation 15.5 cm cannon 418 (f) .
history
The cannon was developed during the First World War by Lieutenant Colonel Louis Jean François Filloux, who had already submitted designs for an improved, long-range 155 mm field cannon before the war. It was introduced to the French army in 1917 and replaced the outdated Canon de 155 mm L modèle in 1877 . Its counterpart on the German side was the 15 cm Kanone 16 from Krupp . The cannon was considered one of the most successful designs in its category and remained in service in France until 1940 .
From 1918 the US Army and the US Marine Corps used licensed buildings with the designations 155 mm Gun M1917 and M1918 . They were not replaced until 1942 with the introduction of the 155 mm Gun M1 ( Long Tom ) and some of them continued to be used as coastal guns until the end of World War II. They also formed the armament of the M12 self-propelled gun .
In 1940 the Wehrmacht captured around 449 guns of this type and used them in some artillery units under the designation 15.5 cm cannon 418 (f) . Later it was used as a coastal gun on the Atlantic Wall . The cannon weighed 11,700 kilograms on the march and could fire 43-kilogram projectiles up to 19,500 meters.
American 155 Gun M1918 M1 as a coastal gun
German 15.5 cm cannon 418 (f) on the Atlantic Wall
Side view and sectional drawing of a Canon de 155mm GPF equipped with wheel belts
literature
- Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Encyclopedia of German Weapons 1939-1945 . 2nd Edition. Special edition. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0 .
