Canon de 194 mm GPF

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The gun Canon de 194 mm GPF was a French cannon of the First World War . GPF stands for "Grand Puissance, Filloux", which means a high-performance gun.

history

As early as the First World War, French designers tried to make guns more mobile. Similar to the St. Chamond 280 mm mortar , the GPF 194 mm is one of the guns mounted on a Holt chain drive. The inventor was Colonel Filloux. Filloux basically used the mount of the 155 mm gun and mounted a 194 mm barrel on the proven mount. The system was finally mounted on a tractor frame. It turned out, however, that the total weight of the gun was too high when it was used for cross-country entries. The improvements entailed that the engine was removed and the gun had to be transported in two partial loads. Instead of a wheel carriage, the chain carriage remained. This gave the heavy artillery better standing than the conventional way. Support struts increased the stability.

Technical specifications

  • Caliber: 194 mm
  • Weight: 15,600 kg
  • Elevation range: 0 ° - 35 °
  • Side straightening range: 55 °
  • Muzzle velocity: 640 m / sec
  • Maximum range: 18,300 m

literature

  • Ian Hogg: Artillery of the 20th Century , Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6