Obusier de 155 mm CTR modèle 1904
| Obusier de 155 mm CTR modèle 1904 | |
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| General Information | |
| Military designation: | Obusier de 155 mm CTR modèle 1904 |
| Manufacturer designation: | canon de 155 court. TR (M. 1904) |
| Manufacturer country: |
 France
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| Developer / Manufacturer: | Émile Rimailho / Arsenal de Bourges |
| Development year: | 1898 |
| Number of pieces: | 122 |
| Model variants: | 1 |
| Weapon Category: | howitzer |
| Technical specifications | |
| Pipe length: | 2.4 m |
| Caliber : |
155 mm |
| Caliber length : | 16 |
| Cadence : | 5-6 rounds / min |
| Elevation range: | 0 ° + 43 degrees |
| Side straightening area: | 5 ° |
| Furnishing | |
| Closure Type : | Rimailho semi-automatic |
| Ammunition supply: | Semi-automatic |
The Obusier de 155 mm CTR modèle 1904 (CTR: court à tir rapide - short, rapid fire) was a French field howitzer of the First World War . The specialty of this gun is the use of one of the first semi-automatic locking systems. 1904 denotes the model year, the abbreviation TR stands for "tir rapide" (French: "rapid fire").
history
The French Colonel Émile Rimailho developed this howitzer in addition to other guns and weapon systems . His main focus was to significantly increase the cadence of the medium and heavy artillery . The newly developed locks and recoils of the light artillery enabled cadences of up to 20 rounds / min. With the larger calibers, up to 5 rounds / min was significantly lower. Rimailho pursued the goal of achieving a comparable value in the caliber 155. The relatively simple designs of the light field guns, such as the Canon de 75 mle 1897 , could not be transferred 1: 1 to the heavier calibers. This was due on the one hand to the naturally greater forces when firing and the significantly heavier projectiles and their propellant charges. Due to the high weight of the bullet and propellant, cartridge ammunition is rarely used , unlike with smaller calibers . The use of cartridge ammunition, however, was an essential feature of rapid-fire guns of that time. To make matters worse, the projectile and propellant charge had to be moved by several people with special carrying frames and ramrods. Rimailho solved these problems with its semi-automatic shutter with loading device and a hydropneumatic return. The use of cartridge ammunition was not intended. The maximum firing range was comparatively small at 7000 m. It was deliberately limited in order not to create incompatibilities with older guns in the units equipped with the CTR 155. The older French short-barreled guns of this caliber usually had a maximum firing range of 6,000 to 7,000 m. As a result, the CTR 155 was clearly inferior to the modern German howitzers used in the First World War.
Heavy artillery at the disposal of the armies
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These howitzers were intended to equip heavy artillery, they were intended to complement the 75 mm field cannons, which were the main armament of the French artillery. Theoretically, the howitzers were intended to combat field fortifications. The model was to remain in use until it was replaced by a more modern device, but the last copies were not retired until the end of the First World War.
Four howitzers formed a battery, three batteries a group. In the early days the howitzers formed the 4th group of these six existing field artillery regiments (2nd, 12th, 13th, 20th, 31st and 32nd field artillery regiments).
In the spring of 1914, the groups were pulled out and incorporated into five heavy artillery regiments (1 er −5 e régiment d'Artillerie lourde). They were to form the heavy artillery at the disposal of the five armies which, in the event of mobilization , would be set up according to Plan XVII .
In use from 1914 to 1918
When the war began in August 1914, 104 of these howitzers were in service in the army's five regiments of heavy artillery. At this point in time, each gun was endowed with 540 shells (a total of 78,000 shells were available).
“I saw the 155 mm Rimailho rapid fire cannons arrive, I admired these ingenious mechanics; the rapid fire and smokeless powder were mature ideas. Then I had to realize that the rapid fire used up the ammunition all too soon, but above all it overheated the barrel, so that the guns were soon unusable. I also noticed that the Rimailho had a ridiculously short range, so you had to move unnecessarily close to the front. The great German howitzers worked twelve kilometers; they were thus out of our reach. "
To improve the range during World War I, the artillerymen increased the powder charges, which made the pipes wear out faster.
The howitzers "CTR 155 mm modèle 1904" were continuously separated by little and by the mm Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Saint-Chamond and the Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 S replaced.
Structure of the gun
The actual gun is simple except for the locking mechanism. The pipe is stored in a “Deport” system with a hydropneumatic return . Like those of the Canon de 75 mle 1897 , the pins on the muzzle contain a pair of rollers that engage in the guide when the pipe is returned and should prevent tilting. A horse-drawn limber was attached to the spade side of the carriage for transport. Thanks to this simple structure, assembling and dismantling the gun was not very time-consuming.
The closure "System Rimailho"
In terms of its basic principle, the lock of the 155 CTR is a lock with an interrupted thread . Rimailho's innovation was the semi-automatic construction with a support for the projectile and propellant charge. The shutter is loaded and triggered manually, but it opens and closes automatically. For the first loading, the shutter is opened and cocked manually. Here, the opened screw plug is moved axially to the gun barrel on guide rails backwards. In this position, the projectile and the propellant charge cartridge are inserted into a device provided for this purpose. When the trigger is operated, the pre-tensioned lock snaps forward and pushes the load into the tube. In the front end position, the slide is automatically locked and the shot is released. After the shot has been fired, the barrel slides backwards in the return. At the reversal point, the lock is unlocked and re-tensioned as the tube moves forward. When the tube has reached the front position again, the shutter is opened and the loading device extended again. A new charge can be placed.
The rather complex closure construction resulted in reliability problems compared to the purely manually operated systems. On the other hand, the cadence in this caliber is to be regarded as high even by today's standards.
literature
- Ian Hogg : 20th Century Artillery. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1878-6 .
- Moreshoffen: French guns , in Kriegstechnische Zeitschrift, Mittler & Sohn, Berlin, 1907.
Web links
- L'obusier de 155 C modèle 1904 Rimailho. In: Fortiff'Séré
- Obusier 155mm Rimailho Mdle 1904 (Bruxelles). In: MaquetLand
Individual evidence
- ↑ Moreshoffen: French guns , pages 171-180. ( online at archive.org )
- ↑ called "Department" in Germany
- ↑ Maurice NAERT, Lefranc Gratien, Jean Laxague, Jean Courbis J. Joubert: Les armées françaises dans la Grande Guerre. Volume 1: La guerre de mouvement (avant le 14 novembre 1914). Ed .: Ministère de la guerre ( Service historique de la Défense ). Imprimerie nationale, Paris 1922–1934. Volume 1: Les préliminaires. La bataille des frontières. P. 522 ( digitized on Gallica ).
- ↑ Antoine Verney: Artillerie lourde: 1915, 1916 et 1917. In: Blog for the presentation of the "Album de la guerre européenne"
- ^ Alain ( Émile Chartier ): Souvenirs de guerre. Paul Hartmann, Paris 1937, p. 46 (PDF; 477 kB).