Field Gun 75mm M1897 aka 75mm QF Mark I

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Godwin Hampton

Sapper,

If the gun you discovered is on wooden spoked wheels, as in the lovely photo posted by Gerry McGinty, then it is the famous French 75mm, or an American manufactured copy. The tell-tale is that apparatus (?) just below the muzzle. It was the standard American ( and French! ) field gun of WW I.

In 1934 a new version was manufactured with a different recoil system, and a more modern carriage with split trails which overcame the original gun's greatest defect, that of limited elevation. The new carriages' pneumatic tyres also allowed the gun to be towed at high speed.

As for the photo, W.D Census Numbers 1278563 to 1283562 were alloted to Czech Forces, as confirmed by the CS oval. Strange about the prefix; on tractors it should be H, as L denoted Lorries.

The gun is the later version (M1897A2?) (M2A1?) without the over-travel stop, wooden wheels and fixed trail. I 've heard back from the head of the Historical Association and he is looking into the possibility of my proposal. The good thing is he didn't immediately dismiss it out of hand as undoable. I'll take some pictures of the gun next time I'm down in *** ********* and post them for everyone to see. Derek.