Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
- David Lehmann
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- Joined: 01 Apr 2002, 11:50
- Location: France
Hello,Carl Schwamberger wrote:Anything in the documents for these cannon indicating how they were used? What sort of targets, if they fired as corps artillery or as a specialize battalion under a army command, or as reinforcing for divsion fires?
AFAIK the Mle1932 155mm L Schneider gun was mainly used by the French Navy for its 'mobile' batteries. When emplaced on the platform (which needed no peculiar preparation of the ground) it had a full 360° traverse. The strange shape of the wheels is to allow the easy 360° traverse, which would not have been possible with pneumatics. Only 16 guns (4 batteries of 4 guns) were in service in 1939/1940.
• Battery n°1 was mobilized in Sfax (Tunisia), moved to Gabès (Tunisia) in February 1940 and was sent back to Sfax (Tunisia) on 8 June 1940. It is transfered to Bône on 25 June 1940 and Nemours on 22 August 1940 (Algeria) where it was still deployed on 8 November 1942. This battery never left North-Africa.
• Battery n°2 (Capitaine de Corvette Hamelin and later Lieutenant de Vaisseau Brenot) was first in Toulon.
• Battery n°3 (Lieutenant de Vaisseau Jabet) was first in Bizerte (Tunisia).
• A 4th battery was in Senegal but no battery number is mentioned. This battery in Western Africa was in fact not mobile; it was a fixed coastal artillery battery with 4x 155mm Mle1932 Schneider emplaced at Yof, near Dakar. Another difference is that it belonged to the Army, not the Navy, and was manned by colonial artillery personnel. The Yof 155mm battery was replaced by one with 138mm Mle1924 guns (September 1941), and the 155mm guns relocated to Cap Manuel (also in the Dakar area), at which point the battery passed under Navy control.
Batteries n°2 and n°3 took part in the campaign of France. They were at Montebourg (France) in August 1939 and served together during the campaign. Only these two batteries got the Somua MCG4 halftracks, 3 per gun for a tolal of 24 MCG4 halftracks (3 packs : 8,600 kg with the barrel, 8,000 kg with the carriage and 6,000 kg with the platform), and were really mobile batteries. They were sent in Belgium in May 1940 and battery n°3 was also used in the Netherlands to support the French troops landed in Walcheren against the Waffen-SS "Deutschland" regiment. The batteries n°2 and n°3 ended up at Dunkirk, where they proved to be very efficient in defending the allied pocket at 360°. Concerning battery n°2: 2 guns were destroyed at Gravelines on May 24, 1 gun was destroyed on the road between Grande-Synthe and Petite-Synthe, the last gun is still firing on June 2 and is finally scuttled. Concerning the battery n°3: 2 guns were detached to the 2nd battery and were scuttled beginning June. The 2 other guns were near Vallières and were scuttled on June 3.
Regards,
David
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Excellent. Any indication of the targets those at Walcheren or Dunkirk attacked. Or any information on how they were fit into the artillery tactical control?David Lehmann wrote:Hello,Carl Schwamberger wrote:Anything in the documents for these cannon indicating how they were used? What sort of targets, if they fired as corps artillery or as a specialize battalion under a army command, or as reinforcing for divsion fires?
AFAIK the Mle1932 155mm L Schneider gun was mainly used by the French Navy for its 'mobile' batteries. When emplaced on the platform (which needed no peculiar preparation of the ground) it had a full 360° traverse. The strange shape of the wheels is to allow the easy 360° traverse, which would not have been possible with pneumatics. Only 16 guns (4 batteries of 4 guns) were in service in 1939/1940.
• Battery n°1 was mobilized in Sfax (Tunisia), moved to Gabès (Tunisia) in February 1940 and was sent back to Sfax (Tunisia) on 8 June 1940. It is transfered to Bône on 25 June 1940 and Nemours on 22 August 1940 (Algeria) where it was still deployed on 8 November 1942. This battery never left North-Africa.
• Battery n°2 (Capitaine de Corvette Hamelin and later Lieutenant de Vaisseau Brenot) was first in Toulon.
• Battery n°3 (Lieutenant de Vaisseau Jabet) was first in Bizerte (Tunisia).
• A 4th battery was in Senegal but no battery number is mentioned. This battery in Western Africa was in fact not mobile; it was a fixed coastal artillery battery with 4x 155mm Mle1932 Schneider emplaced at Yof, near Dakar. Another difference is that it belonged to the Army, not the Navy, and was manned by colonial artillery personnel. The Yof 155mm battery was replaced by one with 138mm Mle1924 guns (September 1941), and the 155mm guns relocated to Cap Manuel (also in the Dakar area), at which point the battery passed under Navy control.
Batteries n°2 and n°3 took part in the campaign of France. They were at Montebourg (France) in August 1939 and served together during the campaign. Only these two batteries got the Somua MCG4 halftracks, 3 per gun for a tolal of 24 MCG4 halftracks (3 packs : 8,600 kg with the barrel, 8,000 kg with the carriage and 6,000 kg with the platform), and were really mobile batteries. They were sent in Belgium in May 1940 and battery n°3 was also used in the Netherlands to support the French troops landed in Walcheren against the Waffen-SS "Deutschland" regiment. The batteries n°2 and n°3 ended up at Dunkirk, where they proved to be very efficient in defending the allied pocket at 360°. Concerning battery n°2: 2 guns were destroyed at Gravelines on May 24, 1 gun was destroyed on the road between Grande-Synthe and Petite-Synthe, the last gun is still firing on June 2 and is finally scuttled. Concerning the battery n°3: 2 guns were detached to the 2nd battery and were scuttled beginning June. The 2 other guns were near Vallières and were scuttled on June 3.
Regards,
David
Here is an interesting picture of WW1 US heavy coastal guns (according to the caption) with wheels very similar to the wheels of the 155 Mle 1932 gun. Do you know what type of guns they are ? maybe of French origin ?
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/bin14/imag1351.jpg
from
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/arty2.htm
Emmanuel
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/bin14/imag1351.jpg
from
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/arty2.htm
Emmanuel
In http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=94778,
there is a picture of the same type of gun at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the US. A member of the forum has identified it as a German 15 cm SK L/45. If it’s the case, it seems that the Germans had copied the French wheel design of the 155 Mle 1932 for their own coastal artillery!
What do you think ?
Emmanuel
there is a picture of the same type of gun at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the US. A member of the forum has identified it as a German 15 cm SK L/45. If it’s the case, it seems that the Germans had copied the French wheel design of the 155 Mle 1932 for their own coastal artillery!
What do you think ?
Emmanuel
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
These guns were actually former U.S. Navy 6 inch (152mm) Mk. VIII naval guns from decommissioned pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers mounted on a specially designed field carriage. As to the wheels they were a heavy spoked tractor type, almost akin to road roller wheels of the period.
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Thanks SASH155. Do you know when the US Army made the conversion ?
Emmanuel
Emmanuel
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Hi
This are 2 photo's from the Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932 , as you can see some
are complete in firing position and others in the 3 loads travelling postions .
Photo's = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
This are 2 photo's from the Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932 , as you can see some
are complete in firing position and others in the 3 loads travelling postions .
Photo's = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
- Attachments
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- 15.5 cm le 1932 fren.jpg (48.58 KiB) Viewed 2633 times
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- 15.5 cm K 424 f.jpg (184.77 KiB) Viewed 2633 times
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
The surplus U.S. six inch naval guns were mounted on the carriages in 1918 and 1919 apparently. There was also a 7 inch gun on a tracked carriage
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Hi,
Anybody there who can give me informations about the efforts of the 3rd battery of the mobile marine battery in Zeeuws Vlaanderen supporting the France troops on May 16th and 17th 1940 on Walcheren. Maybe orders, wardiary. Otherwise targets, total rounds.
Thanks Tonmid
Anybody there who can give me informations about the efforts of the 3rd battery of the mobile marine battery in Zeeuws Vlaanderen supporting the France troops on May 16th and 17th 1940 on Walcheren. Maybe orders, wardiary. Otherwise targets, total rounds.
Thanks Tonmid
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Hello Ton
It's a small world , living in the same street and then on the W.W.W.
I knew that Hans Sakkers has visit French archive's in Vincennes but
could not find any original data of the guns on the May 16th and 17th 1940 .
Photo = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
It's a small world , living in the same street and then on the W.W.W.
I knew that Hans Sakkers has visit French archive's in Vincennes but
could not find any original data of the guns on the May 16th and 17th 1940 .
Photo = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
- Attachments
-
- 15.5 cm axis.jpg (78.01 KiB) Viewed 2136 times
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
This great gun was according to the photocaption placed in Gravelines .
Picture's = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
Picture's = Ebay.de
Regards Jos
- Attachments
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- 15.5 cm K 424 Gravelines.jpg (115 KiB) Viewed 1941 times
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- 15.5 cm K 424 gravelines 2.jpg (133.11 KiB) Viewed 1941 times
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Hello
Could this be the Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932 ?????????????? Please note that this was a plan .
Regards Jos
Could this be the Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932 ?????????????? Please note that this was a plan .
Regards Jos
- Attachments
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- axis 15.5 cm K 32.JPG (52.75 KiB) Viewed 1857 times
Re: Canon de 155 mm Mle 1932
Hi Jos,
On a German list of naval weapons of 1943 that you have posted in this thread:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=103122
the designation appears as 15,5 cm KM 32(f) with a range of 27.5 km.
This is the max. range of the 155 mm Mle 32 you mentioned here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0
So it looks like the K32(f) became KM 32(f) and was indeed the 155 mm Mle 1932 used by the Kriegsmarine.
Emmanuel
On a German list of naval weapons of 1943 that you have posted in this thread:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=103122
the designation appears as 15,5 cm KM 32(f) with a range of 27.5 km.
This is the max. range of the 155 mm Mle 32 you mentioned here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0
So it looks like the K32(f) became KM 32(f) and was indeed the 155 mm Mle 1932 used by the Kriegsmarine.
Emmanuel