Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider

Canon de 105 mle 1913

Canon de 105 mle 1913 with rubber tires, in Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Type Field gun
Place of origin  France
Production history
Designer Schneider
Manufacturer Schneider
Number built ~1,600 carriages
~2,000 barrels[1]
Specifications
Weight Combat: 2,300 kg
(5,071 lb)
Travel: 2,650 kg
(5,843 lb)
Barrel length 2.987 m (9 ft 10 in)

Caliber 105 mm (4.134 in)
Breech interrupted screw
Carriage fixed trail
Elevation -5° to 37°
Traverse
Muzzle velocity 550 m/s (1,805 ft/s)
Maximum firing range 12 km (7.45 mi)

The Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider was a French artillery piece used in World War I and World War II by many European countries.

History

In the early 1900s, the French company Schneider began a collaboration with the Russian company Putilov. For this collaboration, it had developed a gun using the Russian 107 mm round, which was ordered by the Russian Army to be produced in Russia (though the initial batch of guns was made in France). Schneider then decided to modify the design for the French 105 mm (4.134 inches) round and offer it to France as well. Initially, the French army was not interested in this weapon as they already had plenty of 75 mm field guns. However, in 1913, the French army purchased a small number under the designation Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider; it was also known by the service designation L 13 S.

The lighter 75 mm guns were of limited use against trenches; so, once the western front in World War I had settled down to trench warfare, the French army ordered large numbers of the L 13 S, which, with its larger 15.74 kg (34.7 lb) shell, was more effective against fortified positions and had a range of 12,000 metres (7.5 mi).

After the end of World War I, France sold or gave many Schneider 105 mm guns to various other countries, including Belgium, Italy, Poland, and Yugoslavia. In Italy, the 105 mm was re-designated the Cannone da 105/28 and saw service until 1943. Guns were also produced under license in Italy, starting from September 1914, by Ansaldo.[2] Poland also used new model of Schneider's gun with a longer barrel and split trail, called the wz. 29, which was in fact a completely different weapon; both were in service at the beginning of WW II in 1939. In 1939 Poland had 118 of wz. 13 guns and 124 of wz. 29 guns, used in Heavy Artillery Detachments.[3]

The German conquests of Poland, Belgium, France, and Yugoslavia during World War II gave them large numbers of captured 105 mm Schneider guns. 854 L 13 S's were in service in France and a large number were captured. Many of these were installed in the Atlantic Wall system of coastal defenses.[4]

Finland was able to buy 12 of these guns from France during the Winter War; they also rebarreled six Russian 107mm Schnieders (four 1910 and two 1913 models) to 105mm. In addition, they were able to purchase 54 captured Polish Armata 105 mm wz. 29 Schneider guns from Germany.[5]

Designations

Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider, also with rubber tires, in Hämeenlinna Artillery Museum, Finland.
Cannone da 105/28.

Because the gun was used by a large number of countries, it had a large number of official designations.

References

  1. Guy François, "Le 105 L modèle 1913, l'élégant du Creusot", Histoire de Guerre, Bildés & Materiél, no. 103, January 2013, pp. 27-37, Paris: Histoire & Collection (in French) toc
  2. 105mm_mle1913- Retrieved 2012-03-01
  3. Konstankiewicz, Andrzej (2003). Broń strzelecka i sprzęt artyleryjski formacji polskich i Wojska Polskiego w latach 1914-1939, Lublin. pp. 250-266. ISBN 83-227-1944-2. (Polish)
  4. 105/28 mm cannon- Retrieved 2012-03-01
  5. http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/ARTILLERY4.htm
  6. http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/ARTILLERY4.htm
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