Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage

Last updated
Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage
150tr-2.jpg
Type Howitzer
Place of originFlag of France.svg  France
Service history
Used byFlag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Production history
DesignerConcept: Colonel Carlos Roma du Bocage
Howitzer: Gustave Canet
Tractor: Eugène Brillié
Designed1903
Manufacturer Schneider-Creusot
No. built4
Specifications
MassEntire battery: 26 t (26 long tons; 29 short tons)
Howitzer: 3,335 kg (7,352 lb)
Howitzer+Caisson: 8,200 kg (18,100 lb)
Length3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Barrel  length2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) L/14
Height1.6 m (5 ft 3 in)

Shell Separate loading cased charge and projectile
Shell weight40 kg (88 lb)
Caliber 15 cm (5.9 in)
Breech Interrupted screw
Recoil Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage Box trail
Elevation -5° to +45°
Traverse
Muzzle velocity 360 m/s (1,200 ft/s)
Maximum firing range8.2 km (5.1 mi) [1]

The Obusier de 15 cm Tir Rapide Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage was a self-contained motorized howitzer system built by the French arms company Schneider-Creusot before the First World War for Portugal. The Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage howitzers are believed to be the first purpose-built motorized artillery system in the world. [2]

Contents

Background

Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery before the outbreak of the First World War, none had adequate numbers of heavy guns in service, nor had they foreseen the growing importance of heavy artillery once the Western Front stagnated and trench warfare set in. Since aircraft of the period were not yet capable of carrying large-diameter bombs the burden of delivering heavy firepower fell on the artillery. [3]

Large-caliber field guns often required extensive site preparation because the guns had to be broken down into multiple loads light enough to be towed by a horse team (max 8, ideally even 6) or the few traction engines of the time and then reassembled before use. Building a new gun could address the problem of disassembling, transporting, and reassembling a large gun, but it didn't necessarily address how to convert existing heavy weapons to make them more mobile. While rail transport proved to be the most efficient solution to moving large guns and their supplies road transport would be more flexible and able to operate in areas without fixed defenses or unsuitable for rail lines. Motorized road transport was a practical solution because the problems of heavy weight, lack of mobility, and reduced setup time were addressed. [3]

History

In 1897 to increase their market share the Establishments Schneider du Creusot acquired the Ateliers d'Artillerie du Havre. As part of that purchase the engineer, Gustave Canet was added to Schneider et Compagnie's design team. Canet had by that time already designed many artillery systems and the guns from his Le Havre workshops were referred to as 'Schneider-Canet' guns for years after. [4]

The concept for the Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage came from a Portuguese engineer Colonel Carlos Roma du Bocage who published a groundbreaking report called the Baterias moveis. Sua influencia na fortificaçao (The influence of mobile batteries on fortifications). In his report, du Bocage advocated a mobile defense strategy for Lisbon based on quick reaction forces with mobile self-contained howitzer batteries. At roughly the same time French Lieutenant Colonel Christophe Peigné began working on a proposal to mount artillery on rail carriages for use at the forts of Verdun, Toul, Épinal, and Belfort. Both Peigné and du Bocage were assisted by the Schneider engineer Gustave Canet. Unlike the du Bocage system the Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 gun carriage ran on narrow gauge rails installed at French forts. [1]

By motorizing his howitzer batteries du Bocage was trying to solve several technical problems such as 1) Fixed fortifications are expensive to build, man, and maintain. An enemy isn't obligated to attack your fortifications and fortifications can't be built to protect everything. 2) If the guns of your forts face the wrong direction an enemy could attack from an unexpected direction where defenses were weaker. 3) Lacking mobility more guns would be needed to defend likely avenues of attack which would be wasteful because some guns would be engaged while others wouldn't. 4) Setup time for the guns would be reduced because the entire battery and their supplies would be transported assembled. 5) If the forts were overrun there wasn't a good way to evacuate the guns and they would be lost to the enemy. 6) Although rail transport was the most efficient form of transport available for both the guns and their supplies rail lines couldn't be laid everywhere to defend from an attack. Road transport could utilize existing road infrastructure and go where no fortifications or rail lines existed. [1]

By choosing an internal combustion engine instead of a steam-powered artillery tractor du Bocage was attempting to solve several technical problems such as 1) Since steam engines create a lot of heat and sometimes give off sparks from their stacks it was reasoned a gasoline engine would be safer for transporting ammunition. 2) It was reasoned that a gas engine started faster and didn't need to wait to raise steam. 3) Since there weren't rail lines everywhere it was reasoned that there wouldn't be a source of coal nearby or the water needed for a steam engine. 4) Since steam engines create a plume of smoke and steam during the day it was reasoned a gasoline engine would be less visible. It was also reasoned that a gas engine could operate at night without giving off a visible glow or sparks at night. 5) It was reasoned that a gas engine was easier to operate than a steam engine and gun crew members could double as drivers. [1]

Design

The Obusier de 15 cm TR Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage was a breech-loaded built-up gun made of steel with an interrupted screw breech, box trail carriage, no gun shield, two wooden-spoked steel-rimmed wheels, and hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism that fired separate loading cased charges and ammunition. The howitzers were capable of -5° to +45° of elevation as well as 2° of traverse. Traverse was controlled by shifting the gun from side to side on the axle of the carriage. The howitzers were conventional for their time and similar horse-drawn Schneider-Canet 15 cm (5.9 in) L/12 howitzers were already in service with Bulgaria.

The carriages of the howitzers were modified for motor traction by mounting a hitch on each gun so they could be joined together nose to tail for transport. Each battery numbered four guns and their artillery tractor. Each gun had a caisson but instead of hooking the caissons to the guns as they would be for horse traction they were joined together from nose to tail and towed by their tractor. A drawback of the du Bocage system was its convoy weighed 26 tons which meant it was restricted to good quality roads, in good weather, with bridges capable of supporting its weight. The 4-ton 12 hp tractors could tow the convoy at 5–6 km/h (3.1–3.7 mph) over good roads in good weather dropping to 2–3 km/h (1.2–1.9 mph) in bad weather. If the convoy needed to cross gradients steeper than +12° or there was soft ground the tractor could unhook from its carriages and it could move forward alone. The tractor could then be anchored and use a powerful winch to drag its carriages forward. [1]

After examining the preliminary drafts, the Portuguese Minister of War with the agreement of the Fortifications Commission decided to build a battery of 4 howitzers. The battery was ordered in January 1903 from Schneider and was completed in November of the same year. The flatbed tractors were designed by the French engineer Eugène Brillié who later designed the Schneider CA1 tank. The tractors were built by Société nancéienne d'automobiles and were based on a dump truck design used for mining and the tractor could carry 60 complete rounds (shell+propellant) on its flatbed. During testing, the tractors were shown to be capable of traveling 300 km (190 mi) with their carriages and 400 km (250 mi) without. The fuel consumption did not exceed 1/2 liter of gasoline or alcohol per horsepower-hour. [1]

Portuguese service

There may have only been one Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage howitzer battery in Portuguese service and it's unlikely that battery was used during World War I. An example of the howitzer can be found at the Museu Militar in Lisbon. [2]

Related Research Articles

A gun carriage is a frame or a mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also used on ships to facilitate the movement and aiming of large cannons and Guns. These are also used in the funeral procession of any higher authority of any state and country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortier de 280 modèle 1914 Schneider</span> Siege howitzer

The Mortier de 280 TR Modèle 1914 Schneider was a French siege howitzer manufactured by the Schneider et Cie company, used during World War I. The howitzer had its origins from a Russian Army policy to upgrade its artillery park after the poor showing of Russian artillery in the 1904-5 Russo-Japanese war. In 1909 an agreement was signed between Schneider and the Russian armaments manufacturer Putilov to jointly develop and produce a number of artillery types. One of these types was a 279.4 mm (11-inch) siege howitzer with a range of 6,000 m (20,000 ft) to replace very old Russian guns of similar calibre. Schneider delivered the first prototype of the siege howitzer to the Russians in 1912 for extensive testing. Although the Russians found the gun was unable to penetrate the heaviest reinforced concrete fortifications its general performance was judged satisfactory which led to an order for 16 howitzers to be delivered in 1915. The French Army expressed interest in the Schneider howitzer as a possible replacement for the Mortier de 370 Mle 1885 De Bange. After some dithering by French authorities 18 howitzers were ordered in 1913. Delivery of the howitzers to Russia and France was delayed by the general mobilisation of 1914 which disrupted industrial production. During the war 126 howitzers were delivered to the French Army and 26 to Russia as the 280 mm Schneider Mortar Model 1914/15 before the 1917 revolutions. In addition another 25 barrels were installed post-WW1 on the Saint-Chamond heavy self-propelled gun chassis as the Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 520 modèle 1916</span> Railroad howitzer

The Obusier de 520 modèle 1916 was a French railway howitzer that was built during World War I, but did not see service before the war ended. One weapon was destroyed in firing trials and the other was captured by the Germans after France surrendered in 1940 and used by them in the siege of Leningrad. Both weapons were destroyed by premature detonations of shells in their barrels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rimailho Model 1904TR</span> Howitzer

The 155 mm Rimailho Howitzer Model 1904TR was a medium howitzer used by France before and during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond</span> Self-propelled siege howitzer

The Mortier 280 mm TR de Schneider sur affût-chenilles St Chamond was a French self-propelled siege howitzer designed during the First World War and used during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 120 mm mle 15TR</span> Field howitzer

The Obusier de 120 mm modèle 1915 Tir Rapide or quick loading 120 mm Howitzer Model 1915 was a French howitzer designed and built by the Schneider company and used by a number of nations during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 370 modèle 1915</span> Railway gun

The Obusier de 370 modèle 1915 à berceau was a French Railroad Gun that saw action during the First World War and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 400 Modèle 1915/1916</span> Railway gun

The Obusier de 400 Modèle 1915/1916 were French railway howitzers that saw action during the First World War and World War II. The mle 1915/1916 was the largest caliber railway howitzers in service with the French Army during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon de 120 mm modèle 1878</span> Siege gun

The Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 was a French piece of siege and field artillery which was widely used during the First World War and despite its obsolescence, it was still in use by some nations during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890</span> Howitzer

The Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890 - was a French howitzer designed by Captain Louis Henry Auguste Baquet and employed by the French army during the First World War. It was one of the first modern howitzers equipped with a recoil system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881</span> Howitzer

The Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 - was a French howitzer designed by Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange and employed by the French army during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16</span> Heavy mortar

The Mortaio da 260/9 Modello 16 - was an Italian Heavy mortar and Siege Gun designed by the French Schneider Company and produced under license in Italy by Ansaldo and Vickers-Terni for the Italian Army. It was used by the Italian Army during both the First World War and Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement</span> Railway gun

The Canon de 370 modèle 75/79 Glissement was a French Railway gun designed during World War I but produced too late to see action during the war. The six guns built were held in reserve between the wars and were not mobilized by France during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 200 "Pérou" sur affût-truck TAZ Schneider</span> Railway gun

The Obusier de 200 "Pérou" sur affût-truck TAZ Schneider was a French railway gun built before and served throughout the First World War. It was one of the first French railway guns mounted on a standard gauge rail car during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obusier de 120 mm C mle 1897 Schneider-Canet</span> Field howitzer

The Obusier de 120 mm C mle 1897 Schneider-Canet was a howitzer built by the French arms company Schneider-Creusot and used by Serbia during the Balkan Wars and World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">120 mm Armata wz. 78/09/31</span> Field gun

The 120 mm Armata wz. 78/09/31 and 120 mm Armata wz. 78/10/31 were field guns produced in Poland and used by Poland during World War II and Finland during the Continuation War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 gun carriage</span> Railway gun

The Peigné-Canet-Schneider mle 1897 gun carriage was a railway gun carriage designed and built during the late 1800s. Two types of guns were mounted on these carriages and both the French Army and US Army used them during World War I. They were retired soon after World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortaio da 210/9 modello 1914</span> Heavy Mortar

The Mortaio da 210/9 modello 1914 was an Italian Heavy Mortar designed by the French Schneider Company and produced under license in Italy by Ansaldo for the Italian Army and used during the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21 cm Haubitze M1891</span> Howitzer

The 21 cm Haubitze M1891 or (21 cm Howitzer Model 1891) in English was a fortress gun built by Krupp that armed the forts of several European countries before World War I. Two countries that bought the M1891 were Belgium and Romania. In Belgian service it was designated Obusier de 21c.A. and in Romanian service it was designated Obuzierul Krupp, calibrul 210 mm, model 1891.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Revue d'artillerie : paraissant le 15 de chaque mois, Trente-Deuxieme Annee, Avril-Septembre 1904, Tome 64". Gallica. 1904-04-15. pp. 324–381. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  2. 1 2 "Obuz. 15 cm T.R. Schneider-Canet-du-Bocage". www.passioncompassion1418.com. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  3. 1 2 Hogg, Ian (2004). Allied artillery of World War One. Ramsbury: Crowood. pp. 129–134 & 218. ISBN   1861267126. OCLC   56655115.
  4. "Obusier court de 120 mm Schneider Canet". www.passioncompassion1418.com. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2021-02-07.