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WW1 - French 400 mm railway howitzer and artillery squadron
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WW1 - French 400 mm railway howitzer and artillery squadron
WW1 - Camo de mailly - French 400 mm railway howitzer and artillery squadron. The outbreak of the First World War caught the French with a shortage of heavy field artillery. In compensation, large numbers of large static coastal defence guns and naval guns were moved to the front, but these were typically unsuitable for field use and required some kind of mounting. The railway gun provided the obvious solution. By 1916, both sides were deploying railway guns. Date: circa 1916
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Media ID 11587299
© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection
Artillery Cannon Canon Heavy Howitzer Huge Mailly Mounted Mounting Shelling Squadron Static
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures the French 400 mm railway howitzer and artillery squadron during the First World War, circa 1916. The outbreak of the Great War in 1914 caught the French military unprepared, particularly in terms of heavy field artillery. In response, large numbers of coastal defence guns and naval guns were moved to the front lines. However, these guns were typically unsuitable for field use and required some form of mounting. The railway gun provided the solution to this problem. By 1916, both sides were deploying these powerful weapons, which could be moved quickly and easily along the railways to various locations along the Western Front. The 400 mm railway howitzer, seen here in this photograph, was a formidable weapon. It could fire a shell weighing over 1,000 pounds (450 kg) over a distance of 12 miles (19 km). The squadron of railway guns is shown here in a camp at Mailly-le-Camp, France. The men are seen working around the gun, preparing it for action. The gun is camouflaged with the "camouflage de Mailly," a type of netting designed to blend in with the surrounding trees and foliage. The railway tracks are visible in the background, attesting to the mobility of these powerful weapons. The use of railway guns marked a significant shift in the nature of warfare during the First World War. These weapons allowed for rapid response to enemy movements and could deliver devastating firepower. The photograph serves as a poignant reminder of the technological innovations and adaptations that characterized the conflict, as well as the immense sacrifices made by the soldiers on both sides.
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