The Canon de 75 contre avion modèle 1940 Schneider was a French 75 mm

anti-aircraft gun Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

designed and manufactured by Schneider et Cie at

Le Creusot Le Creusot () is a commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire department, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgic ...

. These guns were used by the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

The origins of the modèle 1940 go back to the

Canon de 75 modèle 1897 The French 75 mm field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. Its official French designation was: Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897. It was commonly known as the French 75, simply the 75 and Soixante-Quinze (Frenc ...

field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artill ...

which was first employed on

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

anti-aircraft mounts during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. Later in the war specialized anti-aircraft mounts were developed. These included: * Canon de 75 mm antiaérien mle 1913 - a self-propelled version, on the back of a

De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Steam cars T ...

truck chassis. * Canon de 75 mm antiaérien mle 1915 - a pit mounted high-angle steel girder framework with 360° traverse. There was also a version with a rotating platform mounted on a concrete pedestal. * Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 1917 - a single-axle towed version with three

outrigger An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts ...

s. This had all fire-control equipment mounted on the carriage and was a Schneider design. During the late 1920s it was realized that the

Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913-1917 Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western c ...

were outmoded as an anti-aircraft weapon and development of a new gun barrel was begun in 1928. The goals of the rearmament program were faster rate of fire, higher muzzle velocity, increased vertical range, modern fire control and greater mobility with new gun carriages. However the priority for armaments at that time was the construction of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the Minister of the Armed Forces (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, F ...

fortifications and work progressed at a slow pace. This slow pace and lack of funds meant all three anti-aircraft versions of the mle 1897 were still in use in large numbers when World War II began in 1939. It is estimated that 913 un-modernized mle 1897 anti-aircraft guns were still in service in 1940.

Modernizations

Some of the first guns to be upgraded were the fixed emplacements around high priority targets such as Paris. These mle 1915s had their barrels replaced with new 53 caliber barrels built by Schneider. Likewise some mle 1913 self-propelled guns and towed mle 1917 guns had their barrels replaced to produce the ''Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 17/34.''

New Models

In addition to the upgraded guns there were also newly built guns and carriages. These guns had a secondary anti-tank role when fitted with a 6X scope, despite a lack of armor-piercing ammunition. It is estimated that 192 new guns were in service in 1940. * Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 30 - similar to the mle 1917 carriage, except for modern fire-control equipment mounted off the gun carriage. * Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 32 - modern four wheeled carriage with two sprung axles that was capable of being towed at speeds of up to 40 km/h (25 mp/h). * Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 33 - two wheeled sprung single axle with cruciform folding outriggers and firing platform. * Canon de 75 mm contre aéronefs mle 36

German Use

Large numbers of 75 mm guns were captured by Germany after the French defeat in 1940. Guns in German service were given the designations: * 7.5 cm FK 97(f) - These were un-modernized mle 1897 guns. Some were sold to Axis satellites, some were converted to 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 anti-tank guns and others were integrated into

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

defenses. * 7.5 cm Flak M.17/34(f) - These were modernized mle 17/34 guns that remained in German service as anti-aircraft guns. * 7.5 cm Flak M.30(f) - These were mle 30 guns that remained in German service as anti-aircraft guns. * 7.5 cm Flak M.32(f) - These were mle 32 guns that remained in German service as anti-aircraft guns. * 7.5 cm Flak M.33(f) - These were mle 33 guns that remained in German service as anti-aircraft guns. * 7.5 cm Flak M.36(f) - These were mle 36 guns that remained in German service as anti-aircraft guns.

Photo Gallery

File:- Flickr - Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden (5).jpg, Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1932. File:Canon de DCA 7.5 de 1938 au fort de Pré-Giroud 18-08-2012.JPG, Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1938 at

fort de Pré-Giroud The Fort de Pré-Giroud, also known as the Fort de Vallorbe, is a 20th-century Swiss fortification located in the Jura Mountains near the Swiss border with France. The fort defended the Col de Jougne at Vallorbe, one of the few points in the Jura ...

. File:DCA 75mm 1938 IMG 5260.JPG, Canon anti-aérien de 75mm modèle 1939, on display at Saint-Maurice Castle.

Notes

External links

* http://www.fortlitroz.ch/index.php?page=d28 {{DEFAULTSORT:Canon Anti-Aerien De 75mm Modele 1939 World War II anti-aircraft guns 75 mm artillery Anti-aircraft guns of France Schneider Electric World War II weapons of France Military equipment introduced in the 1930s