The Lahitolle 95 mm cannon (Mle 1875) was a French

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

of the 19th century, developed in 1875 by the artillery commander de Lahitolle. The Lahitolle 90 mm was the first French field cannon made of steel, and one of the first to be equipped with a screw breech (issued 16 years after the British and Prussians adopted a similar system). It was adopted by the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

in 1875 and later superseded the Reffye and de Bange 90 mm cannons. An improved version, the Lahitolle 95 mm (Mle 1888), was developed in 1888.

Coastal Artillery

A version called the ''Canon de 95 sur affut de Cote mle 1904'' was mounted on a Vavasseur mount with a gun shield for use in coastal defenses. The gun sat on a cradle that held the trunnioned barrel on top of a pedestal. When the gun fired a combination of inclined rails, and hydraulic buffers returned the gun to position.

Fortress Artillery

In addition to its coastal defense role, Lahitolle 95 mm cannons were employed on pedestal mounts in France's

Séré de Rivières system The system was named after Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, its originator. The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fortresses were obsolescent by 1914 but were used during ...

of fortifications. Approximately 475 cannons were used in coastal and land fortifications.

Railway Artillery

Early in World War One, 16 coastal defense cannons were mounted on armored rail cars for use with France's armored trains. They are believed to have been retired by 1916.

World War I

The Lahitolle 95 mm was still in use during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, together with the

de Bange 90 mm cannon The de Bange 90 mm cannon (Mle 1877) was a type of field artillery piece developed in France by Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange in 1877, and adopted by the French Army that same year. It superseded the earlier Reffye cannon (1870/73) and the L ...

, as French industry could not keep with production requirements for the much newer Canon de 75.

World War II

The Lahitolle 95 mm was still in use in the fortifications of the Maginot line during World War II.The Maginot Line
/ref> Mle 1904 guns captured by the Germans were given the designation ''9.5cm Küstenkanone (f)'' and used in Germany's Atlantic Wall fortifications.

Gallery

File:Matériel de l'artillerie-p30-canon de 95.jpg, A rear view. File:Matériel de l'artillerie-p31-culasse du canon de 95.jpg, Lahitolle breech. File:Lahitolle canon 95mm 1875-1879 before 1923.jpg, Diagrams of the Lahitolle 95 mm cannon. File:PdG 11 pièce de 95.jpg, A Lahitolle 95 mm cannon during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. File:Canon de 95 sur affut de cote mle 1893.jpg, Canon de 95 sur affut de cote mle 1904. On a Vavasseur mounting. File:Plougonvelin - mémorial des marins morts pour la France 02.jpg, A mle 1904 at a sailors memorial at Plougonvelin (Finistère, France). File:Semaphore haouariya.jpg, A mle 1904 at Jebel

El Haouaria El Haouaria is a coastal town and commune in the Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,273. See also *List of cities in Tunisia This is the list of 350 cities and towns in Tunisia. In the list by governorate, ...

Tunisia. File:Lahitolle guns 95-1.jpg, An armored train with mle 1904 guns. File:Lahitolle guns 95-2.jpg, An armored train with mle 1904 guns. File:Trains blindés - Fonds Berthelé - 49Fi1871-11.jpg, An armored train with mle 1904 guns.

References

External links

1888 model
at the

Draguignan Draguignan (; oc, Draguinhan) is a commune in the Var department in the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (formerly Provence), southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department and self-proclaimed "capital of ...

museum with the wheel brakes deployed Artillery of France World War I guns 95 mm artillery {{artillery-stub