Landships II

ivstefano · Captain

French 1886 made for Serbia

Centurion · Legend

Wow Just like the sort of gun Raj Whitehall's armies would have used in the General (a series of very non PC military SF novels but a 'ripping yarn' all the same).

28juni14 · Hero

Your photo depicts the French System de Bange Canon de 90mm M1877. These guns proved to be surplus when replaced by the 75mm M1897, and numbers were "given" away. However, heavy field artillery losses in the fall of 1914 found them pressed back into service with the French Armies.

SASH155 · Major

Correct, except for just one thing, this is the 80mm version, in French the "mat�riel de 80mm mle. 1877 de Bange", which was standard in the Serb Army prior to 1914 (the ordnance of the "mat�riel de 90mm mle. 1877 de Bange" was slightly shorter and heavier and not nearly as slender in appearance as that of the gun in the photos). The French Army used the 80mm field gun as a horse artillery weapon until they were replaced by the 75mm mle. 1897. My research, and what you have said seems to confirm this, suggests that the Serbs may not have had any of the 90mm guns until the middle of the war. The Voina site on Bulgaria and the Balkans also seems to indicate that the Serbs did'nt receive any 90 mm guns until ca. 1916. The 80mm mle. 1877 field gun was reportedly also exported to Uruguay. See my article on the de Bange weapons on Dominique LeMaire's "The Guns of World War Two" site (lemairesoft.be) (in both French and English).

28juni14 · Hero

Interesting observation. However, I've not seen an 80mm piece with gunner seats. It would be a curio; would it not ?

nebojsa djokic · Lieutenant

Serbia bought 270 De Bange field guns 80 mm Mod 85 but it isn't exactly same with frencih De Bange 80 mm M 77. In same time Sebiao bought and 42 mountain guns De Bange 80 mm Mod 85.

-- Edited by nebojsa djokic on Friday 9th of March 2012 06:10:48 PM