Canon de 155mm GPF
Encyclopedia
The Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux (GPF) mle.1917 was a 155 mm cannon used by the French Army
during the first half of the 20th century.
The gun was designed during World War I by Colonel L.J.F. Filloux to meet France's urgent need for modern heavy artillery, and became the standard heavy field gun of the French Army from 1917 until World War II.
It was also manufactured in USA from 1917, after the US switched to metric artillery based on French patterns. It was used by the United States Army
and United States Marine Corps
as their primary heavy artillery
gun under the designation 155 mm Gun M1917 or M1918 until 1942, when it was gradually replaced by the 155 mm M1A1 'Long Tom'
. Associated US Army forces in the Far East (USAFFE) such as the 301st FA Regiment (Philippine Army
) and the 86th FA Regiment (Philippine Scouts
) also used this artillery piece in 1942. The gun was also mounted on a self-propelled mount as the M12 Gun Motor Carriage
and saw action in 1944-45. These guns are famous as the type, captured from the French Army by the German Army, then taken out by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder
's 2nd Ranger battalion of the U. S. Army near Pointe du Hoc
.
During World War II US guns were taken out of storage and utilised for coast defence of US and allied territories, such as Australia, typically on "Panama" mountings - the gun swivelling on a central concrete pillar with the split trails spread out on rails around the pillar.
In 1940 France fielded 450 guns many of them used by the Germans for the rest of the war. In German service it was known as the 15.5 cm K 418(f) where it served with heavy artillery battalions and on coastal defense duties.
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
during the first half of the 20th century.
History
It was also manufactured in USA from 1917, after the US switched to metric artillery based on French patterns. It was used by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
as their primary heavy artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
gun under the designation 155 mm Gun M1917 or M1918 until 1942, when it was gradually replaced by the 155 mm M1A1 'Long Tom'
155 mm Long Tom
The 155 mm Gun M1 and M2 , widely known as Long Tom, were 155 millimeter calibre field guns used by the United States armed forces during World War II and Korean War. The Long Tom replaced the Canon de 155 mm GPF in United States service.-Development:Before entering World War I, the United...
. Associated US Army forces in the Far East (USAFFE) such as the 301st FA Regiment (Philippine Army
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Tagalog is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. On July 23, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Maj. Gen...
) and the 86th FA Regiment (Philippine Scouts
Philippine Scouts
The Philippine Scouts was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until the end of World War II. Made up of native Filipinos assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, these troops were generally enlisted and under the command of American officers, however, a...
) also used this artillery piece in 1942. The gun was also mounted on a self-propelled mount as the M12 Gun Motor Carriage
M12 Gun Motor Carriage
The 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M12 was a U.S. self-propelled gun developed during the Second World War. Only 100 were built; 60 in 1942 and a further 40 in 1943. It mounted a 155 mm gun M1917, M1917A1 or M1918 M1, depending upon availability, a weapon derived from the nearly identical...
and saw action in 1944-45. These guns are famous as the type, captured from the French Army by the German Army, then taken out by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...
's 2nd Ranger battalion of the U. S. Army near Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy in northern France. It lies 4 miles west of Omaha Beach, and stands on 100 ft tall cliffs overlooking the sea...
.
During World War II US guns were taken out of storage and utilised for coast defence of US and allied territories, such as Australia, typically on "Panama" mountings - the gun swivelling on a central concrete pillar with the split trails spread out on rails around the pillar.
In 1940 France fielded 450 guns many of them used by the Germans for the rest of the war. In German service it was known as the 15.5 cm K 418(f) where it served with heavy artillery battalions and on coastal defense duties.
See also
- BL 6 inch Gun Mk XIX British equivalent
- 15 cm Kanone 1615 cm Kanone 16The 15 cm Kanone 16 was a heavy field gun used by Germany in World War I and World War II. Guns turned over to Belgium as reparations after World War I were taken into Wehrmacht service after the conquest of the Belgium as the 15 cm K 429...
German equivalent - List of field guns
Sources
- D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A People's History Dan van der Vat, John S. D. Eisenhower, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, ISBN 1582343144
- http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/alby_155mm_gpf_kitreview.htm- Same site as below.
- Gander, Terry and Chamberlain, Peter. Weapons of the Third Reich: An Encyclopedic Survey of All Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the German Land Forces 1939-1945. New York: Doubleday, 1979 ISBN 0-385-15090-3
- 155-Millimeter Gun Materiel, Model of 1918 (Filloux). in "Handbook of artillery : including mobile, anti-aircraft and trench matériel (1920)" United States. Army. Ordnance Dept May 1920. Pages 229-245. provided online by University of California and www.archive.org
External links
- http://www.landships.freeservers.com/new_pages/alby_155mm_gpf_kitreview.htm - This site has excellent photographs.
- Frederick Morse Cutler, The 55th artillery (C.A.C.) in the American expeditionary forces, France, 1918 (1920)
- List and pictures of WW1 surviving 155 mm GPF guns