The
Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider, often abbreviated as the
C17S, was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
howitzerA howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
designed by Schneider et Cie. It was essentially the
Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Schneider fitted with a different breech to use bagged propellant rather than the cartridge cases used by the older howitzer. It was used by France,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
Tsarist RussiaThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1917 during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
and was widely exported after the war.
The
Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider, often abbreviated as the
C17S, was a
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
howitzerA howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
designed by Schneider et Cie. It was essentially the
Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Schneider fitted with a different breech to use bagged propellant rather than the cartridge cases used by the older howitzer. It was used by France,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
Tsarist RussiaThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
and the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1917 during
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
and was widely exported after the war. Surviving weapons were in service with France,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Greece, Italy, Belgium, the United States and
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Captured weapons were used by the Germans for their 2nd-line artillery and coast defense units.
Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 Schneider
The
Canon de 155 C modèle 1915 was based on Schneider's
howitzerThe 152 mm howitzer Model 1910 Schneider or, more properly, 6 dm polevaja gaubitsa sistemy Schneidera as it was designated in Tsarist times, was a French howitzer designed by Schneider et Cie. It was used by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union during World War I, the Russo-Polish War and the...
that had been sold to the
Tsarist RussiaThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia, and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1910. Schneider had modified that howitzer's carriage for use with their long-range
Canon de 105 L modèle 1913 TR Schneider gun so it was relatively simple to mount a new, longer barrel on the carriage and recoil system of the gun. Production began in 1915.
The
Mle 1915 was a conventional design with a hydro-pneumatic recoil system mounted under the barrel, a gun shield to protect the crew and a box carriage with wooden wheels. It used an interrupted-screw
breechBreech may refer to:*Breeches, certain types of trousers; this term is older than the derived meaning 'buttock' of the word breech*In a breech-loading weapon, the breech refers to the rear portion of the barrel which opens for ammunition loading, as well as the system used to load the...
with separate-loading ammunition; the shell being loaded first followed by the proper amount of propellant in a brass cartridge case. A loading tray was hinged to the left side of the cradle. It was swung into position after the breech had opened to hold the shell before it was pushed into the chamber, which had a catch to hold the shell in place until it could be rammed, but had to be moved out of the way before the breech could be closed for firing. It could be towed by a team of eight horses if a two-wheeled
limberLimber may refer to:*Limbers and caissons , a 2-way cart used to support artilery*Limber Pine, a species of pine tree found in the Western United States and Canada*Limber Perez, a Honduran football player...
was placed under the trail and the barrel pulled back along the trail to move the center of gravity towards the limber. For (slow) motor-traction no limber was necessary and the trail was hooked directly to the tractor.
The longer barrel and higher muzzle velocity gave the
Mle 1915 an extra of range at the high cost of over of extra weight over its Russian ancestor.
Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider
The French Army preferred bag charges for its ammunition because the brass cartridge cases used by the
Mle 1915 were expensive to produce, both in money and in the amount of brass required. This became a real problem during the war given the vast number of shells expended and Schneider was asked to redesign the gun to use a deBange obdurator and allow it to use bagged powder. Schneider agreed and adapted the breech of the
Canon de 155mm GPFThe Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux mle.1917 was a 155 mm cannon used by the French Army during the first half of the 20th century.It was also manufactured in USA from 1917, after the US switched to metric artillery based on French patterns...
to fit the barrel of the
Mle 1915, but this took quite a bit of time due to the press of existing work and the new
Mle 1917 howitzer didn't enter service until late 1916. The main difference between the
Mle 1915 and
1917 was in the breech. Many guns had their loading trays removed because it slowed down the rate of fire; a portable shell tray was used instead by the loaders.
Some three thousand were built. Additionally, many of the
Mle 1915s were refitted with the new breech.
France
During World War I it became the standard heavy howitzer of the French Army during the later stages of the war. 2043 were still in service with France in 1939. The Germans designated guns that fell into their hands as the
15.5 cm sFH 414(f).
United States
The United States adopted the
Mle 1917 as the 155 mm Howitzer Carriage, Model of 1917 (Schneider). The Model 1918 built in the US differed somewhat from French models, with a straight rather than curved shield, rubber rather than steel tyres on wheels, a pivoting spade and a slightly different firing mechanism. US units were in action in France in 1918 with French-built guns. The first US regiment equipped with US-made guns was about to embark for France when World War I ended.
Both the M1917 and M1918 howitzers were upgraded with air brakes, new metal wheels and pneumatic tires during the interwar period and remained the standard American heavy howitzers until superseded by the M1 howitzer beginning in late 1942. They saw combat with both U.S. Army and Marine artillery units throughout World War II.
Imperial Russia
Some were sold to Russia during the war, but nothing is known of numbers or their use. Apparently the Soviets rebarreled surviving howitzers to use their standard 152 mm cased ammunition, but none seem to be on hand on 22 June 1941 at the start of Operation Barbarossa although the Germans captured some and gave them the designation of
15.5 cm sFH 449(r).
Finland
Schneider sold four
C15S and eight
C17S howitzers to Finland during the Twenties, known in Finland as the
152 H/15 and
152 H/17. These were rebarreled in Finland's standard 152 mm although they retained their original breeches, which meant that the
H/15 used Russian-style cartridge cases and the
H/17 used bagged powder. The
H/15 had steel-rimmed wooden wheels that were suitable only for horse-traction, but these were later replaced by wheels with sponge rubber tires more suitable for motor traction. They were used for training during peacetime. During the
Winter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939, three months after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
the
H/15s served with the
3rd Separate Heavy Artillery Battery while the
H/17s were assigned to
Heavy Artillery Battalion 3. During the Continuation War they saw combat with
Heavy Artillery Battalions 24 and
25 as well as
Field Artillery Regiment 3. They were retired after the end of World War II.
Germany sold a total of 166 captured howitzers to Finland, the first batch of 15 arriving in October 1940 and 147 arriving over the course of 1941. The last four arrived in 1944. They were heavily used during the Continuation War, serving with five heavy artillery battalions and eight field artillery battalions. Only 14 were lost to the Soviets in 1944. The remaining howitzers were used for live-fire training and warehoused for future use. New twin pneumatic wheels were fitted during the 1960s, and the guns were retained through the 1980s for live-fire training.
Poland
Poland acquired some
C17S from France after the end of World War I and bought a license as well. They designated it as the
Haubica 155mm wz. 1917 Schneider. Some 341 were in service in September 1939 when the
Germans invadedThe Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II...
. Of these 234 equipped the heavy artillery battalions of the Polish infantry divisions. Captured Polish howitzers were taken into German service as the
15.5 cm sFH 17(p).
Belgium
Belgium received some howitzers from France during World War I, but quantities are unknown. Weapons captured after Belgium's surrender in 1940 received the designation of
15.5 cm sFH 413(b) by the Germans.
Greece
Greece had a total of 96 howitzers when the Greco-Italian War began in October 1940. They were assigned to the corps-level heavy artillery battalions. Italy seized them after Greece surrendered in May 1941.
Yugoslavia
Thirty-six
C17S's were in Yugoslav service by the 1920s although it is unclear whether these were weapons furnished to Serbia during World War I or bought by Yugoslavia during the 1920s.
Italy
Italy captured 8 during the
Battle of FranceIn World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed from 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations...
and 96 from Greece during the Balkan Campaign and placed them into servie as the
Obice da 155/14 PB. Howitzer seized by Germany after Italy's surrender in 1943 were placed into service as the
15.5 cm sFH 414(i).
Germany
Exactly how many howitzers were captured by Germany in the early years of World War II is not known, but Germany sold a number to Finland, reinforced the
Atlantic WallThe Atlantikwall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich in 1942 until 1944 during World War II along the western coast of Europe to defend against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer...
with 100 and equipped second-line infantry and static divisions based in France such as the 331st, 709th, 711th, and the 716th.
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