75mm French Field Gun Mle 1897 1/35

The 75mm French Field Gun entered service in the French Army in 1898. It is often referred to as the first modern artillery piece. It was designed as an anti-personel weapon, meant to fire large volumes of shrapnel shells at the advancing enemy. During World War I it was used in many various roles: high-explosive ammo, anti-aircraft and even the delivery of toxic gas shells. 75mm Guns were also used on the French Saint-Chamond tank, built in 1918. During WWI these guns were also used by the British and American troops. The American designation of the gun was 75mm Gun M1897, its production in the USA started in spring 1918.

75mm French Guns were also widely used during World War II. The French Army still employed a large number of them (4500) and it was the most used artillery piece in the Polish Army in September 1939 (over 1350). After the fall of Poland in 1939 and France in 1940, a great number of these guns were captured by Germans and modified with an added muzzle break and mounted on Pak 38 carriage. They were used on Eastern Front, as coastal defences or given to Germany’s allies like Romania and Hungary.