Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-17
IMMATURE ALMANAC.
81 SHOTS PER MINUTE
RECORD OF FRENCH ISIS
New I51-Millimetcr Gun Has Been
Fired Mt Rate of Once Every
Two Seconds.

PARIS. June 1.-two worthy "nic
brothers" for the wonderful French
seiNante .Quinze" 1seventy-ive- mill.
meters. or three-irch caliber) field gun
have beer produced by Colonel reuil
lot. OF the ordnance department. The
new weapons are, roughly, siX-inch and
= IL inches ir bore. They are The
pieces l mentioned in an article last
January describing the preparations oil
the French army for war of move
ment.
For that is the principal feature of
the new guns: that, despite the fact
that they are twice and thrice the
caliber of the thrce-irch field gIn, re-
spectiVely. they are jus; mobile, can
be moved as quicnly. can get into &C
ton az fast, and can fire almost as
rapidly as the seventy-five- MILNE
ter pieces.
Thirty-four shots in a minute is the
RECORD established by Il certain French
CUR crew working ''seixante- Quinze''
at Ncrdun in March, 1876. Several
other pieces have been served at the
rate OF thirty-threc shots a minute
That means that at rarge of 1000
yards there were three sheNs in the
air ut one time frum the same barrel.
The American forces in France are
using the seventy -five-mill!meter guns,
and one crew has served its piece TWEEN
ty-eight times in one minute. while
putting down a barrage.
Colonel Feuillois new creation of
l55- millimctcr bore has been worked
thirty times in a minute, Il shot every
two seconds. The S l-2-inch gun has
been worked twenty-four times in sixty
seconds.
Unlike any other artillery in the
world the new guns are mounted on
four-whc l!mhers. and the wheels are
cushioned with great solid rubber tires.
Thus. instead of the weight Of the
piece being divided between two wheels
It is quartered. lie s:x-inch piece is
Of the naval type with a long barrel.
During transport the breech is shunted
aside through 4 certain device and The
barrel is slid bac;; alor g the butts so
that its weight IS distributed evenly
over the chassis.
The gun rests on base composed
Of two long steel Sidebeam+ which con-
meet III, the rear wheels with tie Cor
ward pair. When the guns go i2to
action the side beams arc unhitched
from The rear aAle. and are spread
sideways on the ground, affordins n
solid cmolacen:cpt and enabling he
special apparatus attached below the
barrel TO take up the recoff. AS the
,ai!piecc IS thus divided into Il V. it
IS possible to point the gun at Il much
higher angie Of fire, for indirect shoot
ing Al long range or against aircraft
than with the old style, stationary
timber.
The principles followed in the con-
siruct:on OF the Si-2-inch piece arc
practically identical.
In siemminS the German offensive
at the Somn g. these pieces outdid tire
hest ;ha. had been hoped for them.
They are marvelS OF simplicity and
contain few more parts than the three
inch field gun. always regarded as tn"
standard of ..crfcction in artillery.
Motor TRUCKS arc used To hau! these
guns. aid those equipped with ca err
pillar tractors are able 10 haul the
big pieces across plowed fields In
such rough Goirg slcds are placed nc
nc,th all fomr wheels of tic timber.