Probably, there are no such people in our country who at least once have not seen our impressive guns on a tracked transport cart of three calibers at once: 152-mm (Br-2), 203-mm (B-4) and 280-mm (Br- 5) - a cannon, a howitzer and a mortar. However, the idea of putting a heavy gun on a tracked track was born long before the appearance of these samples, and the French 194-mm St. Chamond SP.
US 7-inch naval track gun Mk.2 1918
Was released "line", which consisted of three major modifications of this machine. Installation with 194 mm, 220 mm and 280 mm guns. The firing range of the 194-mm gun slightly exceeded 20,000 m, the projectile weight was 78 kg, and the transport speed was 8-10 km / h. Interestingly, several of these French guns survived until World War II, fell into the hands of the Germans and were used on the Eastern Front. However, this is not important, but the fact that a sample of a tracked artillery chassis found its application already during the First World War. But these were not the only examples of tracked artillery equipment. Overseas, in the USA, at the same time, a 7-inch naval gun was installed on a caterpillar track in order to increase its cross-country ability.
194 mm French tracked cannon
220 mm howitzer
280 mm mortar
It all began at the very moment when the United States officially entered the war and began to develop plans for the transfer of expeditionary forces to Europe. But it turned out that the marines were not included in the troops sent abroad. It turned out that the American presence in France was to be provided only by the army, which the Marines considered offensive: everyone to the war, and they? They decided to send the marines to Europe, and then she had a very hard time: traveling across the ocean on the cramped and uncomfortable ships of the US Navy, accompanying other troops across the Atlantic Ocean, was not very pleasant.
French 194-mm cannon St. Chamond SP at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in the USA.
After the 5th US Marine Corps arrived in France on June 27, 1917, new disappointment overtook its soldiers. Instead of entering the front lines, the Marines served as guards, military police, couriers, and garrison troops. And it was they, "the first to fight," as they expected. It was a sensitive blow to their naval pride, but it made sense militarily, since it allowed the US Army to keep the entire 1st Infantry Division as one, without spraying it over the smallest detail.
Despite this unfortunate start, the Marines were not discouraged. In the end, they were still in the war, and one could hope that sooner or later, they will go into battle all the same! However, in addition to the number of marines, the question arose about the artillery supporting it. For a long time, the Marines had their own artillery unit in the form of the first field artillery battalion. But it was only in January 1918 that it was reorganized into the 10th Naval Regiment.
In 1917, US Marine Corps artillery units were equipped with 1902 American 3-inch field guns. These guns were reliable and effective, but the trouble was that their ammunition did not meet the French standard of 75 mm caliber. That is why they did not take their 3-inch guns to France. But … in this way, the US Marines found themselves in the theater of operations without artillery.
US 7-inch naval tracked gun Mk.2 1918. Photo of those years.
American industry in 1917 was not yet able to produce artillery ammunition in any quantity. This meant that the US Army in Europe had to adopt the French 75mm and 155mm cannons, and use them until American industrial power was able to supply them with American ammunition.
Modern look.
Meanwhile, the US Navy was already planning to convert its 14-inch naval guns into railway installations, which the Americans saw in action in France. And it was here that the Marines noticed a large stock of 7-inch guns (195-mm) left over from old Connecticut-class battleships. The 7-inch guns had conventional 1/45 caliber barrels mounted on pedestal mounts and fired 74.8 kg shells. Their firing range was just over 15,000 meters. But by changing the carriage device, it became possible to increase the angle of inclination of the barrel, which led to an increase in the range to 22,000 meters, which, of course, could only be welcomed. The guns were found just in time, when they were badly needed.
Side view.
The Marines requested a Marine Artillery Plant in Washington D. C. design a wheeled carriage for 7-inch guns. But it turned out that to wish is one thing, but to do is quite another! It turned out something weighing 32 tons on wheels with a diameter of almost 2 meters. The weight was too heavy to move the gun over rough terrain. Then the naval engineers, who began work on the new installation on March 15, 1918, decided to use a tracked vehicle modeled on the French chassis.
The breech of the trunk.
It is clear that the French had their own tractor chassis, and the Americans had their own, taken from the Holt tractor. Of course, it was impossible to use its one-to-one undercarriage, but the availability of many off-the-shelf parts made the job much easier. Design work was completed on May 15, 1918, and on June 18, 1918, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a contract was signed for the production of 20 tracked carriages with mounted gun carriages. While work was underway to fulfill the order, the 10th regiment was reorganized into two battalions, which included the 1st, 9th, 13th, 85th, 91st and 92nd companies. The unit received one Holt tractor with a capacity of 120 hp, as well as searchlights, vehicles for transporting ammunition and field repair shops.
Finally, the order was completed, the guns were delivered and mounted on their machines, and test firing began. The expected range of just over 21,900 meters has been achieved. The tracked carts demonstrated such high stability that the guns on them did not require re-adjusting the aiming between shots! Well, and about the power of shells of naval guns, designed to defeat large ships, you can not even talk. Observers from the US Army testified that the tests ended successfully, and, by the way, they themselves were under the impression that, on their recommendation, the army now ordered 36 similar installations for its own use, since there were no problems with the gun barrels initially.
But the truce with Germany was signed before the new guns were loaded onto ships and sent to France. A total of eighteen of these guns were fired, and the order for the last two was canceled due to the end of the war. The Army only received 20 of its original order of 36. The Marines eventually received their 75mm French cannons, plus a few 155mm GPF cannons. It seemed that the story of the 7-inch guns ended there. But in reality this was not the case. Some of the guns, still on their chassis, were once again removed from the warehouses and used to arm the US Marine Corps, now at the beginning of World War II. True, they did not participate in battles, but were used as mobile coastal defense installations of various US Navy bases. By 1945, it seemed that not a single 7-inch gun was left until one such installation was found in Dahlgren, Virginia. For several years, she served there as a monument standing at the gates of the Marine Corps Training Center, after which the guns were transported to his current location in Quantico.
The shutter is impressive in size, isn't it?
So even such a rarity, which will be exactly 100 years old next year, can be seen if desired by those who are interested in their military history in the United States.
