Comments for Another Auld Artillery Soldier

Another Auld Artillery Soldier

2009-04-20T12:33:30Z

Who served longer than either the Auld Soldier or even Bill-of-the-Helobeanie.

The GPF, or Grand Puissance Filloux 155mm gun, M1910, made at the French arsenal of Puteax.

I've a fascinating book in the reference section of the Castle Library called "America's Munitions, 1917-1918." Subtitled, "Report of Benedict Crowell, The Assistant Secretary of War, Director of Munitions." Printed by the Gov't Printing Office in 1919. I was riffling through it this weekend and came across the pictures of the GPF.

Which reminded me about another picture I'd seen (but can't find anywhere) of the GPF mounted in a Panama Mount, as part of the harbor defenses of one of Chile's harbors... in the 1990's. The GPF soldiered on like few weapons of the First World War, among them the M1911 pistol and Mr. Browning's machine guns - all of which still serve around the globe.

During World War I the Puteaux was a standard weapon of the French Army. When the United States entered the war we did not have artillery of this type and we bought 975 from the French.

The United States called the French guns the M1917A1, and when we built it ourselves under license we made some changes to suit our methods and designated it the M1918A1. After WWI they were shifted to the Coast Artillery, serving until 1942 along the US coast, Hawaii, Sitka Island in Alaska, the Philippines, Panama... and Aruba. When we realized that an invasion of the United States was unlikely, we started converting Coast Artillery units into anti-aircraft artillery, and we started surplusing out the GPFs to other countries. An exception to that came when we stuck the guns and mounts on M3 Lee hulls and added M4 Sherman suspensions and created the M12 155mm self-propelled gun which provided good service in the ETO in 1944-45.

The guns that found their way to Chile were the guns in Panama, variously reported at 35-40, which were used to initially guard the ports where coal was loaded for export.

The Chileans used these guns, manned my their Marine Corps, until new Finnish Soltam 155's were received in 1999. Not a bad stretch of service for the old fella, as this picture of Chilean Marines loading one of the old buggers shows.

Comment from Ibm on 2009-04-21

2009-04-21T21:43:57Z

There's a GPF on a Panama Mount at Ft MacArthur in San Pedro CA. In very poor shape though

Comment from JimC on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T21:09:25Z

Man those woodland digits stick out like a sore thumb. Where are the digital snow smocks?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T16:58:54Z

Oh, there may well be a GPF there, too. I just used your comment as an excuse to post the 7incher!

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T16:16:40Z

You know something boss, you're prolly right. Though I don't recall the tracks on the carriage. In my fuzzy memory, that beastie had four iron wheels on its carriage. Then again. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shop.

And from time to time, Northern Virginia can be as cold and snowy as in the great plains. It never sticks though, so if you are going to play miserable in the snow, the Drill Instructors better hurry, for it usually melts in a couple of days.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T16:07:27Z

Heh - while poking about the OCS website I found a picture of some good old fashioned training-while-miserable.

You don't have to practice being miserable - but you've got to practice *while* you're miserable.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T16:04:36Z

Boq - are you thinking about this naval 7-inch rifle on tracks?

Comment from Boquisucio on 2009-04-20

2009-04-20T15:48:56Z

If my memory is not playing tricks on me, I recall seing one parked in an empty corner by the OCS Depot in Quantico. Last time I saw it was in 2006.