Canon de 90 mle 1877 de Bange

Towed, Breech-Loaded Field Gun [ 1877 ]

The de Bange Model of 1877, a 90mm field gun of French design, managed to see combat service in both World Wars despite its age.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/30/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Side view of the de Bange 90mm field gun; Image from the Public Domain.

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The de Bange Model 1877 field gun, as its designation would suggest, arrived in 1877 and served the French Army during World War 1 (1914-1918) and saw action in other hands into World War 2 (1939-1945). The series was used to replace the aging stock of Reffye and Lahitolle cannons which were, themselves, adopted in the early-to-mid -1870s. Industry and projectile advancements during this time moved at such a pace that quick replacements of recently received weapons could prove commonplace - particularly as Europe could not seemingly stay out of its various wars.

The 90mm weapon from designer Charles Ragon de Bange was conventionally arranged for it time - it sat the tapered gun tube on a mounting system atop a two-wheeled, heavily-spoked carried featuring a fixed trailing arm. The gun tube was loaded from the breech which was a major advantage over the older muzzle-loading type weapons. As was common to many field guns of the period, the de Bange gun lacked any sort of recoil mechanism which meant that the gunnery crew would be required to "retrain" the weapon after each successive firing - the French ultimately addressed this issue with adoption of the excellent 75mm Canon de 75 Modele 1897 in 1897 - which featured a viable recoil system and made it the first modern artillery piece anywhere in the world.

The de Bange breech design allowed for a proper seal around the firing chamber prior to firing. A hinged "cap" was used to cover the breech when closed, aided by a rotating, screw-type design to apply the needed seal. Multiple crewmen were still required for proper function of the weapon - though they no longer had to address the muzzle-end as in previous field gun designs.©MilitaryFactory.com

Despite its obsolescence by the time of World War 1 in July of 1914, any gun was required in the French war effort so available stocks of de Bange 90mm weapons were still pressed into service until better alternatives could be had (indeed there was an ammunition shortage which only worsened the French situation). Lacking anything better, the British Army also equipped with the French gun for a time in The Great War. Such was the reach of this weapon that it remained in circulation heading into the World War 2 years where some 100 were given to Finland by France to help stave off defeat at the hands of the invading Soviet Union. Barely of a quarter of these guns made it to Finnish hands though the Finns managed their use into mid-1944 before the story of this weapon was finally completed.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

State Arsenals - France
Manufacturer(s)

France; Finland; United Kingdom
Operators

1877
Service Year

France
National Origin

8
Crew

1,000
Units

FIRE SUPPORT / ASSAULT / BREACHING
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.

None. This is a towed artillery piece.
Drive System

1 x 90mm Gun Tube.

AMMUNITION
Dependent upon ammunition carriers.

Canon de 90 mle (Modele 1877) - Base Series Designation.

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Image of the Canon de 90 mle 1877 de Bange

Side view of the de Bange 90mm field gun; Image from the Public Domain.

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