Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement

Railway Gun

France | 1917

"The French Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement was a World War 1 veteran that saw service in World War 2, ending its days under German control."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/18/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

By the time of World War 1 (1914-1918), artillery retained its status as king of the battlefield and this became evermore important once the war bogged down into massive networks of trenches running across the European countryside. This prompted warplanners to feature artillery in ever-greater numbers in ever-greater sizes to help dislodge stubborn enemy forces from their well-defended positions. Since air support had not matured to useful levels and large-caliber weaponry was mainly restricted to warships of the time, considerable thought was eventually given to creating massive land-based guns utilizing the mature railway network of Europe.

As such, railway guns gained in popularity during this time with the French leading the way (the British, Germans, and Americans would follow suit with their own designs before war's end). One of the French contributions of the period became the "Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement", a development that appeared during the fighting of World War 1 (1914-1918) and managed an existent even into World War 2 (1939-1945) where it eventually fought under the German flag before their last days were had.

The guns were manufactured by the storied Schneider concern, which was a proponent of such large-caliber weapons even before the arrival of The Great War in July of 1914. As many as sixteen were ultimately built during the production run taking place during and after World War 1.

At their core, the weapons were 155 ton monsters, showcasing an overall length of 85 feet with the barrel measuring 40 feet long. The original caliber was 274mm (10.8" / 27.4cm) but this would later be adjusted as the barrel assemblies wore down. The projectile in play weighed between 475lb and 565lb, relying on a separate 149lb loading bagged charge. Three different projectile types were used: an Armor-Piercing Capped (APC) version and a Semi-Armor Piercing Capped (SAPC), both weighing 562lb, and the Common Incendiary (CI) model tipping the scales at 476lb.

The breech mechanism was of interrupted screw design and the integrated recoil device was designed around the sliding principle. The carriage featured twin five-axle rail bogies, the bogies divided across two swiveling sections featured fore and aft of the gun carriage section proper - the carriage residing amidships. The mounting hardware offered an elevation span of +5 to +40 degrees though, since no traversal was offered by the mount, sections of curved track were needed (these pre-laid by the multi-person crew) for more precise aiming. A trained crew could fire off one round every four minutes out to a range of 16.4 miles (26.4 km) at a muzzle velocity of 2,600 feet-per-second. Effective range was closer to 15 miles at the full 40-degree elevation reach.

The French Army received four of the new guns in time for the fighting of 1917 and these saw extensive service though three were lost in the process. The barrels degraded to the point that they were rebored to revised calibers, 285mm and 288mm, and, as a result, all-new projectiles were manufactured and issued to take advantage of the change. The war ended in November of 1918 with the Armistice.

In the post-war period, additional guns were completed by Schneider and these were stored by the French Army as insurance against any future potential conflict with its neighbors. The guns were given the revised designation of "Canon de 274 modele 1917 a Glissement".

With the arrival of a new World War in Europe, the French Army reactivated its existing stock of Canon de 274 modele 1917 railway guns for the defense of France, once again to defend itself from its belligerent neighbor. However, these had a minimal affect on the quick German advance and six of the weapons ended their days in German hands under the revised designations of "27.4cm K(E) 591(f)", "27.4cm K(E) 592(f)", and "28.5cm K(E) 605(f)" - the lowercase "f" signifying their French roots.

One of the guns, E.692, was stationed at Sudwall as a coastal defense system by 1944 to protect the Rhine River estuary. After the Allied amphibious operation on August 15th, 1944 through "Operation Dragoon", the gun was ordered to retreat through the Rhone Valley. Their advance was eventually hampered by Allied air attacks which sought to destroy Axis-controlled bridges. Another example was captured by U.S. troops near Rentwertshausen on April 10th, 1945.

The value of the railway gun was always in question considering the investment-versus-return. Often times, the railway network proved restrictive and the slow rate-of-fire of the weapon hampered their tactical and strategic value even more. In addition to this, accuracy was never a strong suit of such designs - it was only when the massive shells hit that the true value of the weapon system was known as the target / target area was typically obliterated. Before the end of World War 2, the Germans had shifted their strategy to the V-2 ballistic missile which, despite suffering its own accuracy issues, went on to terrorize Londoners for some time. The Army continued their focus on production of conventional tanks which were more mobile and could be produced in quantity for more precise battlefield results.

The age of the railway gun was more or less over.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one land system design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Canon de 274 M1887/93 Glissement Railway Gun.

None. System driven by conventional steam train locomotive.
Installed Power

16 miles
26 km
Range

Structure
The physical qualities of the Canon de 274 M1887/93 Glissement Railway Gun.

40
(MANNED)
Crew

85.3 ft
26 meters
O/A Length

310,003 lb
140,615 kg | 155.0 tons
Weight

Armament & Ammunition
Available supported armament, ammunition, and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement Railway Gun.

1 x 274mm (10.8" / 27.4cm) main gun tube (some barrels rebored after extensive use to 285mm and 288mm and used all-new projectiles).

AMMUNITION:
Dependent upon ammunition carrier(s). Supported projectile types included Armor-Piercing Capped, Semi-Armor-Piercing Capped, and Common Incendiary.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement family line.

Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement - Base Series Designation; some rebored to 285mm and 288mm after considerable barrel fatigue.

Canon de 274 model 1917 - Revised designation post-World War 1.

27.4cm K(E) 591(f) - German Army designation of captured French system; 274mm caliber.

27.4cm K(E) 592(f) - German Army designation of captured French system; 274mm caliber.

28.5cm K(E) 605(f) - German Army designation of captured French system; 285mm caliber.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national land systems listing.

Total Production: 16 Units
Contractor(s): Schneider - France

[ France; Germany (captured, WW2) ]

1 / 1

Image of the Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement

Image from the Public Domain.

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement Railway Gun.

Canon de 274 M93/96

Going Further...
The Canon de 274 modele 87/93 Glissement Railway Gun appears in the following collections:

HOME

ARMOR INDEX

ARMOR BY COUNTRY

VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS

WWI VEHICLES & ARTILLERY

WWII VEHICLES & ARTILLERY

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)