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Also, the rate of loss exceeded all calculations. (In the first 16 months 2.750 guns were lost, out of a total of 4.800!) This forced the French Army to use older or even obsolete guns, in a desperate effort to fill the gap, and to provide the troops with much needed heavy Fire Support. That is the reason why the 120mm Cannon Model 1878 was pressed into service, despite it's obvious age, shown primarily by it's rigid mount. The 120 L was initially organized in batteries that were used as Heavy Artillery Assets at the Army level. The gun was either pulled by horses - it required six of them, with the ammunition caisson transported by another six - or by a truck - in which case the caisson was pulled together with the gun. My model of the 120mm Cannon mle 1878-1916 Long comes from a fine kit made by Fine Scale Factory. The shape and outline is good, but there are a lot of small details missing, including elevating wheels, hooks on the trail and the small platform used for laying the gun. All these have been added. I have also added "Wooden Feet", or as they were called in the French Army "Ceinture de Roues", which in fact was a sort of primitive Caterpillar Feet. Also, the Breech has completely rebuilt, in an effort to capture the peculiar layout of the Debange breech. Click on the thumbnails below to see more photos of this model:
For more info on the real thing, click here! |
At the outset of the Great War, the French Army had put an enormous amount of faith in their famous "75", that they said could do anything and everything. And it was indeed a formidable weapon, but it soon became apparent that even this Gun could not perform all the tasks needed, especially when the war turned static and fixated around entrenchments rather than maneuver. Heavier guns were needed.
