Prior
to the First World War, most artillery was still horse drawn, except for some
heavy guns which were hauled by traction engines. It was a French artillery
officer, Lt. Col. DePort, who was responsible for the first practical four wheel
drive motor tractor for guns. In 1910, DePort first approached the firm of
Panhard et Levassor with the idea for such a vehicle. DePort himself worked for
the ordinance firm of Chatillon Commentary, having retired from the Army in
1894. At the time of the annual French Military Trials at Satory, in 1911,
DePort showed his prototype for a Chatillon-Panhard, four wheel drive gun
tractor to the official motor vehicle testing commission.
It
drove over the Satory cross country testing course with ease, taking slopes and
small obstacles in it’s stride. At the end of March 1912, the artillery testing
commission asked DePort to give them a similar demonstration at Vincennes, this
time towing guns. The trials took place in July 1912, and the tractor was put
through it’s paces towing 155mm field gun and limber and also towing a big 220mm
siege mortar plus it’s baseplate, cradle and limber. The tractor also carried a
14 man crew; in the case of the 220mm mortar the total drawbar weight was over
12 tons.
Over open
rough ground the performance of the vehicle was excellent and it was decided to
enter it in the 1913 Spring maneuvers where it would be tested with two other
gun tractors, to which the Army was also testing.
One of these
was two wheel drive vehicle and the other was a four wheel drive Latil. These
vehicles were thoroughly tested in the trials with one non stop 100 km. Run
unloaded and a non stop 60 km. Run towing guns plus numerous cross country and
inter city runs with and without guns.
The
transmission of the Chatillon-Panhard is so arranged as to involve no universal
joints and only one differential gear. This is mounted on a transverse
countershaft, and the power is taken to the wheels through beveled gears at the
ends of the countershaft, and four diagonal shafts driving in their turn
auxiliary shafts upon which are bevels engaging with similar bevels on the
wheels.
At
the end of the period 8-30 March, the tractors were stripped and examined. All
three vehicles proved satisfactory, but it was the Chatillon-Panhard which had
put up the best performance and hauled the heaviest loads. The artillery
commission were most enthusiastic. The French artillery had tried using a lorry
to haul guns as early as 1907, but since only two-wheel drive vehicles had been
available, movement was restricted to roads.
Now
here was a motor tractor which could pull heavy artillery over rough country.
Fifty Chatillon-Panhards were ordered at once- and delivered the following
August-and a provisional order was given for another 50. However, it was
decided to hold further trials before confirming the second order. This time
six different vehicles were tried. The previous years trials had been held in
fine dry weather and it was felt that tests in really bad conditions were
necessary to give a true idea of any vehicle’s capabilities.
In
March 1914, the trials took place just as the thaw was setting in and heavy rain
had turned the exercise ground into a quagmire. This time non of the tractors
performed particularly well, usually because the guns they were towing got
bogged down and brought progress to a halt. The wisdom of ordering so many
tractors before all the problems of cross-country movement were overcome was
therefore open to question and the second order for Chatillon-Panhards was
cancelled.
It was
decided that more “user” experience was necessary, and the first 50 vehicles
were allocated to the 4th Heavy Artillery Regiment for extended
service. This unit was equipped with 120-mm guns and was the first artillery in
the French Army to be fully mechanized. As such the regiment took pride of
place in the Bastille Day parade in Paris on 14 July 1914. When War was
declared on 4 August, these 50 Chatillon-Panhards were the largest single group
of vehicles in the French service.
The French
Army at that time had only 220 motor vehicles altogether, including 91 assorted
lorries, 31 assorted ambulances, and the balance made up of 2 “auto cannons” and
a motley collection of staff cars and light service vehicles. The
Chatillon-Panhard tractors were swiftly at war and gave good service. The
Chatillon-Panhard had a 40-hp motor (at least 1000 rpm) and a top speed of 17 km
per hour. Unloaded it could tow up to 15 tons but then its speed fell to 8 km
per hour. The turning circle had radius of approximately only 16ft.
References:
Military Transport of World War One
by C. Ellis & D. Bishop, Blandford Press Ltd.
Motor Transports & War
by Horace Wyatt, Hodder and Stoughton, 1914.
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