What kind of Artillary is this? Maybe WWI even?

I took my son to a park in a small town nearby and they had 2 of these in the park. They look in relatively good condition (barrels have been sealed off) and it had this inscription on it. SOYEZ BONS POUH VOS FREINS (may be off some as I didn't have a pen and just took a picture and zoomed in at home.

Just curious what it is. Amazing where you find some things nowadays.

Krystal

 

That is a French Canon de 155 Grand Puissance Filloux (GPF). It is a 1917 design that was adopted by the US as the 155mm M1918M1 and used by the Germans (captures) as the 15.5cm K 418(f) in WW 2. It is the grand daddy of the US 155. The US M1918M1 was updated between the wars with pneumatic tires but otherwise looks just like the gun in the picture. The wheels on this one are the original WW 1 ones.

 

Soyez bon pour vos freins it's Will be good for your brake ... I suppose this sentence was for the driver ...

 

Thank you, to both of you. I knew if I was going to find answers it would be here. My husband who thinks I have lost my mind over WWII history was much impressed with these and insisted I take pictures to get the details. Now I'll have to take my dad for a visit. They are out in the weather all the time, won't they begin to fall apart? I would think they would be kept in a museum??

 

Were they moved with horses in WWI?

 

Not typically. They were usually moved with a catepillar type tractor. Yes, those did exist back then. By WW 2 a 5 ton or 7.5 ton truck could pull one.

 

I have this on my hard drive for the Canon de 155L mle 1917 GPF.

• [FONT=&quot]Type: Medium Gun.[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Makers: Filloux.[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Calibre: 155mm. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Weight: 11.200kg. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Ammunition: 43kg (HE).[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Elevation: 0[/FONT]°[FONT=&quot] to +35[/FONT]°[FONT=&quot].[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Traverse: 60[/FONT]°[FONT=&quot]. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Barrel Length: L/38. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Maximum[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Range[/FONT][FONT=&quot]: 19.300m.[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Muzzle Velocity: 735 m/s. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Rate of Fire: 2 r.p.m. [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Traction: Horse drawn & Motorized.[/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]Crew: 10.[/FONT]

 

From my personnal pictures
Near Reims ( France )







And this

Canon de 155mm GPF - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Domi

 

I have a suspicion the "freins" in the engraving are the recoil brakes not the ones on the roadweels, the piece they are on looks very much like a recoil cylinder, so "be good to your brakes" is more likely directed at the gunners not the drivers.