now I´m creating Retrotracks "Canon de 155 long de Bange Mle. 1877". It is a fantastic kit, but now I have problems. The pic are taken from "Les canons de la victoire 1914-1918" (A brilliant book which includes fantastic pics but the wrong language)....
I have problems by understanding and creating this system...
I think it worked for the recoil, but how? If I take a look for some pictures I see that the right bail/ chains are not bonding with the hook/ carriage. It seems that the bonding would be on the lafette, but how it worked?
I would be very thankfull for help and maybe help...
I maybe wrong but I think it is for after the recoil to stop the gun running to far forward ! The plate(?) it is attached to has spikes driven into ground to secure it as an anchor, the gun is then chained to the anchor. Paul
__________________
The finest stories of the Great War are those that will never be told.
At first I had this meaning: after fireing the gun rolls back, dozing the carriage/plate (this part had no spikes) also back until the ramps. Rolling foward the chains/ bail helps to put this plate to old position. But it only works, when hook and bail would be boundet or one piece, but it don`t seems so...
It seems that this bail would be fixed on the gun, not on this hook...
Note the incline ramps placed behind each wheel. When the gun fired, recoil force drove the carraige up these ramps before returning to battery. The item under the trail is a simple wooden skid to assist the process while preventing the trail from digging up the gun-pit. Theoredically, this minimised the need for periodic sighting adjustment when firing for effect.
The "bounding" that concerns you is explained thusly; note the large bolt lug( Bolzen Lasche ) on the Lafette. The ring devise ( Stahlring ) around it is actually attached to the skid beneath the lafette trail. ( Your right arrow) This ring devise carries an attached eyelet with chain links. The left circle you've drawn shows the tensioning lever. This assures the skid will not work free from the lafette trail, or allow the trail to jump over the skid during recoil. These were not field innovations; rather fairly clever design features that were factory furnished with each gun.
I might add , when this weapon system was employed in fortress defense it was fitted with the recoil piston commonly used by all armies of the period.
)....
