Gregory Posted March 1, 2008 Share #1 Posted March 1, 2008 Hello, I am not top WW1 expert that is why this weapon is interesting for me. Write me please friends what is this? Machine gun or thrower of something? Thanks for possible replies. Best regards Greg PS. The first pic is WW1 era The second one shows 3rd ID in 1930s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinb Posted March 1, 2008 Share #2 Posted March 1, 2008 That's the M1916 37mm Infantry gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Gordon Posted March 1, 2008 Share #3 Posted March 1, 2008 This is the 37mm "One pounder" Infantry gun. The one in the Pic is the French Design. This type was produced both in France and the United States during WW1. It was mainly used against Machine gun emplacements. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted March 1, 2008 Share #4 Posted March 1, 2008 This is the 37mm "One pounder" Infantry gun. The one in the Pic is the French Design. This type was produced both in France and the United States during WW1. It was mainly used against Machine gun emplacements. Bob Dam sure looks like it would do the job!!! BTW, how long was it in service? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted March 1, 2008 Dam sure looks like it would do the job!!! BTW, how long was it in service? Forum script changed the order of pics in my first post but I may add that the 3rd ID image comes from Camp Derby in Balboa Park during the 1935 Exposition. Regards Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Gordon Posted March 1, 2008 Share #6 Posted March 1, 2008 Dam sure looks like it would do the job!!! BTW, how long was it in service? According to Canfield's book "U.S. Infantry Weapons of the World War" The M1916 37mm was relegated to training purposes only after 1941. But some weapons were on hand during the defenses on the Philippines Islands during the 1941-42 campaign. However his book states" no specific use of the weapon against the Japanese has been recorded". The training weapons use continued until late WW2 and phased out by the Korean war becuase of lack of spare parts and ammunition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share #7 Posted March 1, 2008 Thank you very much for all replies and information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted March 2, 2008 Share #8 Posted March 2, 2008 THe shells for these are commonly found made into "trench art". Our local national guard company was an "Anti-tank" company, in the 20's and 30's they used these guns. When they were activated in 1941, I think they still had them, but soon upgraded to the 37mm gun. Many of these guns were adapted to larger caliber guns as subcaliber trainers. Very few exist today. BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted March 2, 2008 What was also interesting for me and can be seen at 3rd ID pic is camouflaged painting scheme of this small gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted March 2, 2008 Share #10 Posted March 2, 2008 Here is a picture of this weapon taken at Brussel Army Museum, from Wikipedia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted March 2, 2008 Share #11 Posted March 2, 2008 The link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_d'I...3%A8le_1916_TRP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted March 2, 2008 Andrei -- thank you very much! Did the Americans buy this weapon in the same time as Chauchat machine gun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrei Posted March 2, 2008 Share #13 Posted March 2, 2008 Probably but WW1 is way out of my field of knowledge. I can ask around. Cheers, A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Gordon Posted March 2, 2008 Share #14 Posted March 2, 2008 Andrei -- thank you very much! Did the Americans buy this weapon in the same time as Chauchat machine gun? The US Army went to France in WW1 practically unarmed. Most artillery, tanks, machineguns, grenades , and airplanes were of either British or French design and manufacture. All of the M1916 37mm used by the U.S. were manufactured in France, however the United States was in the process of maunfacturing and testing the guns here in the states. Only two hundred of the US made guns made it to France and I believe around 400 were ready to ship awaiting testing. I have for years tried to find more information about the testing site in Clearspring, Maryland. were the testing of these guns took place. The target tending trench and bunkers are still there, as well as one of the original buildings, which now houses farm equipment. Sadly the information in the National Archives in Washington has been lost, misfiled or stolen over the years. On a side note is was common for another country to manufacture patented equipment. I recall one design for a British Artillery fuse during the war was of Krupp design, a German company, in which the British company had to pay Krupp for using their design after the war. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbG Posted May 5, 2009 Share #15 Posted May 5, 2009 Does anybody know of any close up photos of the breech mechanism and sights? Also, what kinds of ammunition did this weapon fire? An online search did not turn up any details regarding performance or employment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayonetman Posted May 5, 2009 Share #16 Posted May 5, 2009 Photos do exist, but I don't recall where. This may not be much help, but here they are if you find them at all useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted May 5, 2009 Share #17 Posted May 5, 2009 The first photo -- a much-published one -- is of the 23rd Inf Regt, 2nd Div. These guns, during the war, were in relatively short supply, so were held at regimental HQ for parcelling out to subordinate units as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbG Posted May 5, 2009 Share #18 Posted May 5, 2009 Thanks so much for the information! I also followed one of the links on wikipedia to: http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofartill00unitrich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted May 5, 2009 Share #19 Posted May 5, 2009 IIRC this gun -- not the mount -- was the same as used for Renault FT17 tanks and, with longer barrel, on some multi-seat aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custermen Posted May 9, 2009 Share #20 Posted May 9, 2009 Hey! I think you solved the mystery of a photo I have. The following photo was probably taken at the Louisiana Maneuvers of a Heavy Weapons Company of 338 Infantry Regiment, 85th Division. Besides the 37 & 57mm and the .50 caliber machine guns there are two other odd weapons. I always thought these were some sort of French Petaux 37mm guns originally used on WW1 Renault tanks. I knew it was an old gun only used for training purposes. What are those? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordnance Posted May 9, 2009 Share #21 Posted May 9, 2009 Steve, The photo could not have been taken at the Louisiana Maneuvers and not earlier than 1943 I think. The 37mm guns in your photo are T32 guns on T9 tripods. These were highly modified M3 37mm guns on .50 cal. M3 style tripods that were developed for jungle pack use. I'm not sure if they ever made it to the South Pacific but they definitely served as pack guns in the mountains of Italy. Here are a couple photos of one on display at the Rock Island Arsenal Museum. I am not aware of another example in existance. Regarding the earlier French 1-Pdr. field gun and the U.S. made M1916 version, I'm only aware of one, or possibly two, of them in private hands and in the BATF NFA Registry. A friend purchased one and it was delivered at the Small Arms Review show in Phoenix last December. Here are a few photos of that little beauty. And yeah, I really have a thing for 37mm guns if you couldn't tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custermen Posted May 10, 2009 Share #22 Posted May 10, 2009 Jolly good. You are the first who spoke like he knew what this odd weapons was. You solved my mystery. Now if I only knew a date and place for the photo. I obtained it from a Veteran of the 338th Regiment, 85th Division. The background suggested the LA delta flat-lands. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordnance Posted May 10, 2009 Share #23 Posted May 10, 2009 Well, I see the 338th was activated in 1942 at Camp Shelby, MS and served in Italy in 1944 and 1945. I don't know much about the terrain at Camp Shelby but it sure isn't too far from Louisiana. So perhaps it's a training photo shortly before they deployed overseas or maybe it was actually taken in Italy, though the background sure looks flat for that. The T32 guns were made in very small numbers and I don't have any idea how many were available for stateside training or exactly how many made it overseas either. Your photo is only the 4th or 5th I've ever seen that showed the T32 in the hands of troops, and the first one that may have shown them in the continental U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custermen Posted May 10, 2009 Share #24 Posted May 10, 2009 Well, I see the 338th was activated in 1942 at Camp Shelby, MS and served in Italy in 1944 and 1945. . . . . . So perhaps it's a training photo shortly before they deployed overseas The 85th Division had a long and lustrious TRAINING. Louisiana Maneuvers followed by Desert Warfare Training in the Arizona desert in summer of 1943. I'm 90% sure that photo was taken between the units organization in summer 1942 and before departing from Fort Dix on 24 Dec 1943. There is always a possibility that some of the unit was sent to another location for some special training. But that weapon seems so antiquated that it didn't need specialized training. As far as I know, they didn't take these with them to Italy. One Vet told me that much later, probably 1944, they dumped the 57mm gun and replaced it with the M-2 .50 caliber machine gun(as I recall). They needed a weapon that was better suited for offense. It could be Camp Shelby but that area had a little more rolling terrain than LA and lots of tall trees. Thanks, again. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custermen Posted May 10, 2009 Share #25 Posted May 10, 2009 Photo taken during basic training at Camp Shelby from the same Veteran. You might like this one. BTW, years ago, I went to see an ole neighbor in MS who had served in the Pacific with the 32 Division, as I recall. In his back yard he had a 37mm gun. I'm sure it wasn't the one they used but he talked about dragging one of them through the jungles. I never went back to see if it was still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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