Osprey - New Vanguard 250 - Maginot Gun Turrets.pdf

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MAGINOT LINE GUN
TURRETS
And French gun turret development 1880–1940
CLAYTON DONNELL
ILLUSTRATED BY DONATO SPEDALIERE
NEW VANGUARD 250
MAGINOT LINE
GUN TURRETS
And French gun turret development
1880–1940
CLAYTON DONNELL
ILLUSTRATED BY DONATO SPEDALIERE
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
DEVELOPMENT OF FRENCH ARMOURED TURRETS:
1870–1940
• Pre-Maginot Era (1870–1914)
• Performance during World War I
• Post-War Development of the Maginot Line Artillery Turrets
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MAGINOT LINE ARTILLERY TURRETS
• 135mm Model 1932 ‘Lances-Bombes’ Heavy Mortar
• 75mm Model 1933 (75/33)
• 75mm Model 1932 R (75R32)
• 75mm R Model 1905 (75R05)
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ARTILLERY FIRE CONTROL AND FIRING METHODS
MAGINOT LINE INFANTRY TURRETS
• 81mm Model 1932 Mortar
• Model 75R05 for Two Mixed Arms (T2AM)
• Machine-gun turret Model 1935 (TM)
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OPERATIONAL HISTORY
• Performance of Maginot Line guns, September 1939–June 1940
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ANALYSIS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
MAGINOT LINE GUN TURRETS
AND FRENCH GUN TURRET DEVELOPMENT
1880–1940
INTRODUCTION
In any discussion of the Maginot Line, the key question is always asked:
was the Maginot Line a success or failure during the Battle of France in
1940? The answer depends on perception of the role the line was intended to
play. If one believes the Maginot Line was built for the primary purpose of
stopping a German invasion of France, most will consider it a massive failure
and a waste of money, because it did not achieve this. In reality, the line was
not built to be the ultimate saviour of France, although too many Frenchmen
at the time believed it to be so, thus giving them a very false sense of security
and resulting in subordination of the offensive spirit of 1914. Rather, it was
assigned a series of minor yet crucial roles, all of which were fulfilled. The
problem with the Maginot Line is that it was not used as it should have
been by the French army. Nevertheless, theory aside, its engineering was
outstanding. Based on its proven performance, in particular its armoured
gun turrets, one can only conclude that the Maginot Line was a remarkable
weapon, and that is what we will discuss here.
The armoured gun turret – a revolving compartment driven by a motor
that fits into a circular well – has been around for a long time and it still
The mixed-arms turret
of
Ouvrage du Welschoff,
Fortified Sector Rohrbach.
The cloche GFM Type B
is in the background.
(Author’s collection)
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Bloc 5 of
Ouvrage du Monte-
Grosso
in the Alpes-Maritimes
in 1983. The turret was restored
by the French liberation
forces and took part in
combat against the Germans
on the
Plateau d’Authion
in
October 1944.
(Wikimaginot.eu Collection)
exists in several forms today, primarily mounted on tanks and ships. The
turret was first developed to protect guns and gunners as artillery became
more accurate and powerful. A typical model revolved 360 degrees with
its guns adjustable to fire at various angles. The first French armoured gun
turrets were built primarily for land-based fortifications, because, from 1870
to 1940, the French were fighting for their lives and their territory against
a powerful and aggressive German empire. The French were constantly
building and being forced to modernize what they had just built.
The first French gun turrets began as ‘revolving turrets’, but they evolved
into a retractable model, a feature that made them different from those of
other European countries. The original designs were tough, made of cast
iron and steel that stood the test of fire, but the only way to protect the
gun embrasures was to turn the guns away from the direction of enemy
fire. Colonel Bussière, a French engineer, turned them from simple to
sophisticated. Bussière designed the first retractable turret, the
tourelle à
éclipse,
that enabled the turret to drop below the surface of its concrete
housing to mask the embrasures. His idea evolved into the excellent designs
found in the French forts of World War I and later the Maginot Line.
Despite a rough start in 1914, after which they were virtually emptied of
their garrisons and stripped of flanking weapons, the French forts redeemed
their value during the battle of Verdun. The earlier turrets performed well
despite being hit by a massive number of heavy-calibre German shells, up
to and including 420mm. Their engineering concepts also proved to be very
reliable and durable. The engineers of the Maginot Line adopted and further
perfected these designs, creating magnificent weapons that proved their
worth during the German onslaught in 1940.
The guns were operated by professional, highly trained teams –
Équipes
– who followed very tight procedures similar to those used in French naval
vessels. As turrets had their origins on naval vessels it is no surprise that the
forts of the Maginot Line were compared to land-based ships. They were
swift to intercede and very accurate, and remained a thorn in the German
side throughout the campaign.
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