The 75mm Mle 1897 has the following features:

• Gun has variable elevation and the carraige includes towing eye
• Includes one custom figure with cloth French Army Field Jacket by MMCB
• 1/35 scale to match other Brickmania models
• Includes 59 genuine new-condition LEGO® and MMCB elements
• Sophomore Skill Level (2-4 years experience with LEGO is recommended)
• A single batch of just 50 kits has been made

BACKGROUND

The French 75mm Field Gun (“Matériel de 75mm Mle 1897”) is widely considered to be the first modern artillery piece. Adopted by the French army in 1897, it was the first gun to be equipped with a hydro-preumatic recoil system, which allowed the gun to be fired in place without re-aiming between each round. Other advanced featured included a quick-operating screw breech mechanism and singe piece ammunition (warhead attached to a propellent-filled brass “shell” casing).

A well-trained 75mm crew could fire up to 30 rounds per minute.

Originally designed to deliver shrapnel rounds against large infantry formations, the battle conditions of World War I saw the adaptation of high explosive and chemical warheads. In addition to be ing the main artillery piece of the French Army, more than 2000 were supplied to the American Expeditionary Force during World War I.

There was also a truck-mounted anti-aircraft version of this versatile weapon. Modernized versions of the 75mm Mle 1897 saw combat during World War II