The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
The 37 mm Canon d'Infanterie modele 1916 is a breech loading, quick-fire infantry gun with a hydropneumatic recuperator, and a screw breech. The weapon was designed to be be easily broken down into three parts: the barrel, the undercarriage, and shield. The wheels can be removed from the foldable trail, allowing the forward leg to be folded out to the front of the weapon, creating a low tripod layout. The forward leg is missing from this example. A small armoured gun shield is fitted over the barrel for crew protection. The gun has a camouflage paint scheme of olive drab, brown ochre and yellow, which has been added post-war. The breech block shows impact damage. The wheels are of spoked, wooden construction with steel rims. The firing pin and the sight are missing. Markings - PUTEAUX 1916.
One of these infantry guns was allotted to each French Battalion. This pattern, manufactured in 1916 at Puteaux, was sufficiantly mobile to accompany the inantry at almost any stage of the battle. Noted for its extreme accuracy and its ease of adjustment, it could maintain a rate of fire of from 12 to 15 rounds per minute and had an effective range up to 2,600 yards. Its armour piercing shell could penetrate two or three rows of sandbags, a timber blindage, or steel plate. Built to destroy visible machine-guns by direct fire ,it also produced good results against troops taken in enfilade. This specimen was presented to Australia by the French Government.
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