Lahitolle 95 mm cannon

The Lahitolle 95 mm cannon (Mle 1875) was a French cannon of the 19th century, developed in 1875 by the artillery commander de Lahitolle. The Lahitolle 90 mm was the first French field cannon made of steel, and one of the first to be equipped with a screw breech (issued 16 years after the British and Prussians adopted a similar system). It was adopted by the French Army in 1875 and superseded the Reffye cannon.

Canon Lahitolle de 95 mm
Type	Field gun
Place of origin	France
Service history
In service	1875–1945
Used by	France
Wars	World War I
Production history
Designer	Henri Périer de Lahitolle
Specifications
Mass	1,413 kg (3,115 lb)
Barrel length	2.28 m (7 ft 6 in) L/24[1]
Shell	Separate-loading, bagged charges and projectiles
Shell weight	12 kg (26 lb 7 oz)
Caliber	95 mm (3.7 in)
Breech	Lahittole interrupted screw
Recoil	None[1]
Carriage	Box trail
Elevation	-10° to +24°
Traverse	None
Rate of fire	1 rpm
Muzzle velocity	400 m/s (1,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range	6.5 km (4 mi)
Maximum firing range	9.8 km (6 mi)[1]

The Lahitolle 95 mm was superseded by the de Bange 90 mm cannon in 1877. An improved version, the Lahitolle 95 mm (Mle 1888), was developed in 1888. In 1893 a coastal artillery version mounted on a pedestal with an armored shield and was called the mle 1893. The Lahitolle 95 mm was still in use during World War I, together with the de Bange 90 mm cannon, as French industry could not keep with production requirements for the much newer Canon de 75.[2] The Lahitolle 95 mm was also used in the fortifications of the Maginot line.[3] Mle 1893 guns captured by the Germans were kept in service and given the designation 9.5cm Küstenkanone (f).