Artillery was a significant component of the French Army's operations during the First World War. In 1914, it primarily consisted of light field artillery, the artillery they used were cylinder pigs, such as the 75 mm modèle 1897, supporting infantry units. The shift to trench warfare and the industrialization of the conflict altered its role, increasing its importance on the battlefield. Before the war, French military doctrine emphasized infantry rifles, which historically caused more casualties than artillery—up to six times more in earlier conflicts like the Franco-Prussian War. By 1918, this ratio reversed, with artillery responsible for approximately 75% of military casualties, compared to about 25% from small arms fire.
The scale of artillery use expanded significantly during the war, with a marked increase in manpower and the deployment of larger-caliber guns. French tactics evolved to include prolonged preparatory bombardments, continuous harassment fire, rolling barrages, and concentrated fire plans. This adaptation led to the development of various artillery types, including heavy artillery (adapted from coastal and naval artillery), trench artillery (e.g., mortars), anti-aircraft artillery, chemical artillery (delivering toxic gas), specialized assault artillery (such as tanks), anti-tank artillery and, self-propelled artillery.
Between 1914 and 1918, French artillery on the Western Front and other theaters fired an estimated 300 million shells, targeting enemy trenches and artillery positions while supporting infantry operations. This sustained firepower depended on a substantial industrial effort to produce guns, ammunition, and related equipment.
Situation at the start of the war
The artillery was a branch of the French Army, operating under the Ministry of War. Its personnel and equipment were managed by the Artillery Directorate, with support from the Powder and Saltpeter Directorate and, for colonial artillery personnel, the Directorate of Colonial Troops, distinct from the Ministry of the Overseas). However, not all artillery fell under the same authority: naval artillery was controlled by the Ministry of the Navy, while coastal artillery was jointly administered by the Ministry of War and the Navy. In February 1914, the Navy assumed control of coastal forts and batteries at Cherbourg, Brest, Toulon, and Bizerte, a decision that faced challenges during mobilization.
Within the Army, artillery was primarily tasked with supporting infantry, which was regarded as the central combat arm, except during siege operations against strongholds. This role shaped the armament, organization, and doctrine of French artillery, emphasizing light and mobile field guns, such as the 75 mm modèle 1897. Artillery personnel were often drawn from technically skilled recruits, with approximately 70% of the École Polytechnique's 1913 graduates assigned to field artillery, followed by specialized training at the École d'application de Fontainebleau.
The French artillery uniform was typically midnight blue with scarlet stripes on trousers and breeches.At the beginning of the 20th century, breeches were the equivalent of trousers for mounted personnel. Equipment and clothing varied between mounted personnel (drivers and members of mounted batteries) and unmounted personnel (servants of mounted batteries and foot artillery). Mounted personnel wore items influenced by cavalry designs, including tan leather saber belts, breeches, and spurs, while unmounted personnel used equipment styled after infantry patterns, such as blackened leather belts, cartridge belts, leggings, and trousers. The kepi was adopted as standard headgear for artillery troops.Model 1901 bourguignotte helmets were distributed to the 13th (11th and 12th batteries), 25th and 32nd RAC, as well as to the 4th mounted group of the 54th RAC; these were peacetime trials, replaced by the kepi upon mobilisation, sent to the front for these units from October 1914.
Armament Artillery pieces were classified by caliber, measured as the internal diameter of the barrel (equivalent to the projectile diameter), expressed in millimeters for land artillery and in centimeters for coastal and German artillery. Mortars were short-barreled weapons designed for high-angle fire with low muzzle velocity; short-barreled guns, now termed "howitzers," had low muzzle velocity and produced a curved trajectory; long-barreled guns had high muzzle velocity, resulting in a flat trajectory.
Individual weapons included the model 1822/1899 saber and revolver for officers, non-commissioned officers, and mounted personnel, while unmounted personnel were equipped with the modèle 1892 artillery carbine and its saber-bayonet.
Models in service
In 1914, France's field artillery was predominantly composed of the 75 mm modèle 1897 gun. The total number of these guns was 4,986, with 3,680 assigned to battle corps in metropolitan France and 364 allocated to strongholds, while the remainder were used for training, colonial service, or reserves. This uniformity simplified logistics and maintenance. Additionally, the field artillery included 128 M model 1906 65 mm guns (M for "mountain") for Alpine troops and a small number of 75 mm model 1912 guns for horse artillery.
Heavy field artillery in 1914 was less extensive than that of the German army, reflecting inter-service disagreements, limited funding, and a focus on the 75 mm gun. The field armies deployed 84 modèle 1890 120 mm C howitzers (C for "court," or short; known as the 120 mm Baquet), with an additional 126 held in reserve, and 104 modèle 1904 155 mm C TR howitzers (C TR for "court tir rapide," or short rapid-fire; known as the 155 mm Rimailho).
Siege artillery assigned to the field army was limited, consisting of older Bange system guns on SP carriages ("de siège et de place"): 60 modèle 1878 120 mm L guns (L for "long") and 24 modèle 1880 220 mm mortars.
Fortress artillery, termed "artillerie de place" in 1914, equipped the forts and batteries of the Séré de Rivières system, primarily located in the eastern entrenched camps of Verdun, Toul, Épinal, and Belfort. This included rapid-fire guns such as 73 turrets, each mounting two 75 mm modèle 1905 R guns (R for "raccourci," or shortened), with 57 installed in forts and 16 stored in depots awaiting placement, and 44 Bourges casemates, each equipped with two 75 mm modèle 1897 guns on casemate mountings. Most fortification guns, however, were older Bange system models: 778 modèle 1877 80 mm guns, 3,994 modèle 1877 90 mm guns, 1,524 modèle 1875 95 mm guns, 2,296 modèle 1878 120 mm L guns (L for "long"), 1,392 modèle 1877 155 mm L guns, 331 modèle 1880 and 1880/1891 220 mm mortars, and 32 modèle 1885 and 1889 270 mm guns. Five Bourges casemates were each armed with two modèle 1888 95 mm guns on coastal mountings.
Coastal artillery was divided between the Ministry of War, responsible for coastline defenses, and the Ministry of the Navy, which oversaw military port defenses, with calibers ranging from 37 mm to 370 mm, including approximately twelve 75 mm guns. Anti-aircraft artillery in 1914 consisted of a single prototype autocannon, with eight additional units under construction by August. Depots also held older guns, including modèle 1875 95 mm guns (known as 95 mm Lahitolle), modèle 1877 90 mm guns, and modèle 1877 80 mm guns, all of the Bange system.
The Péchot system, a narrow-gauge railway with a 600 mm gauge, facilitated the movement of artillery pieces within fortified cities and ports. Responsibility for these railways shifted to the engineering corps after the First World War.
Features The 75 mm modèle 1897 gun, ordered in 1897 and thus designated by its model year, entered service with the French Army as a field artillery piece. It featured a steel, rifled barrel and breech-loading mechanism, consistent with contemporary artillery designs. Its distinguishing features included a quick-loading system and a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism that minimized movement during firing, returning the barrel to its initial position after each shot. This allowed for a firing rate of up to 15-20 rounds per minute, higher than many guns of its era. The gun's carriage, weighing approximately 1,200 kg, was towed by six horses per gun, with a battery of 22 vehicles requiring an estimated 168 horsepower for transport.A 75 horsepower battery requires 168 horsepower, including 36 saddle and 132 harness. A horsepower battery requires 215 horsepower, including 82 saddle and 133 harness.
The 75 mm gun produced a relatively flat trajectory, enabling projectiles to ricochet or strike targets behind ridges, though this limited its ability to target areas within terrain folds.When fired at a very low angle (less than 15°), the 24/31 mm model 1899-1908 fuze used on 75 mm shells causes it to detonate with a delay of 0.05 seconds, allowing the projectile to bounce off the ground and explode immediately afterwards, at very low altitude. Gunner training included techniques to adjust for this, such as using reduced charges and a curved trajectory plate to shorten the range, with an average combat distance of approximately 2,500 meters. Available projectiles included shrapnel shells (for anti-personnel use), high-explosive shells (for equipment, structures, or entrenchments), grapeshot canisters (for short-range fire), smoke shells, tracer shells (for anti-aircraft use), incendiary shells, illuminating shells (with parachutes for night operations), and tear-gas shells. The primary ammunition consisted of shrapnel shells, designed to explode in mid-air via a timed fuse, and high-explosive shells, which could be set to detonate either in the air or on impact, depending on fuse adjustments.
+ Field Artillery Pieces in Service in August 1914 Artillery Type Weight in Action Rate of Fire Max. rangeThe initial velocity and the maximum firing range (at the maximum angle allowed by the carriage) depend, among other things, on the type of ammunition. From the end of 1914, the cartridges received more propellant charge and the projectiles were lengthened with a smaller base, increasing the range by 5 to 18% depending on the model. Ammunition (weight) 65 mm M Model 1906 400 kg 10–15 rounds/min 5.5 km Shrapnel (4.4 kg) or explosive shell (3.8 kg)Canon de 75 mm modèle 1897 1,140 kg 12–18 rounds/minThe rate of 28 rounds per minute was achieved by the prototype of the 75 mm gun during a test in 1894. In combat, the rates are much lower, determined in particular by the duration of the shot, which overheats and wears out the gun while exhausting the gunners, as well as by the supply of ammunition: the practice with a 75 gun is rather about 12 rounds per minute, 40 in five minutes (8 rounds/min), 60 in a quarter of an hour (4 rounds/min), 150 in an hour (2.5 rounds/min), 300 in three hours (1.6 rounds/min), 600 in ten hours (one round/min) and 1,000 in a whole day (0.7 round/min).6–10 kmAlthough the theoretical maximum range of the 75 mm gun is 10,700 m, in practice a reduced charge is used (allowing a curved shot and reducing wear), limiting the shot to a maximum of 6,400 m. The special mount used in the Bourges casemates limits the elevation to +15° (with a horizontal beat of 54°) and the range to 5.6 km. Shrapnel Model 1897 (7.2 kg) Explosive Shell Model 1900 (5.5 kg) 75 mm Model 1912 960 kg 12–18 rounds/min 7.5 km Shrapnel (7.2 kg) or explosive shell (5.5 kg) 120 mm C Model 1890 1,475 kg 2 rounds/min 5.7 km Shrapnel (19.2 kg) or explosive shell (18.7 kg) 155 mm C TR Model 1904 3,200 kg 5–6 rounds/min 6.3 km Shrapnel (40.8 kg) or explosive shell (41.3 kg)