Lahitolle 95 mm cannon


The Lahitolle 95 mm cannon 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. It was adopted by the French Army in 1875 and later superseded the Reffye and de Bange 90 mm cannons. An improved version, the Lahitolle 95 mm, was developed in 1888.

Coastal Artillery

A version called the Canon de 95 sur affut de Cote mle 1904 was mounted on a Vavasseur mount with a gun shield for use in coastal defenses. The gun sat on a cradle that held the trunnioned barrel on top of a pedestal. When the gun fired a combination of inclined rails, and hydraulic buffers returned the gun to position.

Fortress Artillery

In addition to its coastal defense role, Lahitolle 95 mm cannons were employed on pedestal mounts in France's Séré de Rivières system of fortifications. Approximately 475 cannons were used in coastal and land fortifications.

Railway Artillery

Early in World War One, 16 coastal defense cannons were mounted on armored rail cars for use with France's armored trains. They are believed to have been retired by 1916.

World War I

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.

World War II

The Lahitolle 95 mm was still in use in the fortifications of the Maginot Line during World War II. Mle 1904 guns captured by the Germans were given the designation 9.5cm Küstenkanone and used in Germany's Atlantic Wall fortifications.