LES CRAPOUILLOTS ET LES ENGINS DE TRANCHÉE FRANÇAIS DE LA GRANDE GUERRE

In the autumn of 1914, the French army was suddenly confronted with a new form of warfare: trench warfare. To counter the Minenwerfer's fire and strike the enemy entrenched in their trenches, it became necessary to create a new type of indirect-fire artillery capable of launching heavy, explosive-laden projectiles. Improvised in just a few weeks in 1914, trench artillery would number over 3,000 pieces by the beginning of 1918 at the height of its power.

The author here revisits the evolution of indirect-fire artillery from the 16th century to the eve of 1914 and details the advent of mortars and trench mortars during the Great War. The study of the projectiles and the organization of the trench mortar units complete this comprehensive study of French trench artillery.

This book, illustrated with more than 450 photographs and period documents, is a magnificent tribute to the Crapouillots, often referred to as artillerymen apart, with their strong personalities who shared in the front line the suffering and heavy losses of the infantry during the Great War.