Chinese soldiers with field artillery (Siderius 47/75 cannon), Shanghai, 1937
Collection
Identifier
JM-s34
Notes
University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China reference number: JM-s34. The cannons are Siderius 47/75 campaign pieces, developed in the mid-1920s and manufactured by the Dutch firm HIH Siderius. This hybrid design was conceived for armies with ‘tight’ budgets: the piece had a unique breech mechanism, to which two types of barrels could be screwed: one 47mm, for medium speed projectiles (for example, for anti-tank use); and another 75mm, low-speed, for infantry tracking (to fire HE and fragmentation grenades). This cannon was a two-in-one, with too many compromises, and unable to replace anti-car and campaign parts of quality. In this photograph, we can see the 75mm version (likely during exercises). The part could be disassembled into four sub-assemblies, it was transportable by horse or mule (which was an advantage for the sparsely motorised Chinese army of the time). It is possible that this photograph predates the start of the Battle of Shanghai.
Caption on photograph
43 / Chinese Guns in Action
Location
Estimated Date
August-November 1937
Material
Paper
Media
Black and white photograph
Repository
University of Bristol Library, Special Collections
