French Foreign Legion 75mm 1897 Cannon--cannon, cannon shell box, and a pair of binos
$89.00
Future Release
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Item Number: ACCPACK129B
French Foreign Legion 75mm 1897 Cannon
The first artillery unit within the Foreign Legion appeared in the 1830s after the latter had been handed over by the French king to Spain to participate in the First Carlist War (a local civil war) on the side of the Queen Regent, Maria Christina. In Spain, a Legion artillery battery under Captain Rousset was activated in May 1836. It consisted of six four-pounder field guns and took part in numerous battles. The battery was disbanded in late 1838 along with the entire original “Old Legion” (1831-1838).
Two other Foreign Legion artillery batteries were formed at the very end of the French campaign in Mexico, where the legionnaires distinguished themselves in the famous 1863 Battle of Camerone. The batteries were organized in November 1866 as part of French plans to create and maintain, in Mexico, an independent Foreign Legion division comprising infantry, cavalry, engineer corps, a supply train, and artillery. However, the two batteries were short-lived, and little is known about them. The plans were soon abandoned and they had to leave Mexico with the last French units in February 1867.
Four months later, the two Legion batteries disappeared in North Africa’s Algeria (which was the Legion’s homeland from 1831 to 1962). In 1894, Vicomte Louis de Montfort, a member of the lower house of the French Parliament, submitted a proposal that revived the idea of a Foreign Legion division. Following similar experiments in Spain in the 1830s and Mexico in the 1860s, de Montfort’s project envisaged increasing the Legion’s strength by creating special units, such as cavalry and artillery. The proposal was initially rejected, but the French Senate accepted a modified version in 1908. After WWI, the Legion formally received artillery and cavalry as part of its order of battle. In the runup to this, the Legion experimented with artillery on an ad hoc basis, depending on the area of operations.
ACCPACK129B comprises the artillery piece, ammo box, and binoculars.
Limited to 40 worldwide.
Due to be released in JUNE 2025.
