Caisson (French 75)

This caisson was meant to carry the ammunition and tools needed to operate a French 75 Field Gun. It was towed separately by either horses, or a limber vehicle. The Caisson was designed to be tilted when unlimbered and set up, thus presenting the shells horizontally to the gun crew for easy access. The Caisson would have carried a variety of different shell types such as Shrapnel, High Explosive, and Gas. It was also designed to be lightly armored to protect against weather, small-arms fire, or shrapnel. 

Much like the French 75mm Field Gun across the Gallery, this caisson also has visible damage from battle. Based on the spacing and irregular patterns of the battle damage, we can tell that the Caisson took damage from shrapnel while in service during battle. Both the Caisson and the French 75mm serve as grim reminders of how deadly World War I (1914 – 1918) was. This Caisson was presented along with the French 75mm in a victory parade in San Francisco and has since resided here in the War Memorial Veterans Gallery.