155 mm Creusot Long Tom
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- See also: 155 mm Long Tom
155 mm Creusot Long Tom | |
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Long Tom in action during the siege of Mafeking |
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Type | Field gun |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Schneider et Cie, Le Creusot, France |
Specifications | |
Weight | 6,500 kg |
Length | 7.5 m |
Barrel length | 4.2 m |
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Caliber | 155 mm |
Maximum range | 9,000 m |
The 155 mm Creusot Long Tom was a French field gun (artillery piece). Four guns, along with 4,000 common shells, 4,000 shrapnel shells and 800 case shot were purchased by the South African Republic (informally known as the Transvaal) in 1897, and the guns were emplaced in forts around Pretoria.
During the Second Boer War, the guns were deployed as field guns and siege guns at Ladysmith, Mafeking, Kimberley and Bergendal. After all their ammunition had been expended, the guns were destroyed one by one, to prevent them from falling into British hands.