'The backbone of Marshal Foch's victories', June 1916

Photograph, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1916.

During World War One the demand for heavy field artillery was never-ending. To meet this need, both the Allies and Germans moved large numbers of static coastal guns and naval guns to the front, but these were typically unsuitable for field use and required some kind of mounting. The railway gun provided the obvious solution. By 1916, both sides were deploying railway guns like this 400 mm weapon stationed at Ravin d'Harbonnieres on the Somme. The most famous railway gun of the war was the German Paris Gun.