French 75mm 22/31 and 24/31 Double Fuze Setter Plunger (Débouchoir)

Above:  French fuze setter for use with the French 75mm mle/97 gun.  It is made to set the time fuzes for two fixed shells at once.  The setter can be used for both the 22/31 and 24/31 Fuzes on a 75mm shell

 

Below:  The Fuze Setter is incased in a metal box with a handle and lever arms protruding from the box.  The manufacturer is “MIXTE”, which appears to be a French automobile manufacturer from 1906 until 1914.  A similar all capital letter logo was used on the automoblies produced by Auto-MIXTE

Below:  The dial for the seconds of delay corresponding to the 22/31 and 24/31 Fuze along with the two openings or plungers for the fuzed shells are operated by pushing downward on the leavers to the right and left of the box.  Parts are marked “75DE C”, “Fusees DE 22/31 A ET DE 24/31A” and “Fusees De 22/31 ET DE 24/31” “Modele 1897” “No 2434 – 1918” St ETIENNE”

 

Above:  An example of the 22/31 Fuze with 31 notches for each possible second of dely

Above:  The fuse set partly in the plunger.  You can see the lug on the fuze corresponds to the notch in the plunger

Above:  In this photograph, you can see the cutter sticking into the plunger housing, where the fuzed shell is meant to rest 

Above:  A close up of the two plungers.  The one on the right has the fuse resting in the plunger (without its shell) so you can see the notch and lug that turns the fuzed shell to the correct time setting when the lever is pushed down

 

 

 

 

Above and below: US Artillerymen with the US M1918 Caisson and French 75mm mle/97 setting fuzes with the 22/31 and 24/31 Double Fuze Setter Plunger (Débouchoir)

French 75mm mle/97 Gun

75mm mle/1897 "French 75" Limber

75mm US Army M1918 Caisson Limber for the “French 75mm”

75mm US Army M1918 Caisson for the "French 75mm"

 

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