Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "French Army in World War I" in English language version.
Over one million people of all nationalities were left dead, wounded or missing during the Battle of the Somme – the deadliest conflict of World War I. But a century later, France's involvement in the five-month long offensive has been all but forgotten. To mark the centenary of the battle, FRANCE 24 spoke to Commandant (rank) Michaël Bourlet, head of the history and geography department at the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan military academy in western France, who recounted the French army's role in the fighting.
Until 1915 it also had a Machine Gun Section..... These men made up two gun teams.
Forty ancient Coehorn mortars, firing spherical ammunition using black powder charges,were obtained from the French, and were actually fired at the battles at Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge.
The Stokes mortar.. an order for 1000 was made by France from Great Britain in July 1917 . It made its combat debut when 96 were used during the attack of La Malmaison by the 21st and 11th Army Corps (October 1917). They were then modified by France and designated "modèle 1918". This and the 75 mm Jouhandeau-Deslandres mortar were the two principal mortars providing fire support (as "engins d'accompagnement")... In November 1918, the French army had 809 Stokes mortars (of which 716 were at the front)... The Brandt mortars superseded both the Stokes and the J.D in the 1930s.
