The 75 mm Field Gun M1897 on M2 carriage served in multiple roles, including as a field gun and an anti-tank gun. Artillery pieces of this type were used by the U.S. Army during World War I, the interwar period, and World War II. Originally a French design, the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 was supplied to the United States in large numbers and became the standard field gun for the U.S. Army during World War I. The mle 1897 was a revolutionary breech-loading artillery piece that combined a Nordenfelt eccentric screw breech, fixed quickfire ammunition, and a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. This combination made it one of the fastest-firing and most accurate field guns of its era. After the defeat of France in the spring of 1940, the U.S. Army became concerned about its lack of modern anti-tank guns. In July 1940, the simplified and improved carriage known as the M2A3 was introduced, and M1897 guns were mounted on both M2A2 and M2A3 carriages and equipped with direct-fire sights so they could be used as anti-tank guns. By November 1941, 918 M2A3 carriages had been manufactured in the United States. At that time, 554 M2A2 and 188 M2A3 carriages were in service, and because of a shortage of more modern artillery pieces, the M1897 on M2A2 and M2A3 carriages was issued to both field artillery and anti-tank units.