A World War I French 75mm Field Gun, found in ruins at Anniston, Ala., Army Depot in 1999, and restored by the Historical Society, was rolled out onto the fields at Picketts Mill in early May looking just as if it was rolling onto a battlefield in 1917. Re-enactors clad in World War I uniforms surrounded the piece and fired a blank round to prove that its restoration had been completed.

Total cost of the restoration, made possible by members of the Historical Society of the Georgia National Guard Inc., is estimated at more than $8,000. The French 75 will ultimately be displayed at Headquarters, Georgia Army National Guard, in Ellenwood.

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, Great Britain and France were nearly exhausted from more than three years of fighting and viewed the entry of America as a way to win the war over a weary Germany and Austria. As part of America's mobilization, the National Guard was called to active duty, though its preparedness was a question considering that its artillery units employed guns that had been obsolete for 20 years. Hence, National Guard units were issued French field pieces upon their arrival in France.

The weapon issued to the National Guard was a remarkable piece containing one of the most important developments in field artillery in the 20th century. The gun was called the French 75--officially known as the 75 mm Field Gun, Model of 1897 (French). Its innovative development was its recoil system consisting of two hydraulic cylinders, a floating piston, a connected piston, a head of gas and a reservoir of oil. This made for a soft, smooth operation and the gun was used as late as 1941 in World War II against the Japanese in the Philippines and in North Africa. The Army's Field Artillery School used it for training long after it was rendered obsolete for combat use and some Third World armies used the French 75 into the 1970s.