the gun had to be re-aimed each time which lowered the rate of fire. To facilitate towing on soft ground and lessen recoil the wheels were often fitted with Bonagente grousers patented by the Italian major Crispino Bonagente. These consisted of twelve rectangular plates connected with elastic links and are visible in many photographs of World War I artillery from all of the combatants. The combination of Bonagente grousers and ramps were usually enough to handle recoil for field use. For towing the tail of the gun hooked onto a limber for towing by a horse team or artillery tractor. Coastal Artillery In addition to its siege role, the 149/23 was deployed in the coastal artillery role. In this role, the guns were mounted in thick dome shaped steel gun turrets that were set in concrete fortifications. There was also a version on an unprotected garrison mount with limited traverse. The recoil system for this version consisted of a U shaped gun cradle which held the trunnioned barrel and a slightly inclined firing platform with a hydro-gravity recoil system. When the gun fired the hydraulic buffers slowed the recoil of the cradle which slid up a set of inclined rails on the firing platform and then returned the gun to position by the combined action of the buffers and gravity. The Cannon of Adamello The Cannon of Adamello is a 149/23 that can still be visited on the Cresta Croce, in the Adamello Range, where it had been brought to support operations in the mountains. The cannon arrived in Temù from the Edolo railway station on February 9, 1916, and was transported by road to Malga Caldea at an altitude of . From there it was broken down into two large sled loads which were towed by 200 artillerymen and engineers up to Rifugio Giuseppe Garibaldi at an altitude of on 17 April. Finally, on 27 April the gun reached the Passo del Venerocolo. On the night of 6 June 1917, the gun was transferred to Cresta Croce at and on 15 June began to bombard the positions of the Kaiserjäger of Lieutenant Felix Hecht von Eleda on the Corno di Cavento. Photo Gallery References External links Cannone da 149 G (149/23) World War I guns World War I artillery of Italy 150 mm artillery