Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery prior to the outbreak of the First World War, none had adequate numbers of heavy guns in service and once the Western Front stagnated and trench warfare set in the light field guns that the combatants went to war with were beginning to show their limitations when facing an enemy who was now dug into prepared positions.

Since aircraft of the period were not yet capable of carrying large diameter bombs the burden of delivering heavy firepower fell on the artillery.

Rail transport proved to be the most practical solution because the problems of heavy weight, lack of mobility and reduced setup time were addressed.

[2] The six mle 1914 mortars and four spare barrels were assigned to 61st, 62nd and 63rd batteries of the 25th Group of the 3rd RAP of the ALGP (artillerie lourde à grande puissance) on 21 February 1916.

Four were mobilized and deployed by the 371° Regiment of the ALVF (Artillery lourde sur voie ferrée) to reinforce the Maginot Line defenses.