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Colonel Nicolas Lebel (18 August 1838 – 6 May 1891), after whom the French military's
Lebel rifle The Lebel Model 1886 rifle (French: ''Fusil Modèle 1886 dit "Fusil Lebel"'') also known as the ''"Fusil Mle 1886 M93"'', after a bolt modification was added in 1893, is an 8 mm bolt-action infantry rifle that entered service in the French A ...
was named.


Biography

Nicolas Lebel was born in Saint-Mihiel (Meuse) near
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
. Interested by the prospects of a military career he enrolled in the
Saint-Cyr Military Academy Saint-Cyr refers to the popular child-saint Cyricus, whose following was strong in France because relics were brought back from Antioch by the 4th-century Bishop Saint Amator of Auxerre. Saint-Cyr may refer to: Places France * École spécia ...
in 1855. In 1857, he joined the 58th Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant. During the
Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
of 1870–1871, he was a captain and company commander. In September 1870, he was captured after the Sedan encirclement and became a prisoner-of-war. Released from captivity after the Treaty of Frankfurt, he found a command in Tours, during the years of intense reorganization of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
which followed the 1871 defeat. He was appointed major in 1876, and dedicated himself to the improvement of infantry weaponry. His competence was soon recognized and in 1883, the Minister for War, General Thibaudin, entrusted him to direct the army's ''École Normale de Tir''. The E.N.T. was the army's training center dedicated to improve shooting performance and recommend small arms improvements. In March 1884 he was made a member of the ''Commission des Armes à Répétition'' or Commission for repeating firearms. This commission was presided at the time by General Baptiste Tramond and included Colonel Basile Gras, Colonel Bonnet, Lt-Colonel Lebel, Castan, de Tristan, Captain Desaleux and last but not least
Paul Vieille Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
, the inventor of
smokeless powder Finnish smokeless powder Smokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to black powder. Because of their similar use, both the original black powder formula ...
. It is this commission which formulated and supervised the execution of the ''fusil mle 1886'' infantry rifle prototype. This project was carried out within slightly more than one year, between January 1886 and the date of formal adoption: April 1887. Lt-Colonel Lebel's direct contribution was the full-metal-jacket bullet or ''balle Lebel'' which had been formulated and extensively tested at the ''École Normale de Tir'' under his direction. He had been inspired by the promising results obtained somewhat earlier by Major Eduard Rubin of the Swiss Army who had invented the first copper-jacketed rifle bullets in 1882. Without the jacketed "Balle Lebel" ("Lebel bullet") the new Mle 1886 rifle's performance with
Paul Vieille Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
's smokeless powder, which imparted much higher velocities than black powder, would have been impossible to achieve. The new ''Fusil Mle 1886'' was soon and informally designated as ''Fusil Lebel'' (Lebel rifle) "against the protestations of the Commission, including Colonel Lebel himself" as quoted verbatim from Challeat's classic ''Histoire Technique de l'Artillerie de Terre en France pendant un siècle'', published in 1935. The historical record shows that the Lebel rifle was the result of teamwork carried out against time and under great pressure exerted from above by War Minister General Boulanger. The original bullet or "Balle M" designed under Colonel Lebel's direction was flat nosed in order to pose no risk of accidental ignition in the Lebel's tube magazine. The "Balle M" bullet has a full metal jacket made of cupro-nickel and a lead core. Its weight is . Its muzzle velocity is . Its maximum range is . It was propelled by of the new smokeless "
poudre B Poudre B was the first practical smokeless gunpowder created in 1884. It was perfected between 1882 and 1884 at "Laboratoire Central des Poudres et Salpêtres" in Paris, France. Originally called "Poudre V" from the name of the inventor, Paul V ...
". Its ballistic properties were superior to anything else in existence at the time (1887). Lebel was promoted to the rank of full colonel in 1887 but, because of cardiac problems, he took early retirement in 1890 and died on 6 May 1891 at the age of 53. He was decorated with the rank of Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor.


References

* Claude Lombard, 1987, ''La Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (1819–1968)'', 398 pages, Brissaud, 162 Grand'rue, Poitiers, France. . * French Wikipedia (unsourced article) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lebel, Nicolas 1838 births 1891 deaths People from Saint-Mihiel Firearm designers Weapon designers from France French Army officers French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Commanders of the Legion of Honour