Mike, I finally looked in my 57mm TM. The US drag ropes look exactly like those in your picture from CZ. They are described as being a "15-foot length of 5/8-inch manila rope with a hook at one end and two rings at the other end." One detail is that the hook has a leather strap on it with what appears to be an slit in the point. My guess is that this allows mousing the hook. As you can see in the photo, the chain end uses a thimble in the eye. The chain loops might have connected to a harness for the gun handlers.

KL

The mousing strap is an interesting detail that hasn't show up in any other photos.

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The mousing strap is an interesting detail that hasn't show up in any other photos.

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When I was writing my last post I thought one might be present on the short rope (far left) in the CZ photo. Either that, or the hook was wildly opened up . . .

KL

Happy to have been able to help out. As I mentioned, I have been wondering how the ropes work as well, and could not find a direct answer on the net, and certainly not in the manuals.

I own a few artillery pieces myself, and have done enough of the tires at work as well as in my own hobby to have recognized that those little tabs had something to do with it. I asked on a military vehicle forum that I frequent (Maple Leaf Up) and one of the moderators posted the 6 pdr photo from this thread. Having repaired a number of those tires, I was pretty sure it wouldn't work. I note that in this thread, many of you also saw the difficulties of it working by wrapping the rope onto the claws.

I had to unstrap and unwrap the drag rope off a gun-shield at work, and it was instantly obvious. However, I am still surprised that the manuals don't cover it. Normally the army has a manual for just about every minute thing you could ever imagine.

Here are shots of the dragropes in use...one with similar vintage artillery and one with earlier artillery. These two photos were found on the net by others on MLU forum.

394. Dragropes.--These may be used for a direct pull attached to the drag washers, or a double leverage may be obtained by the use of a wheel purchase.
In attaching dragropes to the drag washers, the back of the hook should be downward, for ease of attaching and because the hook cannot then catch in obstacles such as undergrowth or wire.
In making a wheel purchase, the rings at the ends of the dragrope chains are attached to the hooks on either side of the wheel, as low down as possible on the side away from the direction of the required pull. The dragrope is then laid upon the circumference of the tyre, and the pull must be in line with the wheel. In moving the gun uphill or across heavy ground by wheel purchase, it is often best to move one wheel at a time.