Once in firing position, a section of rail bed was reinforced with wood and iron beams to support the weight of the gun. Five steel beams under the center of the carriage were then lowered to lay across the tracks and the carriage was jacked up to take weight off the bogies and anchor the gun in place. There were another two beams located between the quadruple bogies on each end of the carriage. When the gun fired the entire carriage recoiled a few feet and was stopped by the friction of the beams on the tracks. The carriage was then lowered onto its axles and was either pushed back into place with a shunting locomotive or a windlass mounted on the front of the carriage pulled the carriage back into position. This cheap, simple and effective system came to characterize Schneider's railway guns during the later war years and is known as the "Glissement" system. The six guns were delivered too late to participate in the First World War and remained in reserve between the wars. At the outbreak of the Second World War the six guns remained in reserve and were not mobilized. The Germans assigned the designation "37cm H(E) 714(f)" but what use they made of them is unknown.