Changes to Weaponry 1790-1918
- Created by: fabulous unicorn
- Created on: 18-06-18 21:09
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- Changes to weaponry 1790-1918
- Machine guns (Maxim and Vickers)
- Energy of recoil used to change cartridges
- Water jacket around barrel to prevent overheating
- Needed a group of men to set up, but could be fired alone
- Vickers lighter and more reliable
- Parts easier to produce for the Vickers, and used standard rifle ammo
- Easier to set up and use Vickers
- 2 for each battalion in 1914
- 1915- lighter Lewis guns
- Eventually each division had its own machine gun battalion
- Defensive weapons aided the creation of trench warfare and mass casualties
- High rate of fire
- The losses could be afforded more due to population increase and conscript armies
- Required advanced training to clean parts etc.
- Fuse 106
- Breech-loading cannon
- Muzzle-loading cannon took a long time to reload and lots of gunpowder, which meant the barrel had to be cleaned regularly
- Gunpowder and bullet loaded together
- Faster reload process, as cannon didn't have to be moved much
- First practical gun developed 1858
- Improved accuracy, loading time, and barrel wear
- Used soft metal screws which expanded with fire to reduce wear down the barrel and increase accuracy by putting more spin on the shell
- Ammo more expensive, larger, better trained gun crews needed, more maintenance
- So the army returned to muzzle loaders in the 1870s
- 1880s onwards- breech loaders became the norm
- Adapted Armstrongs used by army and navy in Boer War
- Larger breech loaders used as turrets on the deck
- Improved range and reliability increased the size of battlefields
- Without them, turret-mounted guns were impossible
- Helped to change the nature of warfare to trenches
- Increased casualties
- Could fire further than gunners could see for the first time
- 'Spotters' used to see if artillery landed in the right place
- Led to development in signalling e.g. flags, telephone, radio, maps and artillery spotting by planes
- 'Spotters' used to see if artillery landed in the right place
- Enfield rifles
- Brown Bess muskets
- Aircraft
- Air radio/photo technology
- Tanks
- Carronades
- Fired grapeshot at short range
- Initially intended for merchant vessels to fire from deck and keep carrying capacity high
- Short barrel and wide muzzle meant a better angle of range (more accuracy)
- Fast to reload, used little gunpowder, and devastated the deck before boarding
- Carronades on the Victory blew an entire gun deck at Trafalgar
- Not used after 1850 because of improvements to range of standard cannon fire
- Led to HE shell development in cannons
- Congreve Rockets
- Caused little damage, but noise and smoke terrified the enemy
- Used alongside conventional weapons at Copenhagen
- Inaccurate, so ienffective
- Rocket rails easy to fit to ships, and rockets were often used for coastal bombardment
- Being an Indian veteran, Wellington knew the dangers of using them and their inaccuracy
- Didn't store well- reacted badly to high temperatures and lost strength over time
- Rockets were developed in the 19th century, but no longer used with new steel artillery
- Howitzers
- Steam-powered ships (iron clad)
- Barbed Wire
- Machine guns (Maxim and Vickers)
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