John Norris - Artillery: A History

ARTILLERY

A HISTORY

JOHN NORRIS

This work is dedicated to two women who have each touched my life in their own separate ways. By coincidence they are both Ethels. One is my late mother-in-law, who was firm but fair, and of whom I have many fond memories. The second Ethel is very dear and at times has proved to have a very profound outlook on life. This Ethel is my mother and I would like to say how grateful I am to her and proud to call her Mother.

First published in 2000

This paperback edition published in 2011

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL 5 2 QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2013

All rights reserved

John Norris, 2000, 2011, 2013

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EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 5323 8

Original typesetting by The History Press

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the following institutions and individuals for their help and unstinting kindness in putting this work together. Without such support my task would have been much more difficult. My thanks to Ian V. Hogg who listened sympathetically and offered advice; to the staff and assistants at the Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson, Fareham, Hampshire, who allowed me to roam almost at will; to the Royal Artillery Museum at the Rotunda in Woolwich, London, whose staff I wish the best of luck in their move during 2001; and to many defence manufacturers who provided a wide range of photographic material. My thanks also to the men of the re-enactment group The Brockhurst Artillery Volunteers who lay on sterling displays of First World War events at Fort Nelson; to Simon Davey and the members of The Kynges Ordynaunce who have faithfully recreated much period artillery; and to all members of The Courteneye Household and Prince Ruperts Blewcoats who have done excellent work in displaying historic artillery at special events.

INTRODUCTION

T he word artillery probably evolved from a number of earlier terms. One school of thought believes it is a combination of the Latin arcus, meaning bow, and telum, meaning projectile. A second theory attributes the terms origin to the Latin ars tolendi, or ars and tirare, meaning the art of catapulting or shooting. Another possible root is the Latin phrase ars telorum, which refers to the art of using long-range weapons. The great siege master and fortress builder Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban (16331707) traced the term back to the old French word artillier, meaning either to fortify or to arm. However, the German philologist Diez believed it was derived from the Provenal word artilha and that it had entered the German language as early as 1500. It seems artillery is actually an omnibus word, derived from several sources.

Whatever the true origin of the term artillery, its meaning comes down to the science of propelling a projectile at an enemy over a distance. It can be applied to machines of war fielded by the Greeks and Romans, such as the catapulta and ballista, which both used torsion power to propel their missiles and pre-date gunpowder by many centuries. During the sixteenth century, there was still some debate over how the term artillery should be interpreted. For example, in 1537 Henry VIII of England issued a charter for the Guild of St George, in which he charged its members with becoming: The overseers of the science of artillery... to witt, long bowes, cross bowes and hand gonnes for the better encrease of the defence of our realme. Over 450 years later this charter is preserved by the Honourable Artillery Company, which is now raised as a regiment of the British Army and can trace its origins back to the Guild of St George and the year in which the charter was issued.

The reference to hand gonnes in the document raises the question of when artillery and hand-held gunpowder weapons separated into two distinct types of weapon. It is very difficult to date this development with any great accuracy, but it seems likely that it came during the fourteenth century. References to gunnis cum telar (guns with handles) appeared in the 1350s and mark the emergence of personal weapons. Certainly by the fifteenth century early hand-guns were being used by trained infantrymen alongside artillery. In 1411 John the Good, Duke of Burgundy, is recorded as having some 4,000 hand-guns in his armoury. These weapons would have had an effective range of some 200 metres, about the same as some of the smaller artillery pieces of the day, but the firer would have been considered fortunate if he hit his intended target. The Hussite troops of the Bohemian leader, Jan Ziska, used hand-held gunpowder weapons in their struggle against the Emperor Sigismund in 1419.

Gunpowder artillery was not available to ancient armies, but more than 650 years have elapsed since tubed artillery, which is to say conventional guns, was first recorded. The appearance of cannon proper on the battlefield in the fourteenth century signalled the end of single-handed combat and ushered in a new martial law. However, it was not until the seventeenth century that artillery was used with any great effect against enemy troops ranged in the open, rather than against a city or castle under siege. Since that time it has been deployed in a variety of roles from siege warfare to long-range coastal defence. Artillery has also been developed to perform highly specialized roles examples include anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns and weapons for mountain warfare. More generally, guns have been used as field pieces in support of infantry; into this category also fall towed and self-propelled guns, which are as much part of a modern army as helicopters.

Artillery did not gain popular acceptance within the military infrastructure overnight. Its introduction was gradual. Some countries, including Japan, did try to resist the spread of gunpowder weaponry a common reaction to any new technology, be it military or industrial. But opposition was futile and in order to survive, or at least compete on equal footing, all nations adopted artillery into their armies and navies. The motto of the Royal Artillery Regiment of the British Army is Ubique (Everywhere). This refers to the fact that the regiment has served in all parts of the globe where the British Army has fought but can also be applied to artillery itself. Today it is ubiquitous.

This book charts artillerys origins and outlines some of the figures who have influenced its design and advanced the science of gunnery to make it what it is today. It concentrates on conventional artillery, because the science of gunnery is completely different to that of rocketry. There is a current trend in some modern armies towards rocket systems, for example, the American-designed Multiple Launch Rocket System and Russian-built BMW-21 multiple rocket launcher. These rocket artillery systems are designed to augment rather than replace conventional tubed artillery because they allow forces to employ the shock tactic of concentrating firepower into a designated area. Their deployment is intended as a short-term opening sequence to a barrage and is limited to an indirect fire role. Guns, on the other hand, can be aimed with precise accuracy and maintain a continuous bombardment of a target; as will be seen, this was the case during the First World War. Modern advances in computer analysis and fire control have enhanced the accuracy of artillery and thus reduced the chance of collateral damage when fighting takes place close to built-up areas.