THE ENGLISH 6-PDR
REGARDING ITS USEFULNESS IN THE FIELD
AS A GUN FOR THE HORSE ARTILLERY
Part 3
Translated by Geert van Uythoven
Source:
- Decker, C. von:
"Der Englische Sechspfünder, in Bezug auf seine Brauchbarkeit im Felde,
als Geschütz fur reitende Artillerie", in ’Militair-Wochenblatt’ 8.
Jahrgang (Berlin 1823) pp.2606-2608.
3. DEVIATION IN HEIGTH (continued)
"We further learn, that the covered space is not diminishing as much with greater elevation then one has to believe according to the ‘Leitfaden’ p.294, were the covered spaces are said to be proportional with an elevation of 1, 2 and 3 degrees as 107, 54, 35 or 143, 71, 47. On the contrary, from the table given in part 2 of this series, we see that the covered spaces of direct shots at 1,300 or 1,500 paces are the same at the average. If this had not already been sufficiently shown by what has already been said before about the trajectories. So in no case, it is the distances of the subsequent grazes of the roundshot alone which decides about the range of covered space, but more important the state of the ground the grazes are made upon. This is shown even more clearly by the following extract of the table already mentioned:
|
At 1,300 paces |
At 1,500 paces |
||
|
Trajectory |
Covered space |
Trajectory |
Covered space |
|
283 |
76 |
208 |
66 |
|
243 |
70 |
244 |
92 |
|
276 |
64 |
190 |
50 |
|
239 |
78 |
282 |
40 |
|
371 |
32 |
|
|
|
235 |
45 |
|
|
|
433 |
24 |
|
|
|
354 |
78 |
|
|
|
361 |
35 |
|
|
|
359 |
26 |
|
|
|
302 |
66 |
|
|
|
144 |
57 |
|
|
Here we find the nearly equal trajectories of 354, 361, and 359 paces, giving the unequal covered spaces of 78, 35 and 25 paces. Further, the smallest trajectory of 144 paces by far did not give the greatest covered space, but more the double longer trajectory of 283 paces. The only truth agreeing with the theory is the fact that, as well as at 1,300 as at 1,500 paces, the greatest trajectories (433 and 482 paces) gave the smallest covered space (24 and 40 paces).
We will now have a look at the amount of hits. According to the ‘Leitfaden’ p.294, with 3 degrees elevation 1/7 to 1/6 of the roundshot fired will hit. According to p.296, at 800 to 1,200 paces 1/3 to 1/2 of the roundshot fired will hit. At 1,500 paces, of 10 shots hardly one roundshot will hit. The returns for the 12-pdr are of course left out here. All these often inconsequent and contradicting statements (which are of course inevitable, when one at one instance counts according to the degrees of elevation, at another instance in paces of distance) are united by the English 6-pdr in a very lucky way.
Of the 40 shots that have been fired at 1,300 paces, 20 roundshot have hit the wall, therefore at least 1/3 more as is being stated for an elevation of 3 degrees. Of these 20 shots, 8 have hit on infantry height; 16 would have hit cavalry, and only 4 shots would have went higher as both. Indeed a very favourable result; then at 1,300 paces, 1/5 would have hit the infantry, 2/5 the cavalry, and only 1/10 would go to high. At 1,500 paces however, were only every tenth roundshot would have to hit, 8 roundshot hit the wall on infantry height, 13 on cavalry height, and none of the 13 shots (under 40) did go to high.
The amount of hitting roundshot therefore was 2/5 at 1,300 paces, and 1/3 at 1,500 paces. As such the results are much better then the returns in the ‘Leitfaden’, and from this follows that:
1. The English 6-pdr compared to the Prussian one, regarding the amount of hitting roundshot, is at 1,300 paces nearly the double amount, at 1,500 paces more as the double amount superior, or
2. That the returns in the ‘Leitfaden’ are to low, something which is not very likely though.
If the gun would have been a Prussian 6-pdr, with 40 shots at 1,300 paces 12 to 14 men would have put out of action, and at 1,500 paces hardly 8 men. The English 6-pdr on the other hand would have put out of action 22 to 24 men at 1,300 paces, and 20 men at 1,500 paces. In both cases only the first graze has been taken in account, the second one being ignored. Also, a men was calculated as being 6 feet high. Calculating however with a height most of them will have in the field, were no one will feel the urge to stretch himself, the English 6-pdr would put out of action at 1,300 paces 16 infantrymen or 32 cavalrymen, at 1,500 paces 16 infantrymen or 26 cavalrymen with 40 direct shots.
For convenience, we combine the results in the following table:
|
Of 40 shots |
At 1,300 paces |
At 1,500 paces |
In fractions |
|
|
At 1,300 paces |
At 1,500 paces |
|||
|
Have hit the wall |
20 |
13 |
1/2 |
1/3 |
|
Have missed the wall |
20 |
27 |
1/2 |
2/3 |
|
Of those having hit the
wall have: |
|
|
|
|
|
hit at infantry height |
8 |
8 |
1/5 |
1/5 |
|
hit at cavalry height |
16 |
13 |
2/5 |
1/3 |
|
higher as both |
4 |
- |
|
|
|
Without having grazed
before |
5 |
5 |
1/8 |
1/8 |
|
Having grazed before |
15 |
8 |
3/8 |
1/5 |
|
Of those that did not
graze before have: |
|
|
|
|
|
hit at infantry height |
1 |
4 |
1/40 |
1/10 |
|
hit at cavalry height |
3 |
5 |
1/13 |
1/8 |
|
higher as both |
2 |
- |
1/20 |
- |
|
Of those that grazed
before have: |
|
|
|
|
|
hit at infantry height |
7 |
4 |
1/6 |
1/10 |
|
hit at cavalry height |
13 |
8 |
1/3 |
1/5 |
|
higher as both |
2 |
- |
1/20 |
- |
|
Having grazed before the
wall |
15 |
25 |
3/8 |
5/8 |
|
Of these were hits |
13 |
8 |
1/3 |
1/5 |
|
Of these missed |
2 |
17 |
1/20 |
2/5 |
|
First graze behind the
wall |
25 |
15 |
5/8 |
3/8 |
|
Of these were hits |
3 |
5 |
1/13 |
1/8 |
|
Of these missed |
22 |
10 |
1/2 |
1/4 |
One can also note from this table that it is advantageous, at 1,300 paces as well as at 1,500 paces, to let roundshot make its initial graze in front of the enemy; one can in addition derive from the previous tables about covered spaces [see part 2], that all roundshot that made its initial graze before the wall had a greater, those making their initial graze behind the wall had a smaller covered space as follows from the average results. Not to speak about the moral effect, which is always greater when the soldiers notices the roundshot grazing in front of him.
Further, that at 1,300 paces the infantry will be hit with every 5th, and the cavalry with every 2 ½. roundshot; at 1,500 paces on the other hand the infantry also with every 5th, the cavalry with every 3rd roundshot. So, the infantry will suffer just as much at both distances, the cavalry however will lose at 1,300 paces more men then at 1,500 paces.
For use in the field, we believe we have to draw the attention to the following:
1. Because of the fact that the average covered space for infantry is 50 paces, they should strive to position themselves about 25 to 30 paces before or behind the 1st graze, in order not to find themselves within the effective range. The cavalry on the other hand should strive to position themselves 40 to 50 paces behind the 1st graze, because of the fact that the average covered space is 80 paces for them;
2. In order to evade the sideward deviation, a battalion should end with its formation nearly a whole width, a cavalry regiment on the other hand nearly the width of a whole squadron to the left or right;
3. Because of the fact that the smallest trajectory is 100 to 120 paces average, retreating the troops a longer distance is of no use, then when they manage to move out of reach of the initial graze, they will enter reach of the second one. For the same reason, the second line, 300 paces behind the first line, may never retreat further as 50 or 60 paces, in order not to enter the reach of the third graze.
© Geert van Uythoven