About the effect of heavy guns

ABOUT THE EFFECT OF HEAVY GUNS

("Ueber den Effekt des großen Geschützes")

Translated by Geert van Uythoven

Source:

- ’B....’: " Ueber den Effekt des großen Geschützes ", in ‘Militair-Wochenblatt’ 6. Jahrgang (Berlin 1821) pp.1912-1914

"The decisive factor of artillery lays in al cases especially in the effect its projectiles have, and were they will land. Therefore, it is dependent of the size, weight, and the velocity of the projectile; the density of the object fired at, etc. The effect will be greater when the projectile is bigger and heavier, the greater its velocity is during its movement, and the less the targeted object will be able to withstand penetration.

Because of the fact that at the distances on which firing usually will take place, clearly all kinds of artillery projectiles will have the effect of killing, wounding, or damaging humans, animals, and objects. It is commonly known that a roundshot is able to lay down complete infantry files. Therefore, it has only a comparably minor effect (called by the Austrians ‘ertrag’, ‘yield’) against a thin line when fired at from the front. Therefore, when firing at such targets canister is generally used, when an enfilade shot is not possible.

From this derives that one roundshot is able to kill more then three men. If one would fire however on an infantry column of considerable depth, a roundshot would be able to hit so many men until its kinetic energy has been used. Therefore, the loss in men by a single roundshot can be considerable.

How many men a roundshot will be able to harm is however not clearly known: the calibre; the distance; the troop formation; the angle at which the roundshot will hit the target; the terrain, on which the grazes are made, diminishing the kinetic energy of the roundshot more or less, etc., all influence the ability of a roundshot to penetrate. So a general rule cannot be given, although it is surprising that such an important issue has not been researched since the introduction of field artillery into military service took place already a long time ago; and because of its extensive deployment, especially during the revolutionary wars. We are still much in the dark about the effect, and one can judge only superficial about it. In the meanwhile the artillery itself is not to blame for this, as they are not able to mark the effect of their shots from close by.

To receive more information about this issue, earlier costly experiments have been held by the Sardinian artillery, during which was fired at old horses, counting a horse for two men each. However, the results of these experiments are based on too many fixed conditions to serve as a general rule, especially because of the fact that the bodies of humans and horses have a different anatomy and resistance, which stand to each other in a still unknown proportion. According to these experiments, when using a field charge, the following mortal effects would be achieved:

Roundshot	Amount of men that would be mortally hit at the following ranges:
calibre	400 paces	800 paces
12-pdr	48	36
6-pdr	39	28
3-pdr	30	19

From this one can easily conclude that the effect of the guns is very exaggerated, and that one should put not much trust in these numbers. So with these experiments nothing positive has been achieved for science. Therefore, it is preferred to put more trust in specific experiences made during campaigns, when these are reported by trustworthy individuals. However, because of the fact that the various artilleries differ from each other in powder charges, guns, and calibres, and because not much effort has been put in gathering such information, again nothing has been gained this way.

In the Prussian artillery, when treating the effect of guns, commonly an example of the Polish 1794 campaign is being used as an example, were a 6-pdr roundshot at a range of about 1,000 paces killed three horses, wounding a fourth one. An effect which is fixed on six men (see §.557 of the Leitfadens zum Unterricht in der Artillerie).

In the meanwhile there are enough cases which sufficiently give proof of the outstanding effect of roundshot and grenades. Only these cases will for a part not come to the publicity, or they are achieved under too much doubtful conditions to be reliable. However, during the latter campaigns there should have been numerous instances; because of the many ways the war was fought on level and also mountainous terrain; and with the frequent use of columns and masses, sufficiently having taken place that when these would become public, would illustrate this issue more then enough to fill this omission in artillery science.

When treating this issue, the author of this piece is convinced that it should be very easy present-day, to clarify this issue. Not only because of the fact that the individuals that took part in the latter wars are mostly still alive, but also because the nature of the artillery is not as secret to the army anymore as it was previously, besides that artillery science is given at all our military schools; maybe not in all its aspects, but at least its basics. As such enabling one, when accounts about this issue are brought forward, to review them according to all relevant circumstances under which the event took place, in order to remove all doubt. Later on this will become more difficult, as many facts will fade from memory. (…)"