During the Napoleonic era, the role of artillery in war became more and more important. To quote the original words of the French officer's manual at that time: "Artillery is an indispensable part of a 'complete' army. A battle without the participation of artillery is not appropriate."

"Impractical". Artillery not only strengthens the firepower of an army, but also enriches the army's firepower means with its longer range than muskets. Unlike infantry and cavalry, artillery is a highly technical branch.

.The effectiveness of artillery firepower on the battlefield largely depends on the technology and experience of artillery position setting and aiming.

(1) Artillery equipment and organization

Artillery at that time was divided into field artillery and siege artillery. The caliber of siege artillery was generally much larger than that of field artillery. Field artillery was further divided into cannon and howitzer. The cannon artillery system of France and Spain included: 4-pounder gun (later

6-pounder cannon); 8-pounder cannon and 12-pounder cannon. The cannons of the four countries of Britain, Prussia, Russia and Austria include: 3-pounder cannon; 6-pounder cannon and 12-pounder cannon. It should be noted that the French pounder is larger than the British

The weight of the pound was about 10%, so the French 12-pounder was the heaviest field cannon on the battlefield at that time. Napoleon was very fond of the 12-pounder and loved to call it "bellesfilles" (French bellesfilles; English translation: beautifuldaughter, press

The English meaning should be 'beautiful daughter'), which is why there are more 12-pound guns in the French army.

According to calculations, the muzzle velocity of projectiles fired by different artillery guns at that time was not much different. However, because the large-caliber artillery projectiles were heavier and had greater kinetic energy, the range was naturally longer. The French 12-pound cannon and 8-pound cannon and the Anti-French Alliance

The effective range of the 12-pound cannon is about 800 to 900 meters, and the maximum range is about 2,000 meters. The legal 6-pound cannon and the alliance's 3- and 6-pound cannon have an effective range of 500 to 600 meters, and the maximum range is about 1,500 meters. You can see

It turns out that the Alliance's artillery was weaker in both range and firepower. In order to counter the French artillery, the British army introduced the 9-pounder gun in the late Napoleonic Wars. This gun was similar to the French 8-pounder gun in terms of range and firepower.

At that time, the howitzer barrel was shorter, and the muzzle velocity was lower than that of the cannon. The elevation angle was higher, and the ballistic trajectory was obviously parabolic. The effective range was shorter than that of the cannon, about 400 to 500 meters. French and British howitzers were classified by caliber, and France equipped 6 inches

and 8-inch howitzers. The British army is equipped with 4.4-inch, 5.5-inch and 8-inch howitzers. Other European countries are classified according to the weight of the projectiles. There are many types, so I will not describe them one by one.

Whether it is a cannon or a howitzer, the gun body is placed on a two-wheeled gun carriage. Each gun also has a front carriage (limber) for placing ammunition boxes, which is also two-wheeled. During transportation, the gun carriage and the front carriage are connected together.

, forming a four-wheeled carriage for easy towing. Different sizes of artillery require different numbers of mules and horses to be towed. The French 12-pounder cannon, gun body, gun mount and front vehicle weigh about 2 tons, and require 8 to 12 horses depending on the terrain.

Horses are used to pull them. The British 9-pounder cannon and the French 8-pounder cannon require 6 to 8 horses. The lighter 6-pounder cannon and howitzer also require 4 to 6 horses. Mounted artillery emphasizes speed, so they usually take the top

The maximum number of horses.

The cavalry section mentioned that after the cavalry captures the enemy's artillery position, it will destroy the loading tools. The first one is a cannon brush (sponge), with the top wrapped in wool and dipped in water to extinguish the remaining sparks in the gun bore; the second one is a dry cannon brush

(mop, cat puff!!), wash away the water left in the previous steps; the third vortex hook is used to remove possible remaining paper or fibers in the gun barrel (because the artillery charges at that time were all made of paper or

Flannel wrapping); the fourth is the loading rod (rammer); the fifth is the ignition rod (portfire). One end of the rod is a paper roll containing a slow-burning substance (a mixture of gunpowder, saltpeter, sulfur and linseed oil).

).

Artillery organization

In the Napoleonic era, the basic unit of artillery was the battery. However, the use rights of these artillery batteries were concentrated in the hands of the army and even the highest commander. In battle, the higher command department would basically assign an artillery battery to each division.

It provides fire support. Although the French army is organized into an artillery regiment with six artillery companies, each company of the artillery regiment must also be assigned to a division-level unit. This method of centralized management and use of artillery companies was adopted by the armies of various countries at that time.

Accept. Of course, Napoleon, Wellington and Archduke Charles all tried to allocate some light artillery directly to regiments and even units below the regiment. However, because this method was too liberal and was not conducive to concentrating artillery firepower, it was finally changed back to the original status quo.

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Field artillery is divided into dismounted artillery and mounted artillery. There is not much to say about dismounted artillery. The artillery basically has to march on foot. Senior artillery officers or older junior officers are allowed to ride horses. Of course, there are also gunners who ride on artillery carts and are towed

Horse records.

William the Great of Prussia founded the earliest mounted artillery and gave it a nice name "flying artillery". The French officers at the time were shocked after seeing the performance of this artillery on the battlefield, but

France has still not established a mounted artillery force. It was not until 1792, after the French Revolution, that two mounted artillery companies appeared in the French army. However, after that, especially after Napoleon came to power, the French army's mounted artillery

It developed rapidly. By 1807, the French army already had 6 regiments (36 companies) of mounted artillery. In 1810, the Seventh Dutch Mounted Artillery Regiment was established. It can be said that the French mounted artillery, whether in absolute terms

Both quantity and equipment level were the highest in Europe at the time. The rate of mounted artillery in the British army was also very high. Half of the 26 artillery companies that participated in the Battle of Waterloo were mounted artillery. According to a record at hand, in 1813 Austria

Only 13 of the 42 artillery batteries deployed on the battlefield were mounted artillery. At the time of Waterloo, there were 6 mounted artillery batteries in the 17 artillery batteries of the Prussian army. The Russian army's artillery organization is relatively chaotic, and it is difficult to collect accurate data, but it is certain.

The ratio is similar to that of the Prussian army.

The number and configuration of artillery batteries in artillery batteries of various countries are not much different. The French army's dismounted artillery has 6 cannons and 2 howitzers; the mounted artillery has 4 cannons and 2 howitzers. The British army, whether mounted or on foot, has some

5/1 (5 cannons and 1 howitzer, the same below) some are 4/2. The Prussian army is all 6/2. The Austrian 12-pounder gun battery is 8/2, the mounted gun battery is 6/2, light

The artillery battery is 4/2. The situation of the Russian army is unclear. Because the 12-pounder cannon is heavier, the mounted artillery is rarely equipped with 12-pounder cannons, but is equipped with a large number of 6-pounder cannons.

The total number of officers and soldiers in artillery companies from various countries ranges from 150 to 200. Each gun has 7 gunners (the French 12-pounder has 8) and a number of infantry to assist in movement and adjust the angle of the artillery. The artillery company is under attack. Necessary resistance can also be provided during the attack. Among the 7 gunners, the gunner is usually a sergeant, one igniter, one loader, one or two are responsible for carrying ammunition, one is responsible for moistening the barrel, and the last one is unknown. How to translate it (ventsman), let’s call it the ignition port operator. You will understand why it is translated this way in a moment. If there is only one person to transport ammunition, the remaining person will stand by behind the horses and the "front car" and wait for orders. There will be a lieutenant in charge of every two guns, and the entire artillery battery will be in charge of the captain.

(2) Ammunition types and fire tactics

The main shells used by field artillery in the Napoleonic era include: solid roundshot, common shell, canister and spherical case.

Solid artillery shells were the most common type of ammunition at the time, accounting for approximately 70% to 80% of the total ammunition rationed and used by various countries' armies. The structure of this artillery shell was extremely simple, just a solid iron ball. Compared with other ammunition, solid artillery shells The biggest advantage is that the processing technology is simple, the material cost is not high, it is easy to produce and can be replenished quickly. Moreover, the solid shells have good penetrating power.

On the battlefield, solid artillery shells are suitable for shooting at various targets. They can not only kill and injure people and horses, but also destroy field defenses such as bastions. Because their trajectory is low and the damage caused is linear, dense infantry columns and infantry squares Formations are often valuable shooting targets. Infantry lines and cavalry with thin formations are not suitable for using such artillery shells. According to records, solid artillery shells can easily penetrate a 20-row infantry column. Moreover, on harder ground The ricochet shell still has a certain degree of lethality. However, the shortcomings of the solid shell are also obvious: the low and flat trajectory makes it difficult to effectively hit enemy units located on the reverse slope of the hillside.

The grenade is also spherical in appearance, hollow inside, and has a charge. It uses the fragments after the explosion to kill the opponent. The internal charge is ignited by a fuze inserted into the opening of the projectile. The fuze is usually a hollow reed (reed) with a built-in powder twist. , before loading, cut the fuze of corresponding length according to the distance of the target to be shot for use.

Since the grenade does not rely on the kinetic energy of the projectile itself, but relies on the kinetic energy of the fragments to damage enemy units, it can take a more curved trajectory and be launched by the howitzer. This makes up for the shortcomings of solid shells. In addition to being used against the back of the hillside The grenade has a considerable destructive effect on enemy troops of various formations on the open ground. The ideal impact point is in front of the target team, or preferably it explodes above the enemy formation.

The name of the shotgun (canister) originally means cylinder, and the projectile body is cylindrical in appearance. The outer shell is a thin layer of iron, and the bottom is a wooden chamber piece (sabot). The body of the projectile is filled with small iron projectiles (note: the projectile body There is no gunpowder in it). In addition to distinguishing ammunition according to the usual artillery models, shotguns are also divided into heavy shotguns and light shotguns according to the size of the projectiles inside. The projectiles used in light shotguns are about 1.5 ounces (1 ounce = 28.25 grams), and the heavier ones are It is about 4 ounces, which varies from country to country, but the difference is not big. In principle, the shotgun is more similar to a gun than a cannon. When fired, the breech piece pushes the projectile forward. The moment the projectile leaves the barrel, there is a huge pressure difference between the inside and outside of the gun. The outer shell of the projectile cannot withstand it and breaks immediately, and the projectiles inside are bound to fly out, forming a pancake-shaped barrage in the space. This barrage will gradually spread out, pass through a conical space with the muzzle as the fixed point, and hit the target. .

The principle of shotshell determines that it is more suitable for direct shooting from cannons (of course, howitzers at that time also had this type of ammunition). Moreover, the effective range is much closer. The British army stipulates that shotshells cannot be used above 350 yards. The French army's light shotshells are also

It is basically controlled to be used within 400 meters. Of course, the heavy shotgun used by the French 12-pounder can still effectively kill enemy units at a distance of 600 to 800 meters. However, at this distance, the barrage has already completely dispersed, and the person who fired the cannon may be afraid

It is not clear who will hit. The "side" of the shotgun has weak penetration and is suitable for deployed horizontal formations, so the mounted artillery that maneuvers to support the attack will be equipped with more shotshells. Similarly, riding on a tall horse, two

The cavalry attacking in a horizontal line (the frontal area receiving bullets is larger) has become another excellent target for shotguns.

One thing that needs to be emphasized here is that shotgun is not exactly the same as grapeshot! The principle of grapeshot is similar to that of grapeshot, but it was the type of ammunition used by the navy at that time, not the army.

The structure of shrapnel is similar to that of a grenade, and its principle is similar to that of shotgun. It was only used by the British army at that time. The disadvantage of the shotgun above is that the small projectiles spread too fast and the effective range is short. The shrapnel uses small projectiles in a body similar to a grenade and is charged at the same time.

However, the amount of charge is only enough to destroy the outer shell. After launch, the projectile flies towards the enemy for a certain distance, and the charge explodes to release small projectiles, which continue to fly in the direction of the original projectile, thereby delaying the dispersion time.

Hit the target more concentratedly. Shrapnel is suitable for both cannons and howitzers, but the effect on cannons is better.

When talking about the composition of an artillery company earlier, everyone should note that all artillery companies have more cannons than howitzers. After looking at the principles and uses of various artillery shells, you will understand that at that time, the usage rate of cannons was much higher than that of howitzers.

Therefore, it is normal for there to be a large number of cannons.

When defending, artillery is used to bombard enemy attacking columns or cavalry, killing enemy personnel, weakening the enemy's will, and weakening the offensive. When attacking, artillery can destabilize the enemy's front and create opportunities for the offensive troops to break through. Whether attacking or defending,

, artillery rarely directly bombarded the opponent's artillery, because according to the artillery accuracy at the time, an artillery company's position was too small to become a valuable target.

It takes about 1 to 2 minutes for artillery and personnel to enter the firing position; it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to hook up the front vehicle and prepare to move the position. The heavier artillery moves correspondingly slower. Before the artillery enters the position, some of it is already in the loading state, so

The first round of firing lasts very short. The subsequent firing rate will be affected by various factors, such as ammunition type conversion, casualties, etc. Under normal circumstances, a firing rate of 2 to 3 rounds per minute should be relatively high.

.If it is not moistened, it may reach 4 rounds per minute, so the loading hand will take some risks.

Rockets are another "secret weapon" on the battlefield of the British army. It is said to be "secret", but in fact the navy has already been using rockets. At that time, the launching principle of rockets was similar to that of modern rockets, with the charge at the rear burning to generate thrust.

, to push the projectile forward. Rocket warheads range from 5 pounds to 32 pounds, but the field warheads used by the British Army are basically 6 pounds and 9 pounds. Warhead types include the aforementioned solid bullets and grenades. In addition, rocket warheads

It can also carry RS bombs, signal bombs and illumination bombs. The advantage is that it does not need to be fired by artillery, the rate of fire is much faster than artillery, and the manufacturing process is not more complicated than artillery shells. The disadvantage is that the accuracy is too poor. In Boulogne in 1806,

The British Army used naval rockets for the first time. As a result, all the rockets originally aimed at ships in the port hit the pier. Because of this shortcoming, Wellington once refused to use rockets. However, rockets can have a certain effect on enemy recruits and horses.
Chapter completed!