8 pound gun 1 26. Armament of armies

God of War 1812. Artillery in the Patriotic War Shirokorad Alexander Borisovich

Chapter 11 ARTILLERY OF THE GRAND ARMY

GRAND ARMY ARTILLERY

1. French artillery

French artillery in the 18th century is considered by most historians to be the best in the world. In 1732, Lieutenant General de Volliers introduced a system of guns that became the most advanced in the world. It consisted of 4-, 8- and 18-pounder field guns, 24-pounder siege guns, and 8- and 12-inch mortars.

In 1776, a new system under General Jean Baptiste Gribeauval was introduced in France, which lasted from minor changes until 1827

The length of the field guns of the Gribeauval system is 18 calibers. The gap in the channel between the wall and the core was halved - from 5 mm for aviary tools to 2.5 mm, due to which the starting speed projectile and shooting accuracy. On the other hand, reducing the gaps prevented the use of red-hot cannonballs, that is, a very effective incendiary agent of that time.

The gun barrels were cast solid to avoid shells, and then a channel was drilled into them. The Aviary decorations on the trunks have disappeared. The fuses were made in copper seed rods to save the guns from the rapid flare-up of the ignition hole. Sights and front sights, previously absent, were introduced.

Field guns of the Gribeauval system

The trunnion axis was raised slightly closer to the channel axis to reduce impacts of the breech on the carriage's lifting mechanism.

Gribeauval significantly lightened the carriages and replaced the lifting wedge with a lifting screw mechanism. The front end (without a box) is made with a drawbar (instead of the previous shaft) to make it easier for the native horses.

A team of six horses carried a 12-pounder cannon, four horses carried an 8-pounder, and a pair of horses carried a 4-pounder.

To move the gun into position, Gribeauval introduced straps for servants; for the same purpose, wooden levers were inserted into brackets in the middle of the carriage. 14–15 people were enough to move a 12-pound gun in this way, even on inconvenient ground.

Designation of the main parts of the gun barrel of the Gribeauval system

Gribeauval established the composition of the battery at 8 guns of the same caliber (4-pounder, 8-pounder, 12-pounder guns or 6-inch howitzers), considering that:

1) The battery must be divided into two or four platoons.

2) To service eight guns, one company of 120 servants, which has a reserve team in the park, is enough.

3) For carts serving eight guns, one company of convoy is enough.

4) One experienced captain can command these guns.

4-pound gun Gribeauval had a caliber of 86.4 mm and a barrel weight of 295 kg. Accordingly, the 6-pounder, 8-pounder and 12-pounder guns had calibers of 96 mm, 106 mm and 121 mm, and weights of about 400 kg, 590 kg and 870–880 kg. The greatest effective firing range of the French 8-pounder guns was: cannonball - 900 m and grapeshot - 500 m, and 4-pounder guns, respectively, 800 m and 300 m.

A few words need to be said about the system of the 11th year, that is, 1803. Let me remind you that Napoleon returned the country to the old calendar in 1805.

In 1803, a special commission was created in France under the chairmanship of the First Consul Napoleon. Its purpose was to decide whether Gribeauval’s artillery was still suitable, or whether it was time to change it in accordance with the newly developed military requirements. The commission created a new “Year XI system,” which, although not yet fully implemented in practice, influenced the further development of artillery. This system assumed the following.

Eliminate 4- and 8-pounder field and 16-pounder siege guns, 6- and 8-inch howitzers, and 10-inch mortars. Replace 4- and 8-pound calibers with 6-pound long 17 calibers weighing 130 cores, modeled on Prussian artillery. To replace the previous 6-inch howitzers, introduce a 24-pound howitzer with a bore length of 5 calibers and a weight of 600 pounds with a projectile weight of about 14 pounds. Adopt mountain artillery consisting of new short 6-pounder guns weighing 360 pounds (that is, weighing 60 cannonballs), 24-pounder light howitzers and 3-pounder guns weighing 160 pounds (that is, weighing 53 cannonballs).

Section of a 12-pound French cannon. The presence of a chamber is clearly visible

The fortress artillery was to consist of 24-, 12- and 6-pounder guns; 12-, 8-inch and 24-pound Homer mortars and a 15-inch “stone thrower”.

For special mobile siege artillery parks, a new short 24-pounder gun with a length of 16 calibers and a weight of 120 cores was designed.

Coastal artillery included 24- and 36-pound cast iron cannons, as well as 12-inch long-range mortars (charged 12 kg of gunpowder). The coastal cannons were supposed to accept explosive shells with thickened bottoms and spikes.

Field carriages were accepted with straight frames and a box on the front, tied and easily removed.

Gribeauval's charging box was replaced by another - with wheels rolling under the body, but without reducing the diameter of the wheels and without raising the body. The ammunition was located in special boxes that could be easily inserted and removed.

Howitzers of the Gribeauval system

There are three types of iron axles - for the 12-pounder gun and howitzer, the 6-pounder gun and for other carts. Three types of wheels were used. 3-pounder cannons and a special forge were adapted for packing, as were boxes of ammunition. Gribeauval's fortress and siege carriages were replaced by a new type of "boom carriage" with a trunnion axis height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m).

Finally, Colonel Villantrois designed long 8-, 9- and 11-inch howitzers with a bore length of 7-8 calibers, firing large charges at large elevation angles. These howitzers were intended to protect coastal fortifications and bays intended to shelter the fleet, as well as for bombardment from long distances. The 11-inch Villantrois howitzer weighed 39 pounds (639 kg); projectile - 215 pounds (88 kg); charge - 60 pounds (24.57 kg). With these data and an elevation angle of 42°, the range was 5.8 versts (6.2 km).

As we can see, there were many reasonable ideas in the “XI year system”. The replacement of 4- and 8-pounder guns with 6-pounder ones (by drilling out the 4-pounder ones) was caused by the experience of the war. Thus, 8-pound guns turned out to be insufficiently mobile for horse artillery and required a large convoy, which lengthened the marching columns. And the 4-pounder guns were too weak and could not operate at long ranges. The 6-pound caliber was used by opponents - Austria and Prussia. By increasing their caliber a little, it was possible to prevent the enemy from using their shells, and at the same time it was possible to use the enemy’s shells. The experience of using 6-pounder guns captured by the French from the Austrians gave good results regarding reality and mobility. 6-pounder guns were introduced into the French artillery and were used in the Napoleonic Wars.

The howitzers of the Gribeauval system were too short and light, quickly wore out the carriages and had poor accuracy. Their ammunition required large quantity boxes. The 24-pound howitzers were long and more weight, fired large charges, and the accuracy of shooting from them was higher. And also, these howitzers did not damage their carriages. The same caliber as the 24-pounder guns made it possible to use the same shells as howitzers if the bombs were accepted for long guns, but in practice this turned out to be impossible at that time.

The 10-inch mortar occupied a middle position between the 12- and 8-inch mortars and could replace both of them. Mountain artillery is especially necessary when crossing mountainous terrain, for example, when crossing the Alps.

Straight carriage frames were cheaper and easier to manufacture. Front boxes were already accepted by everyone in all the armies of the world by that time. Changing the design of the charging boxes increased their maneuverability and ease of delivery of ammunition to the guns. Finally, Villantrois howitzers performed well in practice - during the bombardment of Cadiz, and began good remedy for coastal defense from long distances.

But constant wars, the inability to carry out long and serious tests new systems, as well as a number of other difficulties that arose in the process of using new projects in combat conditions, did not make it possible to accept the “XI year system” in its entirety. Only 6-pounder guns, 24-pounder howitzers and a few Villantrois howitzers were accepted. The 6- and 8-inch field howitzers were slightly lengthened, following the Prussian model. The remaining guns remained in service. So the result, instead of simplification, was an even greater variety of material.

Drawing of a French howitzer

In addition to the guns French army There were also howitzers. Moreover, they were not intended for mounted fire, as in the twentieth century, but exclusively for flat fire as reinforcement weapons.

In 1812, the Grand Army was armed with three types of howitzers: the 6-inch Gribeauval system, the 6-inch “extended” howitzer and the 24-pound howitzer of the “XI year” model. Their caliber was approximately the same - about 152 mm, and all howitzers had cylindrical chambers. The 6-inch Gribeauval howitzer of 162 mm caliber had a length of 4.75 calibers. Its barrel weight was 330–355 kg, and the carriage weighed 590 kg.

"Long" howitzers were introduced in 1795, modeled on Prussian howitzers. The length of the howitzer was 6.5 calibers. There were relatively few such howitzers in the Great Army.

The 24-pound howitzer of the “Year XI System” had a caliber of 160 mm, a barrel length of 6.75 calibers, a barrel weight of about 350 kg, and a carriage weight of 573 kg.

French howitzers were transported by four horses.

During the French Revolution, one-pound guns of the Rosten system were also used. They were intended for “light troops”, had a collapsible carriage and could be transported on packs. To the trunk of a carriage with wheels large diameter shafts were attached. The gun was transported by one horse. Its caliber is about two inches, the weight of the barrel is 4.2 pounds (68.8 kg).

Gribeauval left the siege and fortress weapons of de Volliers unchanged, removing only decorations (by turning) and small chambers that did not reach the goal and made it difficult to penetrate. A short 8-inch howitzer was introduced into the siege artillery.

During experimental shooting, Gribeauval found out that the Aviary 12-inch mortars would withstand a maximum of 100 more shots, after which they would become unusable; almost a third of the bombs fired from them would break. Therefore, he proposed a relatively weighted 10-inch mortar and bombs for it with thickened walls. With a charge of 7 pounds (2.87 kg), it threw bombs up to 1,000 fathoms (2,134 m), as did the 12-inch mortar. The mortar is sedentary, with a cylindrical chamber and a retractable seed rod. Cast iron machine. The Aviary 12-inch mortars were left in service until their bombs were completely used up, but from now on their weight was supposed to be increased by 8 pounds (131 kg).

In addition, Gribeauval adopted Homeric mortars of 12, 10 and 8 inches in caliber. A feature of these mortars, proposed in 1785, were large conical chambers, which gave a lower loading density and a more favorable gas effect. The chambers merged with a cylindrical channel. The mortars used triangular lugs that connected the trunnions to the body of the mortar (the muzzle). The 12-inch Homer mortar fired a bomb at a range of up to 1200 fathoms (2561 m).

In addition to the mortars, there were also 15-inch stone throwers, but descriptions of them could not be found.

In field carriages with slightly shortened and lightweight frames, the diameter of the wheels was increased, and iron axles and cast iron bushings in the hubs were adopted. To reduce the increased rollback, the beds were curved in the middle accordingly. Strong shackles and ankle straps slightly increased the weight of the carriage. To more evenly distribute the load on both axles during large movements, traveling sockets were adopted. Between the frames diverging towards the trunk there was an inserted fire monitor box for ammunition with a gable roof and hinges on the sides for inserting levers when carrying. The lifting mechanism consisted of a board rotating on a horizontal bolt (under axles), resting with its notch on the head of a screw screwed into the uterus rotating on axles. To make it easier for the servants to move the carriage, there were hooks in the frontal part at the ends of the axles and at the trunk, which were hooked onto special straps with leather loops. For the same purpose, transverse levers were inserted into special brackets on the frames. To move the carriage, 8–11 people were required for 4-pound guns and 11–15 for 12-pound guns. For horizontal aiming, two rules were used, pushed into the clips on the sides of the pivot funnel.

When retreating and transporting through ditches and rivers, a long rope was attached to the ring near the trunk - the so-called “draw”, by which the limber was pulled. In this case, the gun could continue firing.

The howitzer carriage had a wooden axle and a wedge lifting mechanism with a horizontal screw. There were no traveling nests. Knowing from experience that howitzer carriages cannot withstand firing at elevation angles greater than +20°, Gribeauval limited this angle to +18° (and –5°).

Siege carriages had a device similar to howitzer carriages, and differed little from Aviary carriages. Siege carriages did not have traveling nests, since the guns were transported separately from the carriages on special four-wheeled drays (to transfer the guns, the drogs were removed from the limbers, like the carriages).

For fortress guns, special carriages were adopted, the frames of which, consisting of several beams cut into each other, connected by bolts, had 2 wheels on the front axle and one solid, durable one - between the frames - on the rear. The front wheels rolled when rolling back along the side longitudinal bars of a special turntable; the rear wheel - along the central grooved beam of the platform, which could rotate around the front pivot. The lifting mechanism is wedge, without screw. The height of the trunnions is about 5 feet (1.52 m), instead of the previous 3?. For coastal guns, similar machines were adopted on four wheels, rolling along the beams of a wooden rotating frame (in front there was a pin; in the back there was one solid solid wheel, moving along an arced iron strip fixed on the base).

The field limbers consisted of a fork-shaped frame connected to a drawbar, a slab with a pivot above the axle, and a crossbar or slug that supported the trunk of the gun carriage. There was no box.

The siege limbers had thick wooden shafts, tightly fixed to the axle, and did not have a slug. The charging box consisted of a long box with a gable roof, mounted on a wooden frame, with its cutouts superimposed on the rear axle with high wheels and the field front axle with a slug. Wooden partitions formed nests for shells.

A field forge on four wheels with a fur, an open forge and two boxes for accessories was added to the number of carts. Triquebals and jacks were used for moving and transporting guns.

IN early XIX century, the Prussian general Scharngorst assessed Gribeauval’s artillery as follows: “French artillery, which was the first in Europe in the previous period, became again the most advanced in 1774; It is true that the basic ideas of its design and organization were borrowed from the Prussian artillery, but they were implemented in such a way that the French guns are still not inferior to any others... everything that was borrowed received the highest possible degree of perfection. The French artillery corps took the most outstanding part in the development of artillery science and technology... when in other states artillery was a craft, in France it has already become a science... French equipment and French institutions now serve as examples for all other artillery.”

The main disadvantage of the French field artillery It was impossible for servants to sit on the limbers and charging boxes, which allowed only walking.

The French army also paid great attention to horse artillery.

Initially, horse companies (six 4-pound cannons and one 6-inch howitzer) were attached to foot artillery regiments. However, by order of the War Ministry of February 7, 1794, a new branch of artillery was officially created, receiving special organization. The companies were organized into regiments of horse artillery. Each regiment had 6 companies and a depot.

On April 15, 1806, a horse artillery regiment of the Imperial Guard was formed, consisting of 6 companies.

U French guns and howitzers, the date of manufacture and the name of the craftsman were minted on the torel belt. Guns cast before 1793 bore the monograms of King Louis XIV. The crown of the French kings has eight line flowers above the hoop. Arcs rise from them, which also converge under the blossoming lily.

The cannons, cast in 1793–1803, depict the monogram of the Republic, consisting of two intertwined letters RF—Republic of France, topped with an inscription. Some cannons bear the monogram of the National Assembly - “AN”, as well as the image of the “all-seeing eye” and the inscription.

The cannons cast under Napoleon I are decorated with his initials - the letter “N” in a laurel wreath under the crown. In the crown above the hoop are eagles with wings raised high.

The cannons of the Kingdom of Italy (Northern Italy, Piedmont and a number of duchies) depict the iron crown of the Lombard kings with the motto “God gave it to me. Woe to anyone who touches her." The guns of the Italian Kingdom differed little from the French ones, fortunately, since May 1805, Napoleon I was the Italian king. And this good king sent his troops to Russia to help the French Emperor Napoleon I.

2. French Allied Artillery

A complete description of the guns of the allied countries that participated in the campaign against Russia in 1812 is a hefty volume. So I will have to limit myself to the most common systems.

Table 12

Prussian artillery

The attentive reader has already noticed the discrepancy between the names of the Prussian howitzers - 10-pounder and 7-pounder - with the weight of their shells and caliber in inches. This is not a typo. The fact is that in Prussia, howitzer calibers were measured by the weight of a stone (!), and not a cast iron core.

Prussian 24-lb howitzer

The Prussian cannons, cast in Breslau in 1780–1801, depict the Prussian coat of arms - a single-headed eagle with a sword in one paw and “peruns” in the other. The eagle is crowned. Above the inscription: “For glory and homeland!”

The breech bears the monogram of King Frederick with the motto: "The King's Last Argument."

Table 13

Data Austrian guns

It is worth noting here that the calibers of a number of Austrian cannons are expressed in the small Nuremberg scale and therefore, with the same name, are smaller than in the artillery of other countries. For example, a 12-pound Austrian is equivalent to an 8-pound French, and a 6-pound is equivalent to a 4-pound.

Since the Austrian Empire included many territories, Austrian guns were distinguished by a wide variety of coats of arms and monograms. Thus, on the cannons with the coats of arms of Bohemia, Burgundy and Lombardy, images of eagles with the order chain of the “Golden Fleece” are minted. Cannons from the time of Empress Maria Theresa adorn the coat of arms of the Duchy of Tuscany, which includes the coats of arms of Austria, Parma, Hungary, Bohemia, and Jerusalem.

The artillery of the Great Army also included English cannons. Moreover, they were not trophies of the “villain Bonaparte.” The fact is that Napoleon annexed Hanover - the personal possession of the British kings.

Accordingly, the Hanoverian cannons feature the monogram English king George VII with the chain of the Order of the Garter and the inscription: “Shame on him who thinks ill of it.”

Saxon 20-lb howitzer

The Great Army also included Dutch cannons, cast in The Hague in 1797. They depict the coats of arms of Flanders with the inscription “Watch, trusting in God.”

The cannons, cast in 1788, bear the coat of arms of Zealand - the “swimming lion”. On the shield under the ducal crown is the inscription: “I fight and fight out.”

The Polish cannons depict the coats of arms of King Stanislaw Augustus, Prince Sapieha, Prince Potocki, surrounded by a chain of the Order of the White Eagle with the inscription “For faith, law and flock.”

On the cannons with the coat of arms of Prince Sapieha there is a mantle, in the oval there is an arrow, around there are laurels intertwined with an order ribbon, and the title of Prince Nestor-Kazimir Sapieha: the chief chief of artillery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The cannons are engraved with the motto “For Faith, Tsar and Law” and the inscription: “A citizen sacrificed me to the Fatherland.”

The cannons with the coat of arms of Count Potocki also depict a mantle, and on them there is an oval shield with a seven-pointed cross and the coat of arms of Pilyava. The laurels are intertwined with the mite of the Order of Stanislaus. On the oval is the inscription: “Count Theodor Potocki of the Crown Artillery, Major General.” On top are a helmet and a count's crown, and above it are ostrich feathers with the same cross as in the coat of arms. Above the coat of arms is the motto “For war, but not at all for civil” and the year “1767”.

Table 14

Artillery data from Napoleon's allies

Chapter 2 BATTLES ON THE FLANKS OF THE GREAT ARMY By the beginning of the Patriotic War, the 3rd reserve observation army under the command of cavalry general Tormasov was located in Volyn, occupying positions from Lyuboml to Stary Konstantinov with main apartment in Lutsk. Army