Artillery

To affirm his political regime, Pandolfo Petrucci (1452-1512) took advantage of the potentialities
given by the Camera del Comune. It had been the arsenal of the city of Siena for a long time, but
Pandolfo changed its organization and widened its assignments. The maintenance and production
of weapons was still the principal purpose of this institution of the city. Under Pandolfo the production
of artilleries, ammunitions and the fortification activity was increased, thanks to specialists
like Francesco di Giorgio, Giacomo Cozzarelli and Vannoccio Biringucci, personalities who deeply
influenced the technical and military culture of all Europe. The Camera del Comune also managed
the military intelligence, useful tool to the dissembling politics of the Petrucci, and to the management
of the army. The Army of Siena was composed by a Condotta in Aspetto, which Pandolfo used
to create alliances. But the most important troops were the Provvisionati di Piazza, a professional
infantry faithful to the political regime and depending, both economically and for the supply of
weapons, on the Chamber of the town and the leadership of Pandolfo. The military politics of Pandolfo
Petrucci brought Siena among the greatest European powers of that time but its purposes,
mainly finalized to the maintenance of his own personal power, obstructed a true modernization
of the war apparatus of Siena, which in the following years had been inferior than its adversaries.

ABSTRACT in English (résumé en français plus bas): "Artillery and the art of the 'petite guerre': a long progression"
In 1744, for the first time in France, some pieces of artillery are associated to a unit of light troops from its inception. Indeed, the regiment of the harquebusiers of Grassin, a mixed body of infantrymen and cavalrymen, received two pieces of the light cannon known as "à la Suédoise" (in the Swedish way). With examples, the article shows on the one hand that narrative sources make it possible to identify a use of cannons in the "petite guerre" – the tactic in which light troops are specialized – from the War of the Austrian Succession in Flanders (1744-1748) onwards. But on the other hand, it is observed that only the theoretical treatises of the "petite guerre" published after the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) seriously consider the use of artillery in this area and encourage it. To clarify this discrepancy, we must return to the tactical and technical developments as well as to the political choices during the 18th century.

RESUME en français :
« Artillerie et art de la petite guerre : un long cheminement »
En 1744, pour la première fois en France, des pièces d’artillerie sont associées à un corps de troupes légères dès sa création. Le régiment des arquebusiers de Grassin, corps mixte de fantassins et de cavaliers, se voit en effet attribuer deux pièces du canon léger dit « à la suédoise ». L’article montre d’une part, exemples à l’appui, que les sources narratives permettent d’identifier un usage du canon à la petite guerre – la tactique de spécialité des troupes légères – dès la guerre de Succession d’Autriche en Flandre (1744-1748). Mais, d’autre part, on observe que seuls les traités théoriques de petite guerre publiés après la guerre de Sept Ans (1756-1763) envisagent sérieusement le recours à l’artillerie dans ce domaine et l’encouragent. Pour éclairer ce décalage, il faut revenir sur les évolutions tactiques et techniques ainsi que sur les choix politiques au long du XVIIIe siècle.

This paper studies steel built-up guns made in Josiah Vavasseur's London Ordnance Works in 1880s that were sold to China and used in coastal forts and warships. It uses the Vavasseur album in the collection of Southwark Local History Library to identify each type of Vavasseur guns that was used in China and has drawings, photos or surviving examples.

The Great War confronted Australia’s fledgling field and garrison artillery forces with a seemingly insurmountable challenge: to rapidly raise, prepare, deploy and engage in history’s most lethal war to date.

By 1915, the Australian artillery entered into a bloody contest of learning and adaptation against resourceful and resolute opponents, where the stakes would be measured in thousands of soldiers’ lives.

Far from popularly-held views of the Great War as one of stalemate and stagnation, Clash of the Gods of War: Australian Artillery and the Firepower Lessons of the Great War reveals a dynamic and rapidly evolving battle-scape, as artillery planners on each side sought to combine innovative concepts, technology and tactics into victory.

The book draws on an unparalleled array of perspectives on artillery and firepower, presented by Australian and international experts and practitioners over four years during the Firepower: Lessons from the Great War seminar series, commemorating the Centenary of Anzac.

From Anzac Cove to the Hindenburg Line, Clash of the Gods of War tells a gripping Australian story of the Great War through the lens of artillery – the most lethal and influential arm of the war – and considers the legacy that its evolutionary journey holds for warfare today.

The Mamluk siege of Montfort castle provides a rare opportunity to examine one of the most celebrated but also misrepresented technologies of the Middle Ages: mechanical artillery. The castle was inhabited for only about forty-five years before it was taken and then destroyed by the Mamluks, creating a time capsule for archaeologists to peer into life in a mid-thirteenth-century stronghold and carefully examine evidence of the siege that ultimately led to its abandonment. Among the finds are a number of artillery projectiles that date to the final siege of the castle. An investigation of the surrounding topography has revealed that there are only a couple of places from which these stones could have been thrown. This rare combination of clearly datable projectiles and a topographical environment that provides a good indication of range allows for a unique quantitative assessment of the development of trebuchet technology.

End-of-season progress report on the excavation of the wreck site of the 17th century in Mogincual designated MOG-003, tentatively identified as the São Jose (1622) and the survey in the waters off the island of Mozambique and Mogincual in various wreck sites and potentially dangerous areas.

Part 1: Seven chapters covering French Ordnance, tactics and manuals from 1732 to 1828 upon the M1732 Valliere, M1765 Gribeauval and M1803 AnXI Systems. In total 92pp, 6 period colour plates and 8 colour plates by Dr Stephen Summerfield of 28 Artillery pieces.

Part 2: Ministre de Guerre (1824) a 24 page introduction then 112 pages of this 1824 Artillery manual. Part 3: Levault F.G. Originally 26 plates showing the drill in serving the Artillery at that time and detailed drawings of the Ordnance itself. This presented into 51 plates with English annotations by the authors.

Le sentier littoral de découverte « Sur les traces du passé » à Martigues fut, dès son origine, marqué par la personnalité du maire de la commune, Paul Lombard. Fils de FTP fusillé par les Allemands en 1944, résistant lui-même à 17 ans, il fut élu municipal sans interruption de 1953 à 2009 et maire pendant 40 ans. Après l’explosion de l’usine AZF à Toulouse et le grand incendie de Martigues de septembre 2001 (2 morts), il prend conscience de la richesse environnementale et patrimoniale d’une côte fortement industrialisée : la préservation de cette richesse de la Côte Bleue est un atout d’avenir face au complexe pétrochimique de Fos-Martigues qui ne pourra que se réduire.

En 2003, la municipalité lança donc une étude sur ces « bunkers allemands » qui parsèment le littoral pour savoir qu’en faire. Les conclusions révélèrent que loin d’être tous allemands – la propagande nazie fut d’une efficacité furieuse … - ces « bunkers » étaient les témoins d’une histoire plus longue, plus variée et plus riche. La municipalité décida donc de les intégrer dans son projet de préservation de l’espace littoral et de les mettre en valeur pour que la population puisse se les approprier à nouveau. Cette « patrimonialisation » est exemplaire en Méditerranée où, plus que sur la Manche ou l'Atlantique, les bunkers sont encore considérés comme des résidus d'événements honteux. En les intégrant au patrimoine municipal, entre la carrière antique de la Couronne et la chapelle de Sainte-Croix, le sentier « Sur les traces du passé » leur rend une légitimité en exposant par des brochures, des panneaux et une signalétique propre leur histoire, leur signification et leur intérêt patrimonial.

Some documents from the Friuli area, dating back to 1336, attesting the use of firearms in Venzone and the preparation of black powder, were quickly forgotten immediately after their publication, not finding feedback, even today, even in local publications.
Their rediscovery and contextualization, considered also the recent discoveries on the subject occurred for the neighboring Veneto area, confirms their importance for the history of the hoplology offering a more secure and documented datum of the famous quotation referring to the year 1331 reported in the Chronicle of Cividale («ballistabant cum sclopo versus terram») whose oldest specimens, as known, do not go beyond the XV century.

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Alcuni documenti di ambito friulano attestanti l’uso di armi da fuoco a Venzone e la preparazione della polvere nera risalenti al 1336, furono rapidamente dimenticati subito dopo la loro pubblicazione, non trovando, a tutt’oggi, riscontro neppure nelle pubblicazioni di argomento locale.
La loro riscoperta e contestualizzazione, alla luce anche dei risultati avuti dalle recenti indagini sull’argomento avvenute per la confinante area veneta, conferma la loro importanza per la storia dell’oplologia offrendo un dato più sicuro e documentato della famosa citazione riferita all’anno 1331 riportata nella Cronaca di Cividale («ballistabant cum sclopo versus terram») che, come noto da tempo, è giunta solamente in copie del secolo XV.

Artillery in the Era of the Crusades provides a detailed examination of the use of mechanical artillery in the Levant through the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Rather than focus on a selection of sensational anecdotes, Michael S. Fulton explores the full scope of the available literary and archaeological evidence, reinterpreting the development of trebuchet technology and the ways in which it was used during this period. Among the arguments put forward, Fulton challenges the popular perception that the invention of the counterweight trebuchet was responsible for the dramatic transformation in the design of fortifications around the start of the thirteenth century.

The practice of observation in Army Artillery has been hampered by the high cost and the limited number of available instruction areas. Using Virtual Reality (VR) becomes a viable alternative for this important training activity. In this context, was developed the first Brazilian Army VR simulator in which an instructor can train an observer in a virtual environment of Artillery employment. This simulator was tested by a sample of 13 Artillery officers with extensive practical experience in observation. The results were compared with reference values obtained from related work. The data show that the simulator reached the reference values for the two parameters evaluated: presence and effectiveness.

This short paper presents the technics and methods used to direct fire of coastal artillery on enemy's ships in the first half of the 20th Century. It deals with the development of mecanical calculation to compute data from different sensors (range finder, windmeter, search lights, etc.) in order to determine firing settings. It was drafted in 2004 for the visit of the batterie haute des Mèdes (Porquerolles Island) during the Journées du patrimoine.

The book describes the armed forces of Peter the Great in its entirety, and covers in depth old Russian troops and irregulars, as well as Peter’s new standing army (guards, infantry, dragoons, elite units and artillery) and his brand-new force(the navy, with sailing ships and galleys, and marines). Besides the staffing, organization and development of troops, the book gives detailed account of uniforms, weapons and other materiel (both conventional and unusual). Training is described using drill manuals and tactical instructions of the period, and fighting methods actually performed on the battlefield are described - based on first-hand accounts and period observations from Russian, Swedish and impartial sources. Pitched battles that often predominate in descriptions of early-18th century warfare are given their due in the book; however, linear tactics on the field were not the only - nor even the main - type of actions during the Great Northern War, so the author goes into details of the sieges, small war actions and riverine, lake and naval combats.

The author brings up materials that were unavailable to English-speaking readers and scholars so far, and the book not only contains the author’s own research, but is also based on the most recent works of other Russian scholars who specialize in various aspects of the Petrine military history; this makes the book a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Peter the Great’s military force during the Great Northern War (1700-1721). The book is supplemented with numerous contemporary prints and paintings, photos of artefacts and recreated uniform kits, as well as specially-commissioned artwork that has been created by an artist who is knowledgeable in details from that period.

: This report is an outgrowth of questions raised in the fall of 1980 and spring of 1981 about the conduct of air operations in the war between Iran and Iraq. Unlike previous Middle Eastern wars, this one had continued over a protracted period while we in the United States and in the US Air Force had been able to observe it only from a distance. As the war haltingly progressed, we began to have a fair picture of what was going on in the air war, through our information was far from complete or detailed. The sketchy picture that emerged, however, seemed to indicate the combatants were using their airpower assets in ways contrary to our expectations. Most notably, it seemed that both sides seemed content not to use their airpower and relied instead on ground forces for most combat operations. This report examines the air war between Iran and Iraq, but rather than attempt simply to lay out what happened in the war it attempts to discern why Iran and Iraq used their airpower as they did...

The hostile environment in South Asia is a serious concern for the international players. This volatile situation is further fuelled by escalating arms race and aggressive force postures. The Indian Cold Start Doctrine (CSD) has supplemented negatively to the South Asian strategic stability by trying to find a way in fighting a conventional limited war just below the nuclear umbrella. It was reactionary in nature to overcome the shortcomings exhibited during Operation Parakram of 2001-02, executed under the premise of Sundarji Doctrine. The Cold Start is an adapted version of German Blitzkrieg which makes it a dangerous instrument. Apart from many limitations, the doctrine remains relevant to the region, primarily due to the attestation of its presence by the then Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat in January 2017. This paper is an effort to probe the different aspects of Cold Start, its prerequisites in provisions of three sets; being a bluff based on deception, myth rooted in misperception, and a reality flanked by escalation; and how and why CSD is a strategic concern for Pakistan.

The guns of the coast artillery were built to match those carried by the warships of the era. Mortars have long been an essential part of defense. The article focuses on the different types of french mortars, 17th c. to mid 19th c., and their mode of action.

This article offers a study and edition of a collection of Middle English recipes for gunpowder from the early fifteenth century in London, Society of Antiquaries, MS 101. These are entirely unknown outside of their descriptions in a few works listing the texts in the manuscript and studies of the manuscript itself. These four distinct recipes are the earliest in Middle English and also include the earliest mention of gunpowder corning in England (the earliest in Europe is from Germany in 1411), which made the resulting product more reliable (especially against spoilage) and more powerful.

When Wellington pushed forward all of his horse artillery into the line, one of these was overlooked by history. The combined half horse batteries under the command of captains Gey and Petter also joined in the battle, almost immediately behind the farm of Hougoumont.
This article was first published in First Empire in the July/August issue of 2005.

The Conquest of Tunis in 1535, a relatively limited military victory in the power balance of the Mediterranean in the sixteenth century, became through art both a historic and a legendary milestone that marked the backbone of Charles V’s reign. The war to secure the reinstatement of the king of Tunis, Muley Hassan, who had been expelled from his states by Barbarossa —acting on behalf of the Turk— was a brief event that was more reactive than subordinate to a systematic plan of conquest. Nonetheless, it was perpetuated in the European imaginary as a symbol of the first ‘modern war’ by historiography and, above all, by visual propaganda, as many of the chronicles of the African expedition generated during those years lived on for posterity in manuscript form. So far attempts at analysing the imagery associated with the imperial expedition have centred chiefly on its best known and most brilliant consequence, the famous tapestry set woven at the Brussels workshops that served Willem de Pannemaker and held by Patrimonio Nacional. In contrast, this essay marks a first approach to provide an overall and politically contextualised interpretation of the artistic expressions linked to the campaign and executed during the emperor’s lifetime (1500-1558), arranged in accordance with a narrative discourse.

From ubiquitous surveillance to drone strikes that put “warheads onto foreheads,” we live in a world of globalized, individualized targeting. The perils are great. In The Eye of War, Antoine Bousquet provides both a sweeping historical overview of military perception technologies and a disquieting lens on a world that is, increasingly, one in which anything or anyone that can be perceived can be destroyed—in which to see is to destroy.

Arguing that modern-day global targeting is dissolving the conventionally bounded spaces of armed conflict, Bousquet shows that over several centuries, a logistical order of militarized perception has come into ascendancy, bringing perception and annihilation into ever-closer alignment. The efforts deployed to evade this deadly visibility have correspondingly intensified, yielding practices of radical concealment that presage a wholesale disappearance of the customary space of the battlefield. Beginning with the Renaissance’s fateful discovery of linear perspective, The Eye of War discloses the entanglement of the sciences and techniques of perception, representation, and localization in the modern era amid the perpetual quest for military superiority. In a survey that ranges from the telescope, aerial photograph, and gridded map to radar, digital imaging, and the geographic information system, Bousquet shows how successive technological systems have profoundly shaped the history of warfare and the experience of soldiering.

A work of grand historical sweep and remarkable analytical power, The Eye of War explores the implications of militarized perception for the character of war in the twenty-first century and the place of human subjects within its increasingly technical armature.

This paper gives an overview of the emergence and development of mobile light field artillery in selected European countries during the first half of the Thirty Years' War. In the final part of the paper, the importance of the collection of four field bronze cannons from the period of the Thirty Years' War at the Opočno Castle in East Bohemia is also discussed.

Futur instrument de la construction étatique, l’artillerie n’est pas (encore), au début du XVe siècle, l’apanage du prince. Outre certains seigneurs, les villes des Pays-Bas disposent de parcs d’artillerie parfois impressionnants. Dans une perspective comparative, cet article examine, à un moment où le rôle du canon sur les théâtres d’opération s’accroît sensiblement, les politiques princières vis-à-vis de l’artillerie communale dans trois principautés des Pays-Bas : la Flandre de Jean sans Peur (1405-1419), le Brabant de son frère cadet Antoine (1406-1415) et le Hainaut de leur beau-frère et allié commun Guillaume IV (1404-1417). Ces principautés sont privilégiées pour deux raisons : d’une part, le développement considérable, depuis le milieu du XIVe siècle, d’un artisanat du canon et l’émergence de formes d’organisation de l’arme dans leurs villes ; d’autre part, alors même que des liens familiaux et politiques entre les trois princes favorisaient des influences réciproques, ils devaient composer avec des réalités politiques internes différentes. Envisagées sous l’angle de la dépendance des princes vis-à-vis de l’artillerie communale ainsi que des incitants ou freins mis à son développement, les politiques princières reflètent les rapports de pouvoir entre prince et villes au sein des trois principautés.

In February 1916 a small group of German army pioneers approached the looming bulk of Fort Douaumont near Verdun, at the time considered impregnable. This article describes the remarkable events surrounding its almost single-handed capture  by one of these men and the complacency amongst the French army's high command which led to this debacle.

Although soundly defeated in the War of Austrian Succession by the brilliance of Frederick the Great and his Prussian Army, the army of Austria was the most significant of his opponents. Their campaign history has been expertly documented in recent times, but very little has been written on their uniforms. This new volume is a companion to the author’s AUSTRIAN SEVEN YEARS WAR INFANTRY AND ENGINEERS.

It documents the campaign history, uniforms, flags, horse furniture as well as a complete record of its Inhaber [colonel-in-chief] for each Austrian cavalry regiment, whether Cuirassier, Chevauleger, Dragoons, Grenz Hussars or Hussars. The work draws upon most of the major sources on Austrian uniforms of the Seven Years War including the contemporary works of Albertini, the Bautzen Manuscript and Raspe which influenced all later artists. The 340+ colour illustrations include 191 of uniforms after Albertini, Brauer, Donath, Knötel, Neucetz and Teuber-Wekersdorf plus 43 flags / standards, 102 uniform / equipment details, 10 line drawings from Die Österreichische Armee 1700-1867 by Ottenfeld & Teuber and 10 Tables.

In addition this new volume provides a detailed study of Austrian artillery pieces and organization for the period. The chapter is illustrated with 15 photos of extent guns tubes, 9 plans and 6 Tables. In addition there are 46 short biographies of generals and designers of the Liechtenstein artillery system with 12 portraits."

Definition of Heeresartillerie: This paper treats "firing" artillery as Heerestruppen/-troops (or also called heeresartillery) - the Operations Department in the General Staff of the Army defined the term "Heerestroops" on February 16th, 1945 as follows:
"Heerestroops are the means of the top leadership for the formation of focal points in a decisive position. They therefore always remain directly subordinate to the supreme command and are assigned by it to the combat requirements according to the individual command authorities. Assigned for specific tasks on a case-by-case basis".


I also use the term Armytroops or Armyartillery in the same context.
It always mean „Heeresartillerie“.
And i use „detachment“ instead of the english „division“ for translate the german „Abteilung“.

This elaboration cannot and does not intend to present a troop history of the respective units. The well-known reference book by Georg Tessin: "Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg" (Associations and Troops of the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS in World War II) does mention various units of the army artillery. However, Georg Tessin omitted a comprehensive examination of the respective units. In addition, detailed information is lacking with regard to formation, equipment, deployment sites and subordination.

With the work presented here, an important part of the history of German artillery is examined in detail on the basis of archive material. A gap in the organizational history of German units is closed with this work and a study is presented which now makes it possible to take a closer look at the Wehrmacht's army artillery, which has so far received little attention. Now it is not only possible to prove and investigate the formation of the units in detail, but also to trace the way the units took in the course of World War II.
Precise subordination relationships enable the reader to determine where a unit was deployed and to whom it was subordinated. This makes this work indispensable in modern military historiography, in tracing personal military careers and ultimately in clarifying fates.
The relations of subordination are presented in the "chronologies", mostly based on artillery deployments at the beginning of major operations and, of course, according to primary sources available to me. The respective insinuations have been worked into the units themselves.

My 5-volume basic set treats "shooting" artillery as part of the army (Heeres) troops in the German Wehrmacht.
In addition to the independent artillery batteries, artillery divisions and artillery regiments as Heerestroops, I also deal with
- Artillery batteries and departments in reinforced infantry, mountain, mot and armored infantry regiments outside of a divisional unit as army troops
- Artillery Staffs, the Senior Artillery Commanders and the Artillery Commanders (although they were not exclusively Army troops)
- from the Army Coastal Artillery, the light turret howitzer platoons and units with caliber sizes of cannons from 17 cm and mortars from 22 cm, as well as the Army Coastal Artillery units constantly deployed as front artillery by the Army Groups North and South in the Russian campaign
- Railroad Artillery
- A-4 Units of Army and Waffen-SS
- Artillery Special Forces of the Waffen-SS

are not treated (to avoid double work):
- Divisional Artillery
- heavy artillery units already existing in peacetime until the beginning of the war
- „Sturm“-Artillery (Aussault Guns)
- the „Nebel- und Werfertruppe“ (Rocket launcher)
- Reconnaissance artillery (Aufklärende Artillerie)

The book series "Organizational History of German Army Artillery in World War II - Artillery as Army Troops" will be supplemented in the course of time by chronicles and illustrated books of individual units, but also by campaign depictions from the perspective of army artillery and other exciting topics.
As a supplement to my 5-volume basic set of the book series "Organizational History of German Army Artillery in World War II - Artillery as Army Troops", which only dealt with "shooting army artillery", I would now like to devote myself to the "non-shooting army artillery" units which were initially excluded:
- "Artillery weather units of the army" (already published)
- in work: "Artillery Auxiliary Units of the Army Artillery" (including light and heavy V.0. units, fire control batteries, power train squadrons, independent balloon flights and much more) and finally
- in work: 2 volumes on the organizational history of the "war mapping and surveying troops“ (Kriegskarten- und Vermessungstruppen)
Each book will first be published by our own publishing house without ISBN and with an individual cover. This edition is a test run in terms of printing and to be able to react to additions/corrections.
I publish the final version at Books-On-Demand with ISBN, different cover and possibly different page number. This version is then also available as e-book. When the remaining copies of the self-published edition are sold, there is only the Books-On-Demand edition to buy. The illustrated covers show the self-published edition.

thanks Uwe Kleinert/28.11.2020

Inventory of marine archaeological sites discovered and assessed in the Cabo Verde archipelago, including Cidade Velha, during the archaeological explorations and interventions from 1999 to 2001. The list includes 44 wreck sites of archaeological importance which were investigated at various levels of intervention, some of them prior to 1999.

Explosive weapons use the detonation of a high-explosive substance to create blast, and commonly fragmentation, effects. The explosive weapons that raise specific concerns when used in populated areas are those having wide-area effects. Explosive weapons might affect a wide area because of the large destruction radius of the individual munition used, the inaccuracy of the delivery system, and/or the delivery of multiple munitions over a wide area. These categories of explosive weapons having wide-area effects include large bombs and missiles; indirect fire weapon systems such as mortars, rockets and artillery guns; and multi-barrel rocket launchers.

The report provides an overview of the types of explosive weapons that may be prone to wide-area effects, as well as the factors and variables that determine their effects.

The focus of the report is on conventional explosive weapons the use of which is not specifically prohibited or otherwise limited by international law (contrary to weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions, which do have specific restrictions imposed by international law). The weapon systems reviewed in this report are frequently encountered on contemporary battlefields, or else commonly held by States.

The report was commissioned from Armament Research Services (ARES) by the ICRC, as part of the ICRC's work to foster better understanding of the effects of explosive weapons when used in populated areas. The purpose of the report is to provide background information on the technical characteristics of explosive weapons and other factors relevant to their effects. It is meant to be a general reference document, and it reflects the analysis and views of the authors and not necessarily those of the ICRC.

Part 1 of the report examines the design and effects of explosive munitions. It also addresses concepts such as accuracy, fuzing, the targeting process, collateral damage estimations, battle damage assessments, and more.

Part 2 of the report provides generic information for the broad categories of weapon systems which deliver explosive payloads – mortars, rocket artillery, unguided aerial bombs, and other types. For each weapon category identified, Part 2 provides a description of the technical features relevant to the effects of the weapon. In particular, it includes, where available, estimated blast and fragmentation radius for munition types, estimated circular error probable figures, and other measureable effects.

108pp., 4to, fully illus.,
Four themes: a translation by Digby Smith of Bleckwenn’s important woirk on Prussian artillery of the Seven Years War, together with scale plans by Christian Rogge; Saxon & Piedmont quick fire guns; Battalion guns & Amusettes in the Netherlands 1793-1795; Jan Verbruggen’s methods of artillery repairs which caused his dismissal from The Hague & employment by the Royal Brass Foundry at Woolwich.

“Ordnance is the most accurate and acceptable generic term which embraces all those weapons of war which use an explosive charge to propel a missile in the direction of the enemy, and which are larger than those which can be used as personal arms” (Hughes 1969: 1). The technical development and unreserved application of cannon (a term which in its modern sense encompasses all of the types mentioned below) played a key role in European expansion and colonial hegemony (cf. Cipolla 1965). Ordnance remains, therefore, are of great interest to archaeologists studying this process, or that of technological change in general. In addition, ordnance—and especially bronze as opposed to iron pieces—usually proves the most diagnostic artifacts found on a shipwreck or military site. This study is an overview of the history of the development, design, and manufacture of bronze muzzle-loading ordnance, which were widely used by the world’s military forces from the 16th to mid-19th centuries. Discussion is limited for the most part to guns (what are usually termed cannon), but also to mortars, howitzers, and to a lesser degree types such as the carronade and swivel gun.

ABSTRACT in English (résumé en français plus bas): "Light artillery in the field during the 18th century: new reflections".
This article describes in depth the place of light artillery in military thinking and in military campaigns throughout the 18th century; it widens the question dealt with another article of ours (in the Journal: ‘Carnet de la Sabretache’, June 2001) by extending it to the battle, and by studying the Prussian example besides the French one. Light artillery in the 18th century is indeed an important topic, since what then left a mark in Europe regarding artillery was, on one hand, the search for weight reduction of artillery systems in general; and on the other hand, the appearance in several European countries of very light artillery pieces, not only due to their calibre (ie the weight of the cannonball), but with the mass of the pieces themselves. After having defined what was understood at that time with the expression "light artillery", the article develops the reasons and the conditions of the use of light artillery: an increase of manoeuvre capabilities for regular warfare, and a preservation of the surprise effect in the "petite guerre". While France was pioneer in Europe for the theoretical reflection about the use of light artillery, especially for the "petite guerre", other nations like Austria, Prussia and Saxony did use this artillery in the field earlier than France. The operational use of light artillery in battle is described through the examples of Fontenoy and the thought of King Frederick II of Prussia. The article reminds also about the other circumstances for the use of light artillery during a military campaign.

RESUME en français :
« L’artillerie légère en campagne au long du XVIIIe siècle : nouvelles réflexions »
L’article approfondit la place de l’artillerie légère dans la pensée militaire et dans les campagnes militaires tout au long du XVIIIe siècle ; il élargit la question traitée dans un autre de nos articles (dans la revue : ‘Carnet de la Sabretache’, juin 2001) en l’étendant à la bataille, et en étudiant, outre l’exemple français, celui de la Prusse. Le thème de l’artillerie légère au XVIIIe siècle est en effet important, parce que ce qui a marqué alors l’Europe en matière d’artillerie est, d’une part, la recherche de l’allégement des systèmes d’artillerie en général ; d’autre part, l’apparition, dans plusieurs pays d’Europe, de pièces très légères, non plus seulement par le calibre des pièces (ie le poids du boulet tiré), mais par la masse même des pièces. Après avoir défini ce que l’on entendait à l’époque sous l’expression d’« artillerie légère », l’article développe les raisons et les conditions de l’emploi de l’artillerie légère : augmentation de la capacité de manœuvre dans la « grande » guerre, préservation de l’effet de surprise dans la « petite guerre ». Si la France fut pionnière en Europe par la réflexion théorique sur l’emploi de l’artillerie légère, notamment à la petite guerre, d’autres pays, Autriche, Prusse, Saxe, précédèrent la France dans l’usage de cette artillerie sur le terrain. Les modalités d’emploi de l’artillerie légère dans la bataille sont abordées à travers les exemples de Fontenoy et de la pensée du roi Frédéric II de Prusse. L’article rappelle enfin les autres circonstances d’emploi de l’artillerie légère au cours d’une campagne militaire.

The handgunners were a portuguese military squad whose emergence is noted during the second quarter of the fifteenth century. They obtained a considerable representation in the king’s army becoming one of the military corps that composed it. This evolution was coinciding with the widespread use of firearms in Europe. The handgunners used portable firearms (like the colobreta or the matchlock) that were, unlike the artillery, loaded and fired by only one person.
The internal organization of the squad was very similar to the one that is observed in the besteiros do conto (crossbowmen), specially in aspects concerning the geographical origin, social group of recruitment and the chain of command. Nonetheless, there were substancial diferences in the recruitment, provided, that the king reinforced the local militias of handgunners with professionalized members that received a considerable anual payment (tença). As for the privileges to which these members were entitled, it is reinforced that they have the exemption of the jugada (an important tax over the agricultural production), except in the cereal production, a concession lost by the besteiros do conto, still in the reign of D. John I.
The reign of King John II (1482-1495) was an important moment for the  definition of the legal components of the squad and for the increase of the number of hangunnners. We registered 416 letters of privilege, distributed by 64 centers of recruitment, in Portuguese territory. Nevertheless, more than the immediate substitution of the besteiros do conto for the handgunners, the royal administration sought throughout the fifteenth century to converge the contributions of the two squads. The military action of handgunners is reported for a considerable part of the Portuguese campaigns in this century (Tangier (1437), Alfarrobeira (1449), Alcácer-Ceguer (1458), Arzila (1471), Toro (1476) and Graciosa (1489)), being, however, only in the Battle of Toro that their participation proved decisive for the outcome of the conflict.