Artillery Equipment of the Napoleonic Wars
Osprey Men-At-Arms Series 96
In the first half of the 18th century the French had been the European leaders in artillery, possessing the only standardised range of pieces. These pieces, were sturdy but extremely heavy. This books shows how at the beginning of the Seven Years’ War, Austria seized the lead by introducing new light field pieces – The 3 pdr, 6 pdr, and 12 pdr guns – and some excellent light howitzers. Other powers adopted this new system, however no complete overarching methodology existed until the implementation of the Gribeauval system, which was to revolutionise the artillery of Europe and make possible the highly efficient field artillery of the Napoleonic Wars.
Contents
- Title: Artillery Equipment of the Napoleonic Wars
- Period: Napoleonic Wars
- Type: Uniform Guide
- Author: Terence Wise
- Illustrator: Richard Hook
- Format: 40-page book
- Language: English
- Publisher: Osprey Publishing, London, England
- ISBN: 0850453364
- Published: 1979
Chapters
- The Equipments
- The Teams
- The Ammunition
- The Method of Firing
- Colour Plates & Descriptions
- Russian gunner with examples of ammunition types and gauges
- Loading a Russian 12 pdr. gun
- Priming a Prussian 6 pdr. gun
- Aiming an Austrian 3 pdr. gun
- Running back a French 12 pdr. gun
- Harness of a Russian team hauling a 12 pdr. gun
- Harness of a French team hauling a 12 pdr. gun
- Harness of a British team hauling a 9 pdr. gun
- French pontoon wagon
- French pontoon bridge under construction
- Prussian gunners replacing a dismounted howitzer barrel
- Prussian gunners replacing a damaged gun wheel
- British 12 pdr. rocket carriage
- British 12 pdr. rocket ready for ground firing
- British 12 pdr. rocket ready for high-angle firing
- Austrian gunner with tools and accessories
- Performance
- Organization
Artillery Equipment of the Napoleonic Wars is an excellent resource for wargamers and figure painters interested in raising artillery batteries in miniature. French, British, Prussian, Russian, and Austrian artillery is covered in enough detail to satisfy most collectors. The guns, limbers, and caissons used by the minor powers of the Napoleonic Wars typically came from one of these nation’s arsenals, although the colour of gun carriages and wagons might differ from one army to the next.