Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Facts About World War One Artillery
Artillery developed rapidly during World War One. The near constant shelling by all sides on the western front drove rapid innovation in the hope of attaining a decisive advantage over the enemy. For more information on particular weapons see our list of 12 of the most important artillery weapons of World War One.
1. The heaviest shell used in the war weighed 3,130 lbs
It was used by the 520mm French Schneider Howitzer
2. The guns with the longest range were the German Paris guns
The guns’ range was so great Parisians initially believed they were under attack from high altitude zeppelins because the gun could be neither seen nor heard at such a distance. It could fire shells up to 80 miles.
3. Most artillery was transported by horses
Motorised transport was still in its infancy and the majority of artillery was transported by horses throughout the war.
4. Field guns typically had a crew of 6
Dan talks to Richard van Emden about his new book - Missing: the need for closure after the Great War. It is the story of one woman’s relentless search for her missing son’s body. Richard also looks at the bigger picture: how long should the nation search for its dead and the mistakes made identifying the dead, when exhumation parties were under such intolerable pressure.
The crew comprised an NCO in command; a layer, responsible for the gun’s alignment and elevation; a gunner, responsible for opening and closing the breech; and three additional crew responsible for moving the shells and setting fuses.
5. The greatest rate of fire attainable by the British was 48 rounds in 75 seconds
This rarely, if ever, occurred in practice, though at that rate it would take 13 minutes for a battery to exhaust its full supply of ammunition.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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