Artillery Damage

[Ray Stout]

Dont know if anyone else saw this during the 200th anniversery at the Royal Armouries of Waterloo but a number of things went through my mind. 1 The cuirass is a Carabiner which replaced the Horse Grenadiers who were known to be picked from tall men, yet this one is so small. I'm an average 6ft. yet it would only cover 2/3rds of my chest. 2 The ball must have bounced upwards to strike him so some of the Battlefield at Waterloo must have been hard enough to bounce.

 

[Chrisr]

I am not sure you saw this Ray. Figure news - https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/destiny-120mm-carabinier-waterloo-1815.634938/
Apparently worn by Carabinier François-Antoine Fauveau.

 

[Ray Stout]

No, I hadn't seen that before, but120mm is not a scale I model in, but thanks for that. Ray

 

[David Spencer]

Dunno about round shot, but cannister was bounced off the ground to make sure of maximum effect when firing at short range.

 

[NigelR]

Dunno about round shot, but cannister was bounced off the ground to make sure of maximum effect when firing at short range.

I think you've got that the wrong way round. Roundshot was the one that bounced, canister is like firing a shotgun, lots of small projectiles spreading out from the gun. That's one of the reasons Wellington used reverse slope tactics were used, it reduced the casualties from roundshot.

 

[David Spencer]

I think you've got that the wrong way round. Roundshot was the one that bounced, canister is like firing a shotgun, lots of small projectiles spreading out from the gun. That's one of the reasons Wellington used reverse slope tactics were used, it reduced the casualties from roundshot.

At Antietam, the Confederates were advancing unchecked during a counter-attack through the Cornfield. Until a battery commander spotted that the guns were shooting too high and screwed one down to its lowest depression. After that, they melted away because the shot ricocheted off the ground. Same thing at Gettysburg on 3 July in front of Cemetery Ridge.

 

[NigelR]

At Antietam, the Confederates were advancing unchecked during a counter-attack through the Cornfield. Until a battery commander spotted that the guns were shooting too high and screwed one down to its lowest depression. After that, they melted away because the shot ricocheted off the ground. Same thing at Gettysburg on 3 July in front of Cemetery Ridge.

I guess if the ground is hard then some of the projectiles in canister can bounce up while the rest spread out. You probably want to keep your canister shot relatively low anyway because of the spread of the projectiles. Solid shot is that one that bounces several times like a skimming stone.