Canister

[The Riveteer]

I just found this on YouTube and had to share it. No more flying through the air!



David

 

[Nap]

Nice find , thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[Billy Dickinson]

Wow , that's pretty shocking. Sometimes it's easy to forget how devastating warfare in all its forms can be on the human body and mind ...

Something I saw last night, which all though not as graphic and gory , Dan Snow describes, through demonstration with a 18th naval cannon what the devastating effects were on the crews of opposing ships:



Billy

 

[The Riveteer]

Wow , that's pretty shocking. Sometimes it's easy to forget how devastating warfare in all its forms can be on the human body and mind .

I thought Master and Commander showed the devastation of naval cannon pretty well.
Although squares are often believed and described as impregnable, even at Waterloo, although most held, many were at a critical stage by the end. There are some eye witness accounts of French cavalry entering some, and of one being reduced to a triangular formation. The Ariel shot of the square in the film shows how a gap in a square could be easily exploited if resolute cavalry charged at the right moment. A lot of respect to those men who stood their ground.

David

 

[Ronaldo]

To be honest the squares at Waterloo were far to large and I believe some ceased to exist by the end of the battle

 

[The Riveteer]

Hi Ronaldo. I'm a bit puzzled by the statement "too big". Surely the bigger the better. Longer sides to the square - therefore more firepower. More men allow for deeper ranks making the square harder to breach, and making it easier to repair breaches quicker. I see no disadvantages.
David

 

[Ronaldo]

Easier to break as it is strung out and a bigger target, suggest you read David chandlers book " Campaigns of Napoleon " if you can get a hold of it .
It has long been out of print but still can be got in the national library to special order. Everything about tactics of the time from grand tactics down to battle field and individual battalion .
Every battle Napoleon fought ,artillery make up, regimental , battalion , cavalry squadrons ,heavy and light . For instance heavy cavalry riding boot to boot and never really going quicker than a fast trot and arrving en mass .
The book is very large and covers everything . An essential read for any student of napoleonic warfare .