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War Tactics - Artillery
| At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War,
artillerymen were considered irregular soldiers. They were
more like artisans and formed a separate guild of gunners. Each of them had a cannon, horses, apprentices and helpers at his disposal. Their salary was 4 times higher than that of
regular soldiers.
During the 17th century, artillerymen became part of the regular army.
Cannon were were given standard calibres, allowing for easier ammunitions
supplies and
command over the army in battles. Cannon under 3 pounds disappeared. This time was also
characterized by two important
inventions: in about 1650 the horizontal hoisting screw was invented, making aiming easier, and in 1697 tubes filled with fuse gunpowder were
introduced, allowing an increased rate of fire; gunpowder had
formerly been poured directly into the fuse. The variety of artillery
increased. While Gustaf Adolf (1590-1632, King of Sweden from 1611 to 1632) had only 80 cannons
for every 20,000 people in a battle at Greifengagen, by the
time he came to fight a battle near Frankfurt an der
Oder he possessed 200 cannons for every 18,000 soldiers. At Malplaquet
(during the War of the Spanish Succession, September 11th, 1709) each
side had 300 cannons. The French were the first to turn their
gunners into regular soldiers. In 1671, they formed an artillery regiment,
and in 1690 an artillery
school was set up. The French were leading in the field of artillery for a long time. About 1700, howitzers were introduced by the Dutch. One of the major
advantages a howitzer had over a cannon was its lesser weight. It
had a shorter barrel and fired shots at a wide angle. Howitzers
possessed a shorter range of fire than
cannon, but their projectiles were substantially heavier. Owing to
their higher trajectory, howitzers could shoot at troops
behind fortifications or landscape irregularities.
The ratio of artillery and soldiers varied. The biggest was 7 cannons per 1,000 people. Usually it was normal to have 3 guns
for every 1,000 soldiers. The cannons' range of efficient fire did not exceed 1,400 - 1,500 yards. Normally the cannonball battles took place at
a distance of 600 - 1,100 yards.
A battalion 700 yards away received about 50 % of shells, and at the distance of
1,100 yards - about 25 %. At close distances (300 steps) cannons
fired canister shots. The locality of guns was of great essence. |
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