37 o MILITARY ORDNANCE 



runs the gun up again into the firing position. The general arrangement of the cradle and 

 carriage is very similar to that of the field gun carriage, but the cradle is extended some 

 distance further to the rear to ensure equilibrium about the trunnions which can thus be 

 brought nearer to the breech of the piece. This extension of the cradle also protects the 

 breech mechanism, preventing elevation beyond the point when the gun would strike the 

 ground on recoil, and also gives a longer sliding surface and support to the saddle. 



Howitzers travel on their firing carriages, the heavier being drawn back on the trail 

 and anchored to the traversing lever after the buffer has been disconnected. 



Heavy Siege Armaments. The same principles are again introduced as far as possible 

 in these equipments. And the principle of the long recoil,with siege equipments, must con- 

 duce to modifications, the advantages resulting being numerous. In the first place it 

 affects the obviation of the platform, or at least its simplification in such a manner that 

 the work preparatory to coming into action may become insignificant in comparison with 

 what it used to be. In the second place, with equal weights the power of the piece can 

 be increased in large enough proportion whereby can be obtained increase of effective 

 range, accuracy of fire and finally striking effect. 



Schneider 28 cm. Mortar. The mounting for this piece is designed to be brought into 

 action on a platform rapidly laid, and also to form, for transport, carriages of such a weight 

 as to allow of animal draught. The saddle forms two large buffer cylinders with the recu- 

 perator between them. The recuperator is of the compressed air type. The general arrange- 

 ment of the cradle is similar to that of the howitzers described. The carriage is built up of 

 plates and is arranged so that the cradle trunnions are carried on springs until the actual 

 moment of firing, when the shock of discharge compresses the springs, bringing the weight 

 down so as to be taken in the trunnion holes. The carriage lies with the fore part on a spring 

 pivot on the platform. The hind part is carried by two rollers lying between the carriage 

 sides and mounted on springs, so that on firing the carriage is supported directly on the 

 platform. The platform is of the shape of a rectangular box with a pivot to receive the 

 carriage, and lies upon a plough-shaped spade which holds up the recoil of the whole system. 

 It is necessary to dig a hole for the reception of the box part of the platform and the spade. 

 For travelling the equipment forms four separate carriages, each consisting of a limber with 

 a false trail attached to that part of the mounting which, carried on an axle, forms the after 

 part of the carriage. The parts are dismounted by means of hydraulic jacks or a capstan, 

 each part being lowered on to its own axle. 



Garrison Mountings. The types of mountings for coast defences have not varied. 

 But a new design has been manufactured by Cockerill and adopted by Belgium. 



The design is of a completely shielded embrasure mounting. It consists of three principal 

 parts: the trunnion ring with the hydraulic buffer; the carriage brackets; the frame. The 

 gun slides in a trunnion ring of which the trunnions are pivotted about a horizontal centre 

 line of the embrasure. The recuperator consists of springs carried inside the buffer cylinder. 

 Metal segments mounted on the trunnion ring take up exactly the spherical form of the 

 embrasure, and are held up to their work by springs, allowing of slight movement radially 

 so as not to affect the laying of the gun. Projections on the trunnion ring form clutches 

 attached to the carriage brackets, which thereby take the shock of recoil and also act as 

 arcs for elevating. The carriage brackets are firmly connected together and pivotted on 

 the frame about a vertical centre line of the embrasure. The frame closes the embrasure 

 and is securely anchored. The gun is balanced by means of a spiral spring contained in a 

 cylinder situated under the mounting, variation in the tension of the spring and the displacing 

 moment at different angles of elevation being corrected by means of a fusee. Laying is 

 arranged by means of a telescope supported on the left carriage bracket and laid through a 

 small window in the frame, the axes about which the telescope can be moved being horizontal 

 and vertical centre lines of the window. (F. M. RICKAKD, Captain, R.A.) 



II. FIELD ARTILLERY MATERIAL 1 



Field Guns. With the exception of Italy, the principal European States had com- 

 pleted their armament with quick-firing field guns by the year iqo6, and only slight 

 changes have since been made in their equipment. In the case of Italy, the 7$A semi- 

 quick-firing gun was superseded in 1906 by a Krupp 14.3 pr. of the standard Krupp type, 

 and 600 of these guns were issued. The total number of field guns required by the 

 Italian artillery on mobilisation is 1,746, and it was proposed to make up this number by 

 re-mounting the 75 A guns on quick-firing carriages. It was found, however, that these 

 guns were so badly eroded by the nitro-glycerine powder (filite) used in Italy as to be 



1 See generally E. B. xx 218 et seq. 



