REQUIRED FOR THE ATTACK OF A MODERN .FORTRESS. 
109 
4.—Pieces, which, individually, with their carriage give a total weight, 
such as to admit of their being, readily and quickly, carried by men 
from one position to another within moderate distance, namely: 
3101bs.;* * * § to which class the light howitzers belong. 
In the first class, in order to obtain the piece of the greatest power, 
its weight, as already stated, must be a maximum and consequently that 
of its carriage a minimum, from which it follows that the piece must 
have both a “transporting” and a “fighting'” carriage, because the 
lightest carriage of the latter description, having the requisite strength 
for its normal purpose, can never be made so light as one of the former 
description.f Taking the weight of the transporting carriage at 25cwts.fi 
leaves 75 cwts. as the maximum weight admissible for the heaviest siege 
piecefi, or the heavy gun of the first position. The heavy howitzer, how¬ 
ever, being for use in the second position, as well as the first, should be 
lighter to meet the greater difficulties of bringing into battery as the 
besieger approaches the fortress; its weight ought therefore not to 
exceed 65 cwts.|| 
In the second class, by adopting the same arrangement, as in the 
first, namely,. supplying a special transporting carriage, the medium 
piece may weigh 55 cwts. (i.e. 80 minus 25) while if a fighting travelling 
carriage is used the piece cannot exceed about 37^ cwts,§ as the latter 
carriage must weigh about 42^ cwt.^f The latter arrangement is, in 
this case, the preferable as it enables the piece to be brought into 
battery more readily and quickly, a desideratum particularly in the 
second artillery position, while apiece, gun or howitzer, of 37-| cwts. will 
be of sufficient power for the work required from it, in supplementing 
the heavy piece of corresponding nature.** 
* From the necessarily small size of such pieces no more than 4 men can conveniently 
lay hold for carrying ; this number, at 78 lbs. each, gives 312 lbs. The 5| in. S.B. mortar 
weighed with its bed 168 lbs $ the 7 pr. M.L.R. of 200 lbs weighs 424 lbs. 
f For example the travelling siege carriage with limber for the 64 pr. M.L.R. of 64 
cwb, weighs 45 cwt; a fighting carriage, such as the naval carriage and slide for this gun, 
fitted with transporting arrangement, would weigh about 38 cwts; while the platform 
Wagon, fitted to carry the gun, weighs but 23i cwts. 
X The 64 pr. M.L.R. of 64 cwts. is at present, the heaviest piece of the British siege 
train ; the 15 c.m. ring gun, which weighs about 60 cwts, the heaviest of the German train. 
If fortresses of the future be armed with some guns in cupolas, no doubt, in order to 
disable them, pieces of far heavier weight than 75 cwts must, as a sine qua non, be brought 
into position, a temporary railway being employed for the purpose. 
|| This giving with its carriage a total load of 90 cwts. would require a tractive force of 
104 lbs per horse, or if 48 men were employed to drag it, 24 lbs each. 
§ The medium piece of the British siege train, the 40 pr. M.L.R., weighs 35 cwts ; that 
of the German train, the short 15 c.m. gun, about 30 cwts. 
IF The 40 pr. M.L.R. carriage weighs, empty without ammunition boxes, 43 cwts, but is 
made stronger than necessary for the 40 pr. in order to take also the 6'3 howitzer when 
required. 
But when exceptional circumstances prevent the use of heavy pieces, and medium 
have to take their place, it is desirable as already mentioned, that the latter should be as 
powerful as possible, they should therefore then, gun and howitzer, be of 55 cwts. Such 
pieces would of course be of larger calibre than those of 33% cwts, though both are classed 
as medium. 
