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British Experience of Warfare (synoptic) > Weaponry and technology > Flashcards

Weaponry and technology Flashcards

1
Q

what caused major reform to the RN in the 1780s?

A

Britain’s poor performance in the American War of Independance

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2
Q

who came up with coppering?

A

Rear Admiral Middleton

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3
Q

what was the impact of coppering?

A

improved the performance of the RN as ships could be out at sea for longer

gave a competitive edge against the French Navy in the Napoleonic Wars

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4
Q

how did coppering work?

A

copper sheets were nailed to the hulls of ships

protected the ship from attack by shipworm and prevented the growth of marine weeds

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5
Q

what did the Royal Ordnance improve?

A

the quality of naval guns

ensured that the manufacturing and testing of guns were efficient

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6
Q

how many times did the Royal Ordnance test a gun before it could be installed?

A

30 times

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7
Q

what was the flintlock firing system?

A

system where a flint strikes a piece of metal to produce a spark to ignite the gunpowder

improved the reliability of guns

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8
Q

when was the carronade first developed?

A

in the 1770s

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9
Q

what was a carronade?

A

short barrelled cannon which fired grapeshot at short range

would be fired from deck

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10
Q

properties of the carronade

A

fired from deck
short barrel
wider muzzle
quick to reload
used less gunpowder

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11
Q

what was beneficial about the short barrel and wider muzzle in a carronade?

A

gave the carronade a broader angle of fire

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12
Q

how did the carronade play a part in close quarter naval battles?

A

carronade would be fired repeatedly to clear the deck by firing grapeshot and killing any defenders on deck

allowed the Royal Marines to swing safely and take the enemy ship

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13
Q

what were the types of ammunition used at sea?

A

grapeshot
cannonballs
shrapnel
chain shot

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14
Q

grapeshot

A

canister which contains scraps of metal which spray from the mouth of the gun when fired

used at short range

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15
Q

cannonballs

A

solid metal ball

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16
Q

shrapnel

A

shell filled with musket balls and exploded with a timed fuse

used at long range

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17
Q

chain shot

A

two balls joined by a chain

used to damage the sails and rigging of an enemy vessel

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18
Q

when was the carronade first used?

A

1782

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19
Q

which ship first used the carronade?

A

HMS Rainbow

used to fight against the French Hebe

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20
Q

when did HMS Glatton use the carronade in battle?

A

1795 against a squadron of French ships

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21
Q

what happened with HMS Glatton?

A

HMS Glatton was armed entirely with carronades

when a French squadron tried to board, HMS Glatton used the carronade to force the French ships to withdraw due to damage

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22
Q

what size where the two carronades on HMS Victory at Trafalgar?

A

68lb

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23
Q

how was the carronade used by HMS Victory at Trafalgar?

A

used to decimate the deck of the Bucentaure

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24
Q

when were carronades phased out of the RN?

A

1851

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25
Q

why did the carronade lose it’s purpose?

A

after 1815, naval warfare become long ranged which meant more accurate and faster guns were preffered

carronades, which were only effective at short range, became less fashionable

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26
Q

why was the carronade significant in the development of further weapons?

A

shrapnel used in carronades were used all the way till WW1

highlighted the importance of windage in barrels

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27
Q

what was a rifled barrel?

A

barrel with groves which caused a projectile to spin

improved accuracy

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28
Q

what influenced the British Congreve rocket?

A

Indian rockets used in the Mysore War against the British

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29
Q

who had invented the Congreve rocket?

A

Sir William Congreve

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30
Q

when did the armed forces adopt the Congreve rocket?

A

1806
to be used in the Napoleonic Wars

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31
Q

when was the first successful use of rockets by the RN?

A

October 1806 at Boulogne

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32
Q

how many rockets were fired at the city of Boulogne in October 1806?

A

2000

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33
Q

what impact did the use of rockets at Boulogne have?

A

actual damage was limiting
psychological damage was massive

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34
Q

why was the Congreve rocket also a psychological weapon?

A

unpredictable flight path
smoke
noise
extent of damage

made it SCARY
but not so powerful

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35
Q

when else were rockets used during the Napoleonic Wars?

A

Copenhagen 1807

War of 1812 against the USA
- Fort McHenry 1814

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36
Q

what had the use of rockets at Ford McHenry in 1814 show about rockets?

A

they were loud and frightening

inaccurate

other than a direct hit it caused no damage

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37
Q

pros of using rockets on ships

A

easy to fix
could be carried in large numbers
greater range than artillery

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38
Q

cons of using rockets on ships

A

incredibly inaccurate

caused less damage than canisters and cannonballs

39
Q

what showed that the rocket had limited success on land?

A

was used very little by the BA

Wellington and other generals opposed the use of rockets on the grounds that they were too inaccurate and dangerous to use

the BA did not expand their use of rockets and instead used traditional cannons

40
Q

what was the main issue with Congreve rockets?

A

INACCURACY

difficult to store

41
Q

why were Congreve difficult to store?

A

they lost potency over time

they reacted badly to extreme temperatures

42
Q

when were Congreve rockets used post-1815?

A

naval bombardment of Algiers 1816

First Burma War 1824

43
Q

what were the two methods of cannon loading?

A

muzzle loading
breech loading

44
Q

what were the issues with muzzle loading a gun?

A

reloading was a complex process
inside of the barrel would became easily fouled

made firing less effective and powerful as it would take longer to fire

also gun was less reliable

45
Q

what was breech loading?

A

loading the chamber from the rear of the gun

46
Q

what were the positives with breech loading a gun?

A

weapon did not have to be moved

loading process was much easier

greater rate of fire

less recoil

47
Q

why was loading easier with breech loading?

A

ammunition contained both gunpowder and bullet which made loading

48
Q

which company developed the first breech-loading cannon?

A

Armstrong Company

49
Q

what were the problems with the artillery used in the Crimean War?

A

slow loading time
barrel wear
poor accuracy
too much gunpowder needed

50
Q

how was the problem of barrel wear solved by the Armstrong cannon?

A

projectiles were coated in a soft metal which would expand when fired

as the coating was soft it would not wear down the barrel of the gun

51
Q

how was the problem of poor accuracy solved by the Armstrong cannon?

A

rifling was made on the inside of the cannon which would cause the projectile to spin

this spin improved the accuracy of firing

52
Q

how was the problem of using too much gunpowder solved by the Armstrong cannon?

A

there was reduced windage in the barrel which meant less gas was lost so the projectile could be fired with less gunpowder

(gas pushes projectile too)

53
Q

when did the BA first use the Armstrong cannon?

A

1861 in New Zealand

54
Q

why did the Armstrong cannon initially fail?

A

was more expensive
required more maintenance
more crew training needed

the BA returned to muzzle loading cannons
which were simpler and cheaper

55
Q

when did breech loading artillery become more popular?

A

in the 1880s

56
Q

what was the main field gun used by the BA after 1880?

A

the BL 12-pounder

57
Q

what transported the artillery?

A

horses

58
Q

which war was the BL 12-pounder successful in?

A

the Boer Wars

59
Q

what was different about the Armstrong cannon used by the RN?

A

shorter barrel
faster rate of fire

60
Q

when did the BL 12-pounder become the main gun on naval destroyers?

A

1894

61
Q

what impact did the Armstrong cannon have on naval warship design?

A

guns no longer shot out of holes in the side

they were instead mounted in revolving turrets

led to the development of heavily armed battleships

62
Q

what impact did the Armstrong cannon have on the nature of battlefields?

A

battlefields became larger due to the improved range and reliability of weaponry

63
Q

size of battlefield at Waterloo

A

2.5 miles wide

64
Q

size of battlefield at the Somme

A

25 miles wide

65
Q

what impact did the Armstrong cannon have on the nature of warfare?

A

killing power of artillery led to static wars of attrition

trench systems and bunkers only way to defend from artillery

CREEPING BARRAGE w/infantry

became the biggest killer (70%) in WW1

66
Q

why did signalling become more important with the use of the Armstrong cannon?

A

range was so far that the gun commander could not see the impact of firing

the radio and the use of aircraft were developed for artillery spotting

maps were also developed to aid in the use of artillery

67
Q

what was the first modern machine gun?

A

the Maxim gun

68
Q

when was the Maxim gun invented and by who?

A

1884 by Hiram Maxim

69
Q

how many rounds could the Maxim gun fire a minute?

A

600

70
Q

how did the Maxim gun work?

A

used energy from the recoil of the gun to expel the used cartridge and load the next one into the breach

71
Q

what was used to stop the barrel from overheating?

A

a water jacket

72
Q

Vickers gun vs Maxim gun

A

was more lighter
more reliable
easier to mass produce
used the same ammunition as infantry rifles
easier to move

73
Q

how many machine guns were given to each battalion for WW1?

A

2

74
Q

what would later replace the Vickers gun?

A

the Lewis gun

75
Q

when was the Lewis gun invented?

A

1915

76
Q

how did the organisation of machine guns change during WW1?

A

a Machine Gun Corps was set up

larger machine gun units were assigned to different divisions

77
Q

what impact did the Vickers gun have on the nature of warfare?

A

was the main reason for the development of attritional trench warfare

its rapid rate of fire meant that men could not fight on open battlefields, as the machine gun could mow down anyone on open ground

78
Q

what impact did the Vickers gun have on the deployment of men?

A

machine gun could provide the same volume of fire as 40-50 men which meant that a small machine gun unit could fight against a small company of infantry

thus fewer men were needed to hold an area

79
Q

what impact did the Vickers gun have on the quality of soldiers?

A

machine guns were complex to use and dismantle as they had a lot of moving parts

so they required specialist soldiers who had been trained beyond that of the ordinary soldier

80
Q

what was the programme which kickstarted the development of the tank?

A

the landships programme

pushed by Churchill

81
Q

when was the first working prototype of the British tank developed?

(what was it called…)

A

summer 1915

Little Willie

82
Q

what prototype followed the Little Willie?

A

the Big Willie

83
Q

what was the first British tank rolled out for operation?

A

the Mark I

84
Q

what were the issues with the Mark I?

A

too large
difficult to operate
too heavy (so needed larger engines)
top speed = walking pace
no steering
lack of comms (too noisy)

RELIABILITY

85
Q

when did the tank make it’s debut and where?

A

September 1916 at the Somme

86
Q

how many tanks deployed at the Somme?

A

50

87
Q

how many tanks actually reached the Somme battlefield?

A

24

others broke down on the way or destroyed by artillery fire

88
Q

how was the tank important at the Somme?

A

helped capture Flers and Martinpuch

89
Q

what improvements were made with the Mark IV and Mark V?

A

better engines
heavier armour

90
Q

what was the most successful tank action in WW1?

A

at Cambrai in November 1917

91
Q

how many tanks were deployed at Cambrai?

A

400

92
Q

what role did tanks play at Cambrai?

A

destroyed and cleared barbed wire

protected infantry with cover
supported infantry with fire

93
Q

did tanks change the nature of fighting?

A

not really

their primary role was to break through heavily defended trench systems

and destroy barbed wire

BUT
did support infantry when pushing forward by providing extensive fire against German positions

94
Q

what psychological impact did tanks have?

A

held an element of terror when they arrived in packs

great shock value when on the battlefield

British Experience of Warfare (synoptic) (5 decks)

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