Technical Innovation in the Military

Britan was the first country to have an industrial revolution. Textile industries were the first to develop but it spread to iron production and engineering. This lead to stronger and more durable materials which were important in creating new weapons

Developed at the Carron ironworks in Falkirk in 1770s. They were made in the same factory which ensured consistency in their production

Originally used for protection on merchant ships as it was small and had little recoil so no space was wasted below deck. The gun needed very little training and was easier to load and used less gunpowder than traditional cannons. Its main function was to serve as a short range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon. The Navy saw that it accompanied their favourite tactics (eg. using more mobile ships to perform effective broadsides - Trafalga and Nile). It was generally fitted to the forecastles and sterns of the warships and was usually loaded with grapeshot

It was an anti-personal weapon that could be used to fire across the decks of enemy ships and casue mass casualties. After 1814, naval tactics changed as long-barrel guns were more accurate. British ships no longer needed to be close range and could rely on more accurate, larger cannons. Carronades were out of service by 1851. Napoleon wrote to his minister of marine in 1805 that the carronades “have done us great harm”

Britain first ussed rockets when theywere fighting in southern India during the 1790s. From 1806, Sir William Congreve developed a modified version what was supported by Prince George of Wales to be used in the French wars

The first successful use of the rocket was during an attack on the port of Bulonge during October 1806. 24 small warships fired 2000 rockets. Actual damage was limited but the psychological effect was huge. The flight path was unpredictable and they gave off smoke and noise, which made them threatening. They were used alongside more conventional methods to bombard Copenhagen in 1807. Innacuracy meant that they had to be fired in large quantities and troops were unlikely to be affected by anything other than a direct hit. The navy used rockets for ship to shore bombardments. They were capable of a distance of 2700m

The army was more reluctant to use rockets due to their innacuracies and threat to the firers. Only patronage and support of the Prince of Wales kept the rocket programme going. He enourages army leaders to continue testing and developments of the weapon. A rocket brigae was formed and used briefly at Waterloo. The rockets were used for some years after 1815, but they didn’t store well, were difficult totransport and were unpredictable in extreme climates. They were taken out of service due to improvements in steel artillery

Until the 1850s, muzzle loading cannons were used. The large amounts of gunpowder used affected the insude of the cannons and made them less effective. The solution was to use ammunition that was self-contained in a single unit so the gunpowder and the bullet would be loaded together and use the breech of the gun to load. This was developed by Armstrong in 1858. He founded his own engineering company in 1847and aimed to reduce loading time, slow barrel wear to the gun and improve its accuracy

It solved the loading time by placing the projectile in the breech which could be quickly opened and closed. He coated the projectiles in a soft metal to encourage a greater spin on the shell and prevent wear on the barrel. Less gunpowder was needed to fire them

They were adopted in 1859 and first used in the New Zealand wars in 1861. They required higher maintanence, more traininng and expensive ammunition. Even though they were effective, the army reverted back to muzzle loaders for ovr 10 years. From the late 1880s, they began to use them again. They were used exclusively in the Boer war and larger versions were used in great numbers on the Western Front

It was the main weapon for naval desroyers in both world wars. Breech loaders had an impact on ship design as they had to be mounted on revolving turrets on the top deck of the ship

Had a huge impact on land and sea - increased rapidity of fire and better range. Lead to the development of trenches as soldiers had to protect themselves. They could fire further than you can see so people had to rely on spotters, signals, field telephones and the development of radio. The yse of aircraft and up-to-date maps became important during WW1. It had significant effect on the design of warships as they had to create turret-mounted guns and heavily armed battle ships

The first modern machine gun was developed by Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. The Vickers company acquired the Maxim company in 1897 and began to improve the design. Its parts could be mass produced quicker and cheaper and they ised the same bullets as the Infantry rifle. Thegun needed a crew of up to 6 men to operate, but was easier to move than the Maxim.

At the start of WW1, guns were assigned in pairs to each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment but as trench warfare developed they were assigned to divisions of the army. Eventially they all had their own machine gun battalions. They needed training to use and had specialists

Played a major rolein tactical changes in WW1 - its defensive nature meant thta men couldn’t operate above ground and it led to trench warfare. The gun meant that fewer people were needed to hold an area of the trench frontline - 1 gun could do the role of 40-50 rifle men

A “landships” programme with the army began in 1915 and was backed by Churchill. The name “tank” came from an attempt to keep the programme secret

The first prototype tank was called Little Willie in the summer of 1915. It showed the potential of catterpillar tracks. They planned to add a turretted gun and six machine guns but designers weren’t happy and began to produce Big Willie instead. It hada rhomboidal shape and low centre of gravity that stopped it from tipping over. A “ready to use” version was in place by spring 1916. They were difficult to operate and needed huge engines, but were slow. They needed a large crew to operate but it was hot and gave off toxit fumes. As they were so loud, tanks comunicated with each ther via runner (but they tried using flags and pigeons)

Haig wantde t use tanks as part of his offensive at the Somme in July 1916 but they didn’t have enought at that time so they made their debut at the same battle in September. Mechanical issues meant that only 24 of 50 tanks made it to the start point and many broke down or were captured. A small number took part in anattack that lead to the capture of the villages Flers and Martinpuich. This was enough to show their potential and was a propaganda victory. An order was placed for 1000 more tanks but improved armour was requested

Uprgraded versions withbetter engines, reliability and armour were used throughout 1917 when a Tank Corps was formed until the end of the war. They performed badly at Passchendaele, but were successful at the Battle of Cabrai in November 1917 (over 400 tanks supported infantry and followed a creeping barrage along a 6 mile front. they cleared barbed wire etc.)

Tactics had advanced beyond supporting infantry in crossing no man’s land. They believed that they could be used to fully break through enemy trench systems and break the stalemate. at Amiens in 1918, thhe carrier tank took supplies directly across the battlefield, replacing the efforts of 2500 men