- Breech loading Gingal (Chamber in)
- Bowmen and Arbalesters
The man on the right of the cut wears a visored helmet, but it has no amail; his body is protected by a skirt of mail, which appears at the shoulders and hips, and at the openings of his blue surcoat; the legs are in brown hose, and the feet in brown shoes. The centre figure has a helmet and camail, sleeves of mail, and iron breastplate of overlapping plates; the upper plate and the skirt are of red spotted with gold; his hose and shoes are of dark grey. The third man has a helmet with camail, and the body protected by mail, which shows under the arm, but he has also shoulder-pieces and elbow-pieces of plate; his surcoat is yellow, and his hose red. The artist has here admirably illustrated the use of the crossbow. In one case we see the archer stringing it by help of a little winch; in the next he is taking a bolt out of the quiver at his side with which to load his weapon; in the third we have the attitude in which it was discharged. - Bow unstrung
The Scythian bow unstrung. - Bow strung
The Scythian bow strung - Bomb-releasing mechanism
A. Lower part of aeroplane’s hull B. Revolving barrel to which bombs are clipped C. Bombs D. Releasing mechanism operated by marksman in machine. Bombs may be carried and dropped when opportunity offers; and as an improvement upon the early method, which was simply to throw these from the machine, there are releasing mechanisms now devised which carry a number of projectiles and drop them one by one as a lever is moved. The bombs, which are long, pointed, and balanced so that they will fall head first, are clipped round a barrel rather like that of a revolver, which is fixed beneath the aeroplane’s hull just below the occupants’ seat. Mechanism causes the carrying chamber to revolve and bring each bomb against a releasing catch, which—at a movement of the marksman’s lever—throws it outwards and downward. - Battleplanes convoying photographing aeroplanes
Battleplanes convoying photographing aeroplanes - Battering-ram
In the cut we give a representation of the battering-ram It contains curious contrivances for throwing up scaling-ladders and affixing them to the battlements, from which the inventors of our fire-escapes may have borrowed suggestions; and others for bridging wide moats and rivers with light scaffolding, which could be handled and fixed as easily and quickly as the scaling-ladders. The drawing of the ram only indicates that the machine consists of a heavy square beam of timber, provided, probably, with a metal head, which is suspended by a rope from a tall frame, and worked by manual strength. The cut is especially interesting as an illustration of the style of armour of the latter part of the fifteenth century. It gives the back as well as the front of the figure, and also several varieties of helmet. - Ballista - Caesar covered his landing in Britain with fire from catapults and ballistas.
The ballista had horizontal arms like a bow. The arms were set in rope; a cord, fastened to the arms like a bowstring, fired arrows, darts, and stones. Like a modern field gun, the ballista shot low and directly toward the enemy. - Asiatic Bow
- Archer and Crossbowman of about 1370
The kneeling figure is fitting his belt-claw to the string of his crossbow, preparatory to bending its bow. From Manuscript No. 2813 in the National Library, Paris, reproduced by J. Quicherat in his ' History of Costume in France,' 1875. - Arbalestina
The narrow cruciform loophole, called by architects ' Arbalestina,' which is usually to be seen in the masonry of a mediaeval fortress, was designed for the special use of crossbowmen in repelling an assault. To enable the crossbow, or longbow, to be aimed to the right or left through a loophole, the aperture was greatly widened out on the inside face of the perforated wall. - Arbalesters
The illustration, from a fourteenth-century manuscript, represents a siege. A walled town is on the right, and in front of the wall, acting on the part of the town, are the cross-bowmen in the cut, protected by great shields which are kept upright by a rest. The men seem to be preparing to fire, and the uniformity of their attitude, compared with the studied variety of attitude of groups of bowmen in other illustrations, suggests that they are preparing to fire a volley. - Anelaces
Anelace (Also in French, alenas, alinlaz, analasse, anlace.) A broad knife or dagger worn at the girdle. It was a well known weapon in he thirteenth century. - Ancient Screw Breech loader
- An Italian design for a motor battery of quick-firing guns
- An aeroplpane in war
An aeroplpane in war - Allonge
- Aeroplanes attacking an airship from above
Airships, like aeroplanes, are being armed with guns and bombs; and their power of raising weights enables them to carry heavy weapons. Large and highly destructive bombs have been tested in the German airships, being released over the sea and aimed at targets in the form of rafts. Latest-type airships also carry guns in their cars; and the Zeppelins have a platform upon the tops of their hulls, reached by a ladder through the middle of the ship, from which a machine-gun can be fired upward. This is a very necessary precaution, and is intended to frustrate the attack of an aeroplane. It would be the aim of the latter, whenever possible, to manœuvre above its big enemy—as suggested in figure —and drop a bomb upon its hull. Hence the construction of the top platform of the airship, from which her gunners can direct a vigorous fire aloft. - A ‘Schneider’ armoured car with quick-firing gun
- A ‘Charron’ armoured car with machine gun
- A store of crossbow bolts, shafts and heads
The crossbowman is aiming at a target to the left of the picture. From a catalogue of the Arsenal of the Emperor Maximilian I. (6. 1459, d. 1519). - A Sprinkle or Hand-Flail of bronze
From the Museum of Mitau in Courland - A Slinger
- A seventeenth century musketeer
A seventeenth century musketeer ready to fire his matchlock. From Jacques de Gheyn, Maniement d’Armes, 1608. The military supplies which the Pilgrims brought with them may be divided into three major categories: defensive armor, edged weapons, and projectile weapons. A completely armed man, especially in the first years, was usually equipped with one or more articles from each of the three groups, usually a helmet and corselet, a sword, and a musket. - A Matchlock and a Firelock, or Fusil (17th Century)
The constantly smouldering match of the former rendered it a very dangerous weapon in the neighbourhood of cannon; the "snaphaunce", or "fusil", was fitted with a "fire-lock", in which a spark was struck from a flint. - A Light Egyptian Chariot
The light chariots of the Egyptians enabled them to secure the fullest advantage from the speed and breeding of their horses, which at the time were considered to be the finest in the world. The Egyptian chariots were sometimes square, but more often they were semi-circular or horse-shoe shape, with the curved front towards the horses. - A Krupp motor gun-carrying lorry
- A 'Vase' or 'Pot-de-fer'
The "garot", or heavy dart, to be fired from this early gun was provided with a wooden plug made to fit the bore. The type of "garot" shown on the right was intended to be fired from a large cross-bow on a stand. - A Cross bow man and Slinger
- 8-mm medium machine gun
- 75-mm recoilless gun
75-mm recoilless gun - 65-17 Infantry gun
- 50
- 5-cm Pak 38
- 5 inch Rapid-fire gun (Pedestal Mount.)
5 inch Rapid-fire gun (Pedestal Mount.) - 5 Inch R.F. gun (showing breech mechanism)
5 Inch R.F. gun (showing breech mechanism) - 48
- 45 mm light mortar
- 40
- 4.7 inch. Breech closing and firing gear
4.7 inch. Breech closing and firing gear - 33
- 20-mm aircraft cannon
20-mm aircraft cannon - 2 cm Flakvierling 38
2 cm Flakvierling 38 ready for transport on special trailer - 15-mm aircraft cannon
15-mm aircraft cannon