This helped break up the advancing force into a disorganized charge, that the solid line of defenders could more readily defeat. DeVries, Ranged units were also used for a variety of secondary roles, such as cutting off supply trains and covering retreats Ferrill, ; Grunfeld, Warfare in medieval Europe was not that dissimilar from conflicts of antiquity; the use of infantry, cavalry, ranged troops, and other peripheral units persisted.
Armor and tactics also remained similar until the widespread adoption of cannons and firearms in the 16th century. The medieval period is of interest because this traditional style of warfare reached its pinnacle of development. Over the course of this martial evolution, new technologies and military tactics began to relegate the role of the slinger to that of an auxiliary soldier and ultimately removed it from the battlefield of medieval Europe.
The spear was a versatile weapon, intended to be thrown or used in a thrusting manner. Its simple design made it inexpensive and easy to produce, and little training was needed to become proficient.
It was likely to have been the first projectile weapon, and is still used today in many parts of the world. The Roman version, called a pilum, remained the standard infantry weapon for more than a thousand years, testifying to its effectiveness DeVries, However, because it is thrown by hand, its range is limited. Although the maximum range is around 45m, its effective range is considerably less, perhaps 15m Ferrill, ; Underwood, This meant that forces had to engage at close range.
The development of the atlatl, or spear thrower, and other, more advanced ranged weapons, was likely a direct result of this limitation. The throwing axe, like the spear, is thrown by hand and has similar limitations. The effective range is around 12m, allowing the weapon to be used only just before hand-to-hand combat commenced Underwood, The bow, developed around ten thousand years ago, was a major advance in ranged warfare Ferrill, Early bows were capable of achieving ranges approaching m, although the effective range would have been less Ferrill, ; Underwood, Later bows incorporated two notable technological advances.
The development of the composite bow in the second millennium B. The second innovation, the longbow, is often attributed to the Welsh, but archeological evidence shows it was already in use in other parts of Europe, mainly in the north, as early as the Dark Ages DeVries, ; Underwood, ; Bradbury, An experienced archer could fire ten to twelve un-aimed arrows a minute.
DeVries, ; Wise, The bow had several disadvantages when compared to the sling, the foremost being its complexity. The composite bow was made from layers of wood or horn, carefully glued together, to make a pliable but strong material Ferrill, The bend in a longbow stave required the bowyer to select a piece of wood such that the back of the bow was sapwood while the belly was heartwood Underwood, ; Bradbury, The elastic sapwood and hard heartwood acted as a natural composite.
These two bow varieties required skilled craftsmanship and time to produce Snodgrass, Armies that equipped their soldiers with bows did so at considerable expense.
Although a vast improvement over spears and throwing axes, the bow still had a limited effective range. Arrows, with their flight vanes feathers , experienced considerable air resistance during flight.
Although estimates vary, some scholars argue that at m, arrows would be mostly ineffective, especially against armored troops Underwood, However, others note the longbow was effective up to m, and sometimes capable of piecing mail armor at this range DeVries ; Wise, The crossbow started to become commonplace in European forces during the early 13th century DeVries, ; Martin, The weapon originated in China sometime during the 5th century and diffused westward to the Roman Empire, appearing most frequently in a larger form known as the ballista Bradbury, ; Nicholson, The crossbow underwent several developments, borrowing advances from the bow, as the high medieval period began.
At first, the bow stave was made from wood, which allowed the weapon to be cocked by hand Bradbury, However, a more powerful, composite material started to replace wood by the 13th century DeVries, ; Wise, ; Bradbury, The additional stave strength also meant the weapon required enormous strength to arm. The problem worsened when composite staves were replaced by steel versions in the early 15th century Wise, ; Bradbury, As a result, crossbows now required mechanical components to aid in cocking the bowstring.
Even the simplest of these devices required significant time to operate DeVries, ; Wise, ; Bradbury, The complexity of the later cocking mechanisms meant manufacturing costs were high Wise, However, the biggest drawback was the slow reloading time; sometimes less than two bolts a minute could be fired, depending on the version Devries, ; Wise, However, the sluggishness, when compared to the bow, was seen as an acceptable tradeoff for the power gained DeVries, ; Nicholson, Crossbows, especially when firing special armor- piercing rounds, could easily penetrate mail and lamellar armor at ranges of m, and even plate armor with a lucky shot DeVries, ; Wise, ; Nicholson, Their maximum range approached an impressive m DeVries, ; Wise, ; Bradbury, Accuracy was superior to that of the bow because the solider could cock the weapon, and then use the stock to aim with no physical exertion DeVries, The speed of the bolt meant the soldier had to worry less about gravity, allowing most shots to be fired directly at the target.
Gunpowder, developed by the Chinese in the 8th or 9th century, began to be used for military applications in the early s. Manuscripts recovered in Ghent, Belgium indicate that primitive forms of ordnance were being used as early as By the s, simple cannons were used in both sieges and city defense Wise, ; Bradbury, ; Nicholson, At first, cannons were cast with extraordinarily thick walls to withstand the explosive forces in the chamber Wise, This made the cannons heavy and unwieldy.
By the s, advances in gunpowder, metallurgy, engineering and logistics meant cannons were favored over than the best of the old siege engines, such as the trebuchet Nicholson, By the late s, cannons could reach ranges of - m, and fire about four rounds an hour.
However, it is important to note that the payload was sometimes one hundred kilograms or more. Wise, Handguns first appeared in the mid s, but were little more than miniature cannons Wise, The weight and recoil meant the weapon had to be braced on the ground and aimed in a high trajectory.
The loading time was considerable and the accuracy poor Wise However, continued development soon produced less cumbersome versions, including the venerable musket. By the 15th century, the handgun was an established weapon and wreaking havoc on medieval battlefields DeVries ; Wise, ; Carman, ; Bradbury, Maximum range of 15th century firearms was around m, with an effective range of about m.
The weapon was exceedingly slow to reload at first; a good gunner could load and fire about eight rounds an hour. However, in close- range volleys, the weapon was formidable Wise, ; Nicholson, By the close of the medieval period, the handgun had become the supreme ranged weapon, as it easily penetrated the once invulnerable plate armor of the High Middle Ages.
Ferrill, The sling was one of the first projectile weapons, developed as early as 10, B. Korfmann, ; Ferrill, ; Grunfeld, Slingers played an important part in the Persian, Greek, Roman, and various Mesopotamian armies, and were considered to be equal to or better than bowmen Hawkins, ; Korfmann, Although used most extensively in Europe and the Near East, evidence of its usage can be found throughout the world, with the notable exception of Australia Korfmann, There are several Pacific Island, Andean, and Mediterranean cultures which maintain strong slinging traditions to this day through contests and historical recreations.
The weapon was inexpensive and easy to make. Sinew, plant fibers, animal hide, hair, and many other materials could be used for the cords and pouch. A well-trained soldier with a slingshot could have probably hit a person from yards away, or even more. It appears that the Romans were able to lay siege to the Scottish fort from their military camp and won. The version of the slingshot as most people now conceive it was probably not invented until when people had access to vulcanized rubber, or natural rubber mixed with several chemical additives to make it stronger and more flexible.
The rubber was usually obtained from salvaged bike tire inner tubes cut into strips. The slingshot was a relatively small and simple weapon, so when they started being used, they were usually made by hand and used as toys.
Slingshots continued to be used exclusively as toys until after World War Two, when the slingshot began being used as a legitimate weapon as well. The slingshot began being mass-produced in by a company called Wham-O. The idea was taken up by a competitor, and a modified version called the wrist-rocket was later developed by Saunders Archery Co. Ellenburg was the one who developed the basic design.
It goes back almost 2, years since the first catapult was invented. If you have not tried your hand at shooting a slingshot lately, you are really missing out. After all, Sling-Tech is your go-to online store for all things slingshots! The History of Slingshots. Written By Rick Schell. The Catapult, Mangonel, Ballista and the Trebuchet. The Greeks were highly impressed with the destructive capabilities of Gastraphete. They developed a larger version called the Ballista.
The early Greeks and Romans used this large crossbow-like weapon to hurl large projectiles at their enemies. They could throw large rocks, boulders, as well as spears over long distances.
Known as Siege engines, the Catapult, the mangonel, and the Trebuchet used heavy pulleys and leather straps. Even so, the Catapult and Trebuchet were much better known with their long arm used to throw projectiles. The Modern Slingshot.
Up till now, most slingshots were homemade. In , Popular Science had an article that detailed a slingshot builder and hunter using slingshots to take small game. Using No. The trebuchet was a siege engine which uses the power of men pulling on ropes or the energy stored in a raised weight to rotate what was, again, a staff sling.
It was designed so that, when the throwing arm of the trebuchet had swung forward sufficiently, one end of the sling would automatically become detached and release the projectile. Some trebuchets were small and operated by a very small crew; however, unlike the onager , it was possible to build the trebuchet on a gigantic scale: such giants could hurl enormous rocks at huge ranges.
Trebuchets are, in essence, mechanised slings. Classic woolen slings are still in use in the Middle East by Arab nomads and Bedouins to ward off jackals and hyenas. They were also used during the various Palestinian Intifadas against modern army personnel and riot police. The sling is used today as a weapon primarily by protestors, to launch either stones or incendiary devices, such as Molotov cocktails.
International Brigades used slings to throw grenades during the Spanish Civil War. Similarly, the Finns made use of sling-launched Molotov cocktails in the Winter War against Soviet tanks.
Slings were also used in the disturbances in Kenya. The sling is of interest to athletes who desire to break distance records; the best. This article does not contain any citations or references.
Please improve this article by adding a reference. For information about how to add references, see Template:Citation. Traditional slinging is still practiced as it always has been in the Balearic Islands, and competitions and leagues are common. In the rest of the world, the sling is primarily a hobby weapon, and a growing number of people make and practice with them. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record for the greatest distance achieved in hurling an object from a sling is: The principles of the sling may find use on a larger scale in the future; proposals exist for tether propulsion of spacecraft, which functionally is an oversized sling to propel a spaceship.
A skillful throw requires just one rapid rotation. Some slingers will rotate the sling slowly once or twice to seat the projectile in the cradle. One makes an overhand throw, using the sling to extend one's arm. The motion is similar to bowling a cricket ball. This is relatively accurate, instinctive and quite powerful. One faces 60 degrees away from the target, with one's non-throwing hand closest to the target: thus, imagining the thrower at the center of a large horizontal circle with the target at the 12 o'clock position, a right-handed thrower would orient one's body toward 2 o'clock, with the arm rotating vertically in the 12 o'clock plane.
The coordinated motion is to move every part of the body, legs, waist, shoulders, arms, elbows and wrist in the direction of the target in order to add as much speed as possible to the stone. One releases the projectile near the top of the swing, where the projectile will proceed roughly parallel to the surface of the earth. Another method of release said to be favoured by slingers firing into grouped or massed targets is an underhand throw.
The motion is similar to that of throwing a softball. The trajectory arc is relatively high. The thrower stands 60 degrees away from the target, and takes one step forward from the trailing foot, letting the sling swing forward. Range is said to be increased with this method, sacrificing accuracy. Several historians have conjectured that this was the most commonly used method in ancient warfare due to its practicality.
There are also sideways releases, in which the swing goes around; however, these throws make it very easy to release the projectile at a slightly wrong time and miss the target.
Military Wiki Explore. Popular pages. Project maintenance. Register Don't have an account? Sling weapon. Edit source History Talk 0. Not to be confused with Slingshot. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press.
ISBN Press, , pp.
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