What new weapon should the Charisans push for next?

Now with the looming introduction of smokeless powder what type of weapon should the charisians push to introduce?

I am thinking something along the lines of a 40mm grenade launcher would have the largest impact on land battles and if they could get something like a 40mm pom pom from WWII that would be a nice way to add a large amount of firepower to any ship in a small package that would be able to ruin the day of any wooden ship at range and it would be a great thing to use in a fortified position.

captinjoehenry wrote:Now with the looming introduction of smokeless powder what type of weapon should the charisians push to introduce?

I am thinking something along the lines of a 40mm grenade launcher would have the largest impact on land battles and if they could get something like a 40mm pom pom from WWII that would be a nice way to add a large amount of firepower to any ship in a small package that would be able to ruin the day of any wooden ship at range and it would be a great thing to use in a fortified position.

Try the 37mm Hotchkiss rotary cannon which IIRC had ROF 60 RPM with an effective range of about a mile.

captinjoehenry wrote:Now with the looming introduction of smokeless powder what type of weapon should the charisians push to introduce?

I am thinking something along the lines of a 40mm grenade launcher would have the largest impact on land battles and if they could get something like a 40mm pom pom from WWII that would be a nice way to add a large amount of firepower to any ship in a small package that would be able to ruin the day of any wooden ship at range and it would be a great thing to use in a fortified position.

Those wouldn't necessarily need smokeless powder to be fielded. I'm pretty sure that we're not going to see auto-loaders/automatics of any caliber or type in this era -- i.e. not for twenty to thirty years, and the next war.

What Charis needs to push is land transport -- trucks and trains -- and other "civilian" tech, like "Caterpillar" tractors and combine harvesters. Much of that will translate into Military Tech that wins wars far more than "bigger guns."

The development of high explosives is going to affect warfare far more than smokeless powder -- although they are related technologies -- because High explosives are going to affect civilization, as a whole, in more ways than better weapons.

yeah the 37mm Hotchkiss rotary cannon looks pretty good to me and it would be easier to get set up then a fully automatic weapon but now that there are full round cartridges and a bolt action rifle it would not be too hard to get a machine gun like the Maxim built now that type of weapon might not be great for the charisian army as that is a more stationary weapon which is why i suggested a grenade launcher which would be better suited to offensive operations which are what they need to be doing

As stated elsewhere, I think that the most important thing to do next is to be able to quickly and effectively repair, expand and extend the canal system. I would be surprised if that was not high on the list of Merlin's next 'suggestions'. Steam shovels might be up there, too. We sometimes forget how much work can be done with steam engines and cable hoists.

And I'd be careful if you said that transport systems aren't weapons- tell that to the Sioux.

Weird Harold wrote:SNIP
The development of high explosives is going to affect warfare far more than smokeless powder -- although they are related technologies -- because High explosives are going to affect civilization, as a whole, in more ways than better weapons.

Could you expand on this, please. Which qualities, other than the rapid generation of great heat and pressure, might you be talking about here?

captinjoehenry wrote:Now with the looming introduction of smokeless powder what type of weapon should the charisians push to introduce?

MAXIM gun! When facing enormous hordes of charging Harchongese there is simply nothing better than a belt fed machine gun to equalize the odds.

Remember, whatever happens we have got
The Maxim gun and they have not!
(Hilaire Belloc, The Modern Traveller, 1898)

Just ask General Sir Herbert Kitchener.
(Battle of Omdurman)
or Major Patrick William Forbes
(Battle of the Shangani)
or the Russians and Japanese who both had them during the Russo/Japanese war
or just about anyone for the duration of the first world war (since just about everyone seemed to develop a version of it).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_gun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV5f2nmgpQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1qH8Ix3QTA


Not only lethal, but will scare the bonkers out of anyone who hasn't gone up against them before. Doesn't take trench warfare to get good use out of them, simply fixed positions and a bit of fortification. Team them with mortars and a handful of rifleman to defend against leakers and they'll break any mass charge directed against them.

Larry

EdThomas wrote:

Weird Harold wrote:SNIP
The development of high explosives is going to affect warfare far more than smokeless powder -- although they are related technologies -- because High explosives are going to affect civilization, as a whole, in more ways than better weapons.

Could you expand on this, please. Which qualities, other than the rapid generation of great heat and pressure, might you be talking about here?

Basically the amount and application of said "great heat and pressure."


Mining, Construction, Demolition, Excavation, etc.

captinjoehenry wrote:yeah the 37mm Hotchkiss rotary cannon looks pretty good to me and it would be easier to get set up then a fully automatic weapon but now that there are full round cartridges and a bolt action rifle it would not be too hard to get a machine gun like the Maxim built now that type of weapon might not be great for the charisian army as that is a more stationary weapon which is why i suggested a grenade launcher which would be better suited to offensive operations which are what they need to be doing

If it is possible, skip the Hotchkiss and go straight to a Maxim. Not only were they superb infantry weapons but the QF 1pdr of the Boer War was nothing more than a Maxim sized up to fire 37mmx94R shells. A famous battle in August 1916 had 10 .30 caliber machine guns use 100 barrels to fire 1 million rounds with ZERO failures.

doug941 wrote:

captinjoehenry wrote:yeah the 37mm Hotchkiss rotary cannon looks pretty good to me and it would be easier to get set up then a fully automatic weapon but now that there are full round cartridges and a bolt action rifle it would not be too hard to get a machine gun like the Maxim built now that type of weapon might not be great for the charisian army as that is a more stationary weapon which is why i suggested a grenade launcher which would be better suited to offensive operations which are what they need to be doing

If it is possible, skip the Hotchkiss and go straight to a Maxim. Not only were they superb infantry weapons but the QF 1pdr of the Boer War was nothing more than a Maxim sized up to fire 37mmx94R shells. A famous battle in August 1916 had 10 .30 caliber machine guns use 100 barrels to fire 1 million rounds with ZERO failures.

the reason i am in favor of the 37mm is that it is large enough to carry a HE filler which would make them much more effective against infantry behind cover and if it is mounted on a ship it would make quick work of a wooden ship at fairly long range while being light enough to be field mobal or light enough to mount on existing ships relatively easily.