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Horse artillery—rows of limbers and caissons, each pulled by teams of six horses with three postilion riders and an escort on horseback (1933, Poland). A limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, or the stock of a field carriage such as a caisson or traveling forge, allowing it to be towed.
A lifesize model of a Swedish 1850s horse artillery team towing a light artillery piece, in the Swedish Army Museum, Stockholm.. Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving, and fast-firing field artillery that consisted of light cannons or howitzers attached to light but sturdy two-wheeled carriages called caissons or limbers, with the individual crewmen riding on horses.
A gun carriage is a frame or a mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. [1] Gun carriages are also used on ships to facilitate the movement and aiming of large cannons and guns. [2]
Due to its light weight, good range, and heavy shell 120 were chosen to equip horse-drawn artillery units at the outbreak of the First World war in order to give them heavy artillery and they could be towed at 4 km/h (2.5 mph). The end of the box trail could be attached to a limber for towing and each gun was provided with a caisson for ...
The carriage weighed 1,433 pounds (650 kg) and limber weighed 787 pounds (357 kg), making a total weight of barrel, carriage and limber of 4,020 pounds (1,823 kg). [17] A second authority stated that the width of the bore was 121 millimetres (4.8 in) and the barrel length was 7 feet 7 inches (2.3 m).
The carriage was a pole trail type with two seats for the gunners and a protective shield. [4] The first British artillery round on the Western Front in World War I was fired by No. 4 gun of E Battery Royal Horse Artillery on 22 August 1914, northeast of Harmignies in Belgium. [5]
For transport, the mle 1881 could be fitted with a set of removable wooden-spoked, steel-rimmed wheels at the front of the carriage. The tail of the carriage was then hooked to a limber and caisson for horse towing. Site preparation included creating a 5.3 m (17 ft) firing platform made of wooden beams which took 2.5 hours to build. [5]
The gun carriage was designed to be towed behind a limber and six horses; the lower carriage comprised a box trail. The QF 4.5 fired a separate round (i.e. shell and cartridge were loaded separately). The barrel was of built-up type, with a horizontal sliding-block breech. A limited traverse saddle supported the elevating mass and a shield.