Secret howitzer
Encyclopedia
95 mm howitzer M1753, called secret howitzer or Shuvalov's secret howitzer - 18th century Russian
cannon
, a type of muzzle-loading
howitzer
, devised and introduced into service by artillery commander, General Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov
.
Shuvalov's gun had an unusual, oval bore, which was designed to facilitate shot dispersal while firing canister
s and therefore to increase the killing field
. A special canister round produced for the cannon contained 168 balls; a grapeshot
version, with 48 larger balls, was also provided for shooting at 300-600 yards distance.
The name of the gun comes from the great secrecy which surrounded it. While not in use, the muzzle was covered with a lid to hide its unusual shape. The death penalty was set as the punishment for revealing the secret of the weapon.
The first guns built used quoins for changing the elevation, but in 1753-58 turnscrews were introduced. Originally they had cylindrical powder chambers like howitzers, but guns produced after 1758 had conical chambers like licorne
s. The guns proved quite effective in action during Seven Years' War
, especially at Gross-Jägersdorf
, but some were lost to Prussians at Zorndorf
(thus revealing their secret).
In practice the shot dispersal was hardly better than of ordinary guns, reloading was slower, and the inability of the cannon to fire any other projectiles hampered its effectiveness. Slow reloading was the reason given for the loss of 17 of these guns at Zorndorf, where they were overrun by cavalry before they could fire a second shot. There were some shot
and shells
produced for it, looking like rugby ball, but they found no practical use. Adding yet another type of ammunition created an additional burden for logistics.
Originally used by the Observation Corps and howitzer units, in 1759 they were attached to the infantry regiments, however, next year the decision was reversed. Secret howitzers were withdrawn from service soon after the death of their inventor, in the 1780s.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, a type of muzzle-loading
Muzzleloader
A muzzleloader is any firearm into which the projectile and usually the propellant charge is loaded from the muzzle of the gun . This is distinct from the more popular modern designs of breech-loading firearms...
howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
, devised and introduced into service by artillery commander, General Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov
Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov
Count Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov was a Russian statesman and Field Marshal who, together with his brother Aleksandr Shuvalov, paved the way for the elevation of the Shuvalov family to the highest offices of the Russian Empire...
.
Shuvalov's gun had an unusual, oval bore, which was designed to facilitate shot dispersal while firing canister
Canister shot
Canister shot is a kind of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. It was similar to the naval grapeshot, but fired smaller and more numerous balls, which did not have to punch through the wooden hull of a ship...
s and therefore to increase the killing field
Killing field
A killing field, in military science, is an area in front of a defensive position that the enemy must cross during an assault and is specifically intended to allow the defending troops to incapacitate a large number of the enemy. Defensive emplacements such as anti-tank obstacles, barbed wire and...
. A special canister round produced for the cannon contained 168 balls; a grapeshot
Grapeshot
In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
version, with 48 larger balls, was also provided for shooting at 300-600 yards distance.
The name of the gun comes from the great secrecy which surrounded it. While not in use, the muzzle was covered with a lid to hide its unusual shape. The death penalty was set as the punishment for revealing the secret of the weapon.
The first guns built used quoins for changing the elevation, but in 1753-58 turnscrews were introduced. Originally they had cylindrical powder chambers like howitzers, but guns produced after 1758 had conical chambers like licorne
Licorne
Licorne was an 18th and 19th century Russian cannon, a type of muzzle-loading howitzer, devised in 1757 by M.W. Danilov and S.A...
s. The guns proved quite effective in action during Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, especially at Gross-Jägersdorf
Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf
The Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf was a victory for the Russian force under Field Marshal Stepan Fedorovich Apraksin over a smaller Prussian force commanded by Field Marshal Hans von Lehwaldt, during the Seven Years' War.- Background :...
, but some were lost to Prussians at Zorndorf
Battle of Zorndorf
The Battle of Zorndorf was a battle fought on August 25, 1758 during the Seven Years' War, fought between the forces of the Russians troops under the command of Count William Fermor – and a Prussian army under King Frederick the Great...
(thus revealing their secret).
In practice the shot dispersal was hardly better than of ordinary guns, reloading was slower, and the inability of the cannon to fire any other projectiles hampered its effectiveness. Slow reloading was the reason given for the loss of 17 of these guns at Zorndorf, where they were overrun by cavalry before they could fire a second shot. There were some shot
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
and shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
produced for it, looking like rugby ball, but they found no practical use. Adding yet another type of ammunition created an additional burden for logistics.
Originally used by the Observation Corps and howitzer units, in 1759 they were attached to the infantry regiments, however, next year the decision was reversed. Secret howitzers were withdrawn from service soon after the death of their inventor, in the 1780s.