Knight.
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Knight on horse back.
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Men at Arms.
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Pikeman`s Armour
Dutch, about 1630 - 40. It is of superior quality, decorated with pairs of engraved lines and brass fittings and rivets. Like many Dutch Pikeman`s Armour, it has a high - necked Cuirass, making a separate collar unnecessary.
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War Elephants.
Elephants played a significant part in warfare from 1000 BC until the 19th century. They were mainly used in India and South - East Asia but occasionally in Western Asia, North Africa, Spain and Italy. Elephants were valued for their strength, Intelligence and their ability to be trained. Their main role was as fighting animals but they were also used for moving heavy loads such as artillery pieces and forest timber.They could trample men and horses or pick up and throw a man and horse together. They could also wield swords attached to their tusks, the reputation of elephants was so fearsome that their true military value is difficult to assess. This is the only example of an almost complete elephant armour in any public collection in the world.
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Maximilian I. Holy Roman Emperor.
Tournaments featured the finest sportsmen - skilled contestants who trained from a young age - and were often held to celebrate marriages, births, alliances and victories. They had become fashionable , courtly displays of power with glittering parades of rulers and nobleman. Maximilian was Europe`s most powerful ruler and a famous tournament competitor.
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Gatling Machine Gun.
British, dated 1873. One of the drawbacks of the design of the Gatling was the black - powder ammunition, which fouled the chambers and jammed the mechanism. This Armstrong - made example fires the large .65 calibre cartridge adopted by the Royal Navy in 1874.
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Gatling Machine Gun - British about 1876.
Early Gatling guns were used in much like artillery pieces although their .45 calibre cartridges had less power and range. This example is mounted on the navel landing - party carriage and has it`s transit chest for the Broadwell Drum Magazine. Guns of this type were used during the battle of Tel - El - Kebir in 1882.
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Machine Gun.
General Electric Corporation M134 GAU 2B/A American, about 1980. Known as the Minigun, this weapon was the primary armament for Helicopter Gunships during the Vietnam War. Driven by a 28 volt motor, this 7.62mm gun had an adjustable rate of fire of 300 to 6000 rounds per minute. It`s ammunition box contained 1200 cartridges.
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Nordenfelt Machine Gun.
Calibre 1inch, British about 1884.This machine gun was designed and patented by two Swedish Engineers in 1873, with the financial backing of Thorsten Nordenfelt. It is an important representative of the hand - operated machine guns which were developed following the success of the Gatling Gun. Ammunition contained in a hopper mounted on top of the gun, was fed into the gun and fired automatically when the firing lever was moved backwards and forwards. These 1inch calibre guns were designed specifically for use against Torpedo Boats. Trials at Portsmouth in 1880 showed that their solid steel projectiles could penetrate iron plates up to an inch thick, enough to disable a small boat completely.
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To be continued.
I like the war elephants. Always have, always will. Reminds me of Hannibal on the warpath! I have never seen Gatling guns set up the way those are. I have only seen the American versions with stick magazines. Good stuff as always and keep that camera limbered up!
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