Re enactment - Home of Artillery

King Henry VIII wanted enough to conquer Hell and Stalin called it the ‘God of War’. To what am I referring? The answer is, of course, artillery. No battle re-enactment scenario of the English Civil War, Napoleonic Wars or American Civil War would be complete without artillery and re-enactment scenarios of WW II involving artillery are really dynamic with anti-tank guns and field artillery such as 25-Pounder firing barrages.

Groups such as ‘Just Ordinary Men’ depict anti-tank gun emplacements during the Arnhem campaign in September 1944 and the Second Battle Group (SBG) which depicts the German 1st Division LSSAH, deploys artillery including a PaK 40 anti-tank gun in some of its battle scenarios

Your Very Own Big Gun

Private ownership of artillery pieces is also possible and Glenn Swallow of the SBG, for example, has a 10.5cm calibre leFH 18/40, which was the standard divisional field howitzer for the German army during WW II, and is often shown on the SBG static display. This particular version is the ‘M Type’ which came from Poland and many of the parts are date stamped 1938-194. The gun was designed by Rheinmetall and has some battle scars and was ‘spiked’, deliberately put out of action, during the war. It is a large piece and it really adds dimension to the displays by the group. Another member of the SBG to have his own piece of artillery is Gary ‘Gazza’ Hurley who has a PaK 40 towed anti-tank gun. The term PaK stands for Panzer Abwehr Kanone and is 7.5cm; calibres above 20mm were referred to in centimetres in the German Army. Gazza acquired his PaK 40 from a private collector in Finland. He is still researching more of its history by tracing production numbers on the parts. The weapon is used to fire blank cartridges during battle re-enactment displays and is held on a Section 1 Firearm Certificate. The gun crew follow the loading drills as used by the German army which is like watching wartime newsreel film.

Black Powder Artillery

Gunpowder artillery has been used since the 14th century, sometimes known as ‘bombards’, and were used against targets such as castles and replaced the catapult-type siege engines. The guns were used to batter the walls and over time designs were refined to be used on open battlefields such as Crecy and Agincourt.

Re-enactment groups depicting the Hundred Years War and Wars of the Roses use artillery in their battle re-enactment such as the annual Battle of Tewkesbury which is held on the site where the actual battle was fought in 1471. The guns at this event and other similar battle re-enactment are faithful reproductions and look as though they have just been taken from the pages of a medieval manuscript. The barrels are made by specialist companies and stamped by one of the authorised ‘Proof Houses’ which gives the charge or load of powder which can be safely used with the barrel. These barrels resemble the ‘hoop and stave’ construction of the period and when mounted on the wooden carriage with wagon wheels they are in keeping with the rest of the presentation.

There is no doubting the fact that artillery changed the way in which wars were fought and in battle re-enactment the guns turn a very good display into a stunning performance. Seeing guns crews loading the weapons using the actual drills as used at the Battle of Waterloo, the English Civil War or the American Civil War is amazing.

Some groups depict French artillery from the Napoleonic Wars with the designs of Count Jean de Gribeauval and Lazare Carnot , while re-enactors of The Royal Artillery of Wellington’s army from the same period deploy an equally impressive range of big guns. Seeing these in action during a set-piece display is very impressive. Some groups may have had their guns for many years and can be approached for advice on where to acquire artillery and other requirements to comply with the law, plus health and safety. 

Civil Wars and the Victorian Period

The gunners of the English Civil War also have authentic-looking guns and the drills they practice when loading and firing are straight out of the manuals of the day. There are many sources which can be used as reference for guns and there are foundries which can produce excellent copies of originals. The cost for this type of work is something which has to be discussed between the group and the company, but the end result is as close to the real thing as one is likely to get anywhere. Gunners pushing wheelbarrows transport the powder just as the armies of the day would have done, so it all looks authentic. Seeing gunners in action during battle scenes is thrilling and one gets a real sense of what it must have been like at Naseby or Edgehill.

Re-enactment groups with artillery units within their displays take great pride in the fact they are able to put guns onto the field. American Civil War groups are able to show how battles such as Gettysburg or Shilo were fought using artillery. For groups depicting the army of the Victorian era the company of Webley & Scott has produced a scaled-down version of the breech-loading Quick Firing 12-Pounder field gun which fired a shell of 3 inch (76mm) calibre. This gun was originally made by Armstrong’s Elswick Ordnance Company and this version is based on a smoothbore 50mm calibre barrel which means it can be legally held on a UK shotgun certificate even though it is proofed to fire a charge of 0.25lb of black powder. The price tag of £25,000 is expensive but is worth the expenditure to produce something authentic for displays and possibly lead to film work. Detail of this gun can be found at the Website: www.webley.co.uk

20th Century Artillery

By the time of the First World War all the armies had powerful artillery and also specialist weapons to engage a new range of targets such as tanks and aircraft.

Artillery is also used in WW II battle re-enactment and the SBG also has an example of a
captured Soviet anti-tank gun which is mounted on the group’s half-track. The 47mm gun was captured in such large numbers by the German army that stocks were converted and used against their former owners. This means the depiction by the SBG is authentic.
Allied groups use 75mm ‘pack howitzers’ as used by British airborne forces during the Arnhem campaign and other groups have 6-Pounder anti-tank guns.

There are some ‘mock up’ guns, and I have been fooled by them because they do look good. These are obviously for display purposes only. De-activated pieces of artillery serve the same purpose and do not have to be held on any certificate. These guns can be purchased through various dealers who will also give advice regarding legal requirements.

More recent conflicts such as the Falklands War and Vietnam involved artillery and there are displays including examples of the types of weapons used in these wars. On the display of the group Rolling Thunder which depicts the Vietnam War artillery, a 155mm howitzer is exhibited along with ammunition stocks. A few years ago the American Infantry Preservation Society (AIPS) built a firebase complete with a field gun and gave demonstrations of how artillery was used to provide fire support in Vietnam. It was an incredible experience to watch and extremely realistic.

Collections

Artillery from various periods can be seen at locations such as the English Heritage properties of Pendennis Castle in Falmouth, Cornwall and Dartmouth Castle in Devon. Both these sites provided coastal defences in the Tudor period and again during the Second World War. Pendennis Castle has a range of original historical artillery on display and reproduction gunpowder artillery which is sometimes used to give firing demonstrations, while Dartmouth castle has a very good range of historical artillery from the Tudor and Victorian periods.

Another good site is Fort Nelson, built during the Victorian Period to protect Portsmouth Harbour. This is part of the Royal Armouries and specialises in artillery from the earliest types to the most modern. Throughout the year the site hosts gun firing days, including artillery from both world wars, with the guns from the Victorian Period being fired by members of the Portsdown Artillery Volunteers. The dates for these events can be found on the Website at: www.royalarmouries.org

Perhaps the best collection of artillery to be found in the UK is at Firepower! The Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich, in south east London. Go to www.firepower.org.uk for opening time details and special events.

Want To Buy a Big Gun?

Artillery of all types can be purchased through various dealers and even the Internet. A recent search on the specialist Website of www.milweb.net revealed a range of artillery for sale across Europe and in Britain. These included a 13-Pounder Field Gun, 155mm ‘Long Tom’, 4.5inch 1918 howitzer, Mobat 120mm anti-tank gun, a 1939 Swiss/German army ammunition wagon and even a deactivated ‘88mm’ dated 1937 complete with documents.

There are other sites offering artillery and if one looks hard enough you will find something suitable. In fact some groups have purchased their guns in such a way or by reading through the classified adverts in specialist magazines including Gun Mart. Some pieces require some work to restore or refurbish them for events, but they can look impressive on the field. If the period you depict used artillery and your budget stretches to it, acquiring a big gun, it opens up new dimensions in re-enactment displays, whether static or on the battlefield.