Krupp 6pdr

[cameronian]

Was watching Khartoum again last night (Charlton Heston) and was intrigued to see that the artillery featured, both British Egyptian and Mahdist, was Krupp 6pdrs complete with wire seats. The point isn't about historical verisimilitude (I doubt whether it was fired using a portfire, also not sure if the Brits/Egyptians even had them) but that the movie shows a number of close up pictures of the guns being worked including the sliding breech mechanism, all in all quite interesting.

[Hertsblue]

British artillery in 1883 should have been muzzle-loading - as the New Board of Ordnance had junked all their breech-loaders in favour of a return to obsolete technology. See http://www.battlefieldanomalies.com/2boerwar/04_artillery.htm. Having said that, I can't believe any army was using portfires that late in the century.

[holdfast]

What a blow to find that historical films are not 100% accurate.
What is the point of watching these films if it does not count as historical research?
Though I do confess that I identified one or two historical inaccuracies in The Hobbit Part 3 last Friday, although you will be relieved to know that they had avoided breech loading Krupps.
I will have to resort to checking original sources if this goes on.

[cameronian]

*sigh*

The point isn't about historical verisimilitude (I doubt whether it was fired using a portfire, also not sure if the Brits/Egyptians even had them) but that the movie shows a number of close up pictures of the guns being worked including the sliding breech mechanism, all in all quite interesting

On the subject of hobbits John, do you wish to declare an interest?
Just asking.

[Leman]

Big words, big words. That'll confuse Johnny Foreigner.