Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

kronckew · 11th June 2016, 07:40 PM

edster, the item in your post seems to have disappeared. i note that the drawings (and the one showing a punt gun type on a camel) above show a very precarious mount with the muzzle dangerously close to the camel's head. i would suspect if used many camels would be headless in a pitched battle. it'ds also be very hard to reload. the one real pic of a gun on a camel seems to show it being used to transport a real artillery piece for subsequent reassembly prior to use. drawings can be flights of fancy by artists who never saw but only heard by word of mouth. even the one actually showing the gun would have a hard time firing it in it's present position, especially with shot or langrage. could be used in a fake 'parade style charge & volley fire that performers seem to enjoy in north african get-togeters with muskets firing blanks.

one of my favourite pics, the 1939 classic 'gunga din', (title role played by sam jaffe, who was not indian) not only has some neat sword fights, enfields & bayonets, indian lancer charges and scots guards attacking, but shows a pair of elephants used to transport, in pieces, a proper gatling gun they subsequently assemble and use to more that decimate the enemy 'thugee' cavalry charge, and to fill the air with a cloud of smoke as it would have... a more likely approach for a camel as well. 'gunga din' tends to get TV airing freequently here in the UK, i tend to watch it again and again. made during the end of the british raj, they actually use british and indian soldiers to play both sides in the battle, and the scots guards and indian lancers acted just like they would have in a real period battle there. i've heard they all really enjoyed the battle scenes. i also note it took TWO elephants to carry a gatling and its carriage/ready boxes etc. but they assembled it in a couple of minutes.

anyway, i suspect mounting a proper artillery piece to be fired from a standing camel, or even a prone one, was a literary (or at best a 'parade' item) enhancement. (using one of the small bore ones above may have been a bit more practical from the howdah of an ellyfant who would tend not to get it's head in the firing line...)

11th June 2016, 07:40 PM	#8
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	edster, the item in your post seems to have disappeared. i note that the drawings (and the one showing a punt gun type on a camel) above show a very precarious mount with the muzzle dangerously close to the camel's head. i would suspect if used many camels would be headless in a pitched battle. it'ds also be very hard to reload. the one real pic of a gun on a camel seems to show it being used to transport a real artillery piece for subsequent reassembly prior to use. drawings can be flights of fancy by artists who never saw but only heard by word of mouth. even the one actually showing the gun would have a hard time firing it in it's present position, especially with shot or langrage. could be used in a fake 'parade style charge & volley fire that performers seem to enjoy in north african get-togeters with muskets firing blanks. one of my favourite pics, the 1939 classic 'gunga din', (title role played by sam jaffe, who was not indian) not only has some neat sword fights, enfields & bayonets, indian lancer charges and scots guards attacking, but shows a pair of elephants used to transport, in pieces, a proper gatling gun they subsequently assemble and use to more that decimate the enemy 'thugee' cavalry charge, and to fill the air with a cloud of smoke as it would have... a more likely approach for a camel as well. 'gunga din' tends to get TV airing freequently here in the UK, i tend to watch it again and again. made during the end of the british raj, they actually use british and indian soldiers to play both sides in the battle, and the scots guards and indian lancers acted just like they would have in a real period battle there. i've heard they all really enjoyed the battle scenes. i also note it took TWO elephants to carry a gatling and its carriage/ready boxes etc. but they assembled it in a couple of minutes. anyway, i suspect mounting a proper artillery piece to be fired from a standing camel, or even a prone one, was a literary (or at best a 'parade' item) enhancement. (using one of the small bore ones above may have been a bit more practical from the howdah of an ellyfant who would tend not to get it's head in the firing line...) Attached Images Last edited by kronckew; 11th June 2016 at 08:01 PM.