An old engraving of the French mitrailleur (or mitrailleuse), a rapid-fire, breech-loading artillery gun. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The word is also used for the person in charge of such a weapon. A mitrailleuse is a type of volley gun with barrels that can fire either all rounds at once or in rapid succession. Then the French 25 barrel ‘Canon à Balles’, better known as the Reffye mitrailleuse, was developed in 1866. It was deployed during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The larger version of the gun shown right has 37 barrels.
An old engraving of the French mitrailleur (or mitrailleuse), a rapid-fire, breech-loading artillery gun. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The word is also used for the person in charge of such a weapon. A mitrailleuse is a type of volley gun with barrels of rifle calibre that can fire either all rounds at once or in rapid succession. The earliest mitrailleuse was invented in 1851 by a Belgian Army Captain Fafschamps, ten years before the advent of the Gatling gun. Then the French 25 barrel ‘Canon à Balles’, better known as the Reffye mitrailleuse, was developed in 1866. It was the first rapid-firing weapon deployed by an army in a major conflict when it was used during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. The larger version of the gun shown right has 37 barrels.
Size: 4724px × 3001px
Location: France
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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