Editing Infantry support gun (section)

==Infantry support guns==

===Development history===
Infantry support guns were the first type of artillery employed by [[armed forces]], initially in China, and later brought to Europe by the Mongol invasion. In their initial form, they lacked carriages or wheels, and were simple cast barrels called {{lang|fr|pots de fer}} in French, or {{lang|it|vasi}} in Italian.<ref>p. 11, Rogers</ref> These weapons were relatively small, immobile, and fired large bolts or [[Quarrel (projectile)|quarrel]]s. Along with increases in the sizes of ordnance (the barrels) came the requirement of easier transportation. This led to two divergent approaches, the very light hand-gun, and eventually the [[arquebus]], while another avenue of development led to the light ordnance, now on wheeled carriages, such as the 2-pounder Culvern moyane, the 1-pounder falcon, and the {{frac|3|4}}-pounder [[Falconet (cannon)|falconet]].<ref>p. 36, Rogers</ref> These lighter [[Renaissance]] pieces eventually led to the development of the 3-pounder and 4-pounder [[regimental gun]]s of the 17th century as well as the [[leather cannon]], notably in the army of [[Gustavus Adolphus]].<ref>p. 39, Rogers</ref> The light field guns of the 17th century, commonly known as a drake in England, came in almost 100 different calibres,<ref>pp. 551–552, The Corps of Royal Engineers</ref> with each having its own distinct name, some of which were:<ref name="p.43, Rogers">p. 43, Rogers</ref>
:5-pound, {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch [[Saker (cannon)|saker]], weighing 1 ton
:4-pound, 3-inch [[minion (cannon)|minion]], weighing {{frac|3|4}} ton
:2-pound, {{frac|2|3|4}}-inch [[falcon (cannon)|falcon]], weighing {{frac|1|4}} ton
:1-pound, 2-inch [[Falconet (cannon)|falconet]], weighing {{convert|200|lb}}
:{{frac|3|4}}-pound, {{frac|1|1|4}}-inch [[robinet (cannon)|robinet]], weighing {{convert|100|lb}}

The saker and falcon had [[point-blank range]]s of {{convert|360|and|320|yd|disp=flip}}, and {{convert|2,170|and|1,920|yd|disp=flip}} [[extreme range]]s respectively.<ref name="p.43, Rogers"/>

Although [[oxen]] were used to haul the heavier field and siege ordnance, some on [[wagon]]s rather than [[Limbers and caissons|limber]]s, they were too slow to keep up with the infantry, and so horses were used to pull the lighter pieces, leading to the development of the artillery carriage and [[horse team]] that survived until the late 19th century.

===17th- to 19th-century development===
The first School of Artillery in Venice was opened early in the 16th century,<ref>p. 41, Deane</ref> and by the late 17th century the different old names of the lighter ordnance were abandoned, and replaced with the French ''canon'', or cannon.

The first regimental guns in English service were ordered by King [[James II of England|James II]] in 1686; two 3-pounders for each of the seven [[regiment]]s (of one battalion each) encamped in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]].<ref>p. 45, Rogers</ref> Attachment of guns to the infantry had practical reasons also. While the allocation of horses was reckoned at one for each 350–500 pounds of ordnance and its carriage, this was only true for availability of good horses and good roads, both in short supply due to unscrupulous civilian [[Private military contractor|contractor]]s and lack of [[road building technology]].<ref>p. 46, Rogers</ref> In cases where the work was excessive for horses alone, infantry would join them in pulling the guns, calculated at 80&nbsp;lbs per [[infantryman]],<ref>p. 47, Rogers</ref> a [[pack weight|load]] which remains at the upper limit of the average [[light infantry]] unit requirement today.

The 3-pounder [[Grasshopper cannon]] was in use with British forces in the 18th century. Each British infantry battalion had an officer and 34 non commissioned officers and other ranks trained by the [[Royal Artillery]] to handle the two 3- or light 6-pounder guns battalion guns.<ref>p. 21 Haythornwaite</ref>

[[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia was the first to introduce [[artillery tactics]] for the regimental guns which were to accompany the infantry units as part of his reform of the Prussian artillery as a whole before and during the [[Seven Years' War]].<ref>pp. 54–55, Rogers</ref> This included the determination that [[canister shot]] was only effective at a range of 100 yards, same as that of the musket range, and therefore put the gunners into the environment of direct [[infantry combat]] due to Frederick's insistence that artillery should participate in the [[infantry attack]].<ref>pp. 56–57, Rogers</ref>

In 1732 [[Florent-Jean de Vallière]] standardized French artillery ordnance ([[barrel]]s) into five calibers. The lightest piece was the [[Canon de 4 de Vallière|Vallière 4-pounder]] and the heavier cannons were 8-, [[Canon de 12 de Vallière|12-]], 16- and [[Canon de 24 de Vallière|24-pounders]]. The 4-pounder proved too heavy to be employed as a battalion gun so Swedish 4-pounders were used for that purpose beginning in 1757. Two years later the French began using the [[1-pdr Rostaing gun]] but it only had limited service.{{sfn|Chartrand|Hutchins|2003|p=4}}

Manufacture of the ordnance was also revolutionised by the early-18th century invention of the boring mechanism by the Swiss gun-[[foundry|founder]] [[Moritz of Geneva]] which allowed for a far greater precision achieved in the casting, in essence creating a huge [[lathe]] on which the barrel casting turned instead of the boring tool.<ref>p. 137, Hicks</ref> Manufacture of [[Round shot|cannonballs]] was also improved so the [[projectile]]s were now well-fitted to the bore of the ordnance, and after conducting experiments with gunpowder, the [[powder charge]]s were determined to be one-third the weight of the shot (cannonball).<ref>pp. 57–58, Rogers</ref>

Frederick's artillery [[Military doctrine|doctrine]] influenced the development of the French artillery troops, and after 1764 [[Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval]], the first Inspector of Artillery, after conducting trials in [[Strasbourg]], reorganised French artillery units to provide them with greater [[Mobility (military)|mobility]], changing length of the barrels to standard 18-calibre length, including the regimental 4-pounders. These were now pulled by four horses and used large six-wheeled vehicles that also included the [[Limbers and caissons|caisson]]s. The [[system of ordnance]], carriages, ball, and powder charges introduced by de Gribeauval remained virtually unaltered through the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and [[Napoleonic Wars]].

{{Quotation|General Augustin Lespinasse on battalion guns: "If you want to prevent your troops from manouevering, embarrass them with guns&nbsp;... A line of infantry supported by good, properly established batteries retains its order of battle better"<ref>p. 340 Chandler</ref>}}

===20th-century development===
[[File:WWI German stormtroopers pulling field gun.png|thumb|right|German [[Stormtroopers (Imperial Germany)|stormtroopers]] with a modified Russian [[76 mm mountain gun M1909|M1909 mountain gun]], c.1916–1918]]
Infantry support guns drew much interest in course of World War I because of the developments in trench warfare.  In addition to the usual requirements that they needed to be portable enough to be carried by infantry, two separate capabilities were desired.  First, it needed to engage in high angle indirect fire, especially given the prevalence of trenches.  Second, it needed to be capable of low angle direct fire, while being carried by assault infantry, to engage strongpoints, bunkers, and other fortifications.  Some infantry support guns that appeared between world wars, such as the German [[7.5 cm leichtes Infanteriegeschütz 18]] and Japanese [[Type 92 battalion gun]] were designed to meet all these requirements simultaneously and saw action during [[WWII]].<ref name="urlStrafbattalion: Hitler’s Penal Battalions - Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. - Google Książki">{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgtEDwAAQBAJ&q=Infantry+support+gunS&pg=PT95 |title=Strafbattalion: Hitler's Penal Battalions - Walter S. Zapotoczny Jr. - Google Książki |author1=Walter S Zapotoczny JR |date=21 December 2017 }}</ref>