Artillery
The image on the left is of Big Bertha, a German howitzer used by the German Army in advancing through Belgium. Big Bertha was a 420 mm howitzer, and it could shoot a 1,763 pound projectile up to 7.7 miles away. This canon was created by Krupp manufacturing. It was created to stabilize the Western Front, but was ultimately unsuccessful because it could only shoot 8 rounds an hour. In later years, the Paris Gun was created by the Germans to destroy Paris.
Above, the map shows where Big Bertha would have been used.
On the right, there's a picture of Austria Hungary's Skinny Emma. Skinny Emma was also a howitzer, but it was not nearly as impressive as Big Bertha. It could throw an 848 pound projectile made of nickel and steel, and it was still a formidable canon, even next to Big Bertha. It took out supposedly impenetrable Belgian fortresses (made of concrete) after a day of heavy bombardment. It was created for aid to Germany in Belgium, and it was created by Skoda Works, an Austria-Hungarian manufacturer.
Above, this map shows where Austria-Hungary used their Schlanke Emma in Belgium.
Here on the left is a picture of a 6-inch Towed Medium Howitzer, manufactured by Great Britain in 1915. One manufacturing company was called the Midvale Steel Company, but there were many companies who had a part in the creation of this howitzer. The rounds fired by these howitzers weighed at only 100 lbs, but they were High Explosive, or HE, rounds. This means that they would explode on contact. Even though this British howitzer was not as impressive as some other howitzers, it could be mass produced (to some extent) and there could be more made for defense on the Western Front.
Above, the British Howitzer was used here to aid the French.
Lastly, on the right, we have the Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux mle 1917 (Model of 1917), which was designed by Colonel L.J.F. Filloux, and it was put into service as soon as it was ready. The rounds for this howitzer were also explosive ones, but they couldn't be shot as far as the British Medium Howitzer. This gun was probably the least successful howitzer as the French Army didn't have as much heavy artillery as their enemy, Germany. The reason this machine was created was for, of course, defense on the Western Front.
Above, the map shows where the Model of 1917 would have been used.
ImpactThe howitzer made a major impact on World War I because it shot down fortresses, killed people hiding in the trenches, and it caused a big increase in soldier's moral. The Austria-Hungarian howitzer and the German howitzer tore down Belgium's forts made of concrete and steel, and without that, Germany wouldn't have been able to get through.
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Many people in Europe were impacted by the howitzer. The soldiers on the front lines depended on the canon because it destroyed a lot of the big machinery, like tanks, and it killed people in the enemy trenches. Also, having a big canon on your side would give anyone a lot of hope. Howitzers affected the leaders of the nations and decisions they made, as well. Heavy artillery was used at the Battle of the Somme because it was such an important battle. About 104 canons were used total. Civilians were also affected because their lives depended on how the war ended, and the howitzer was a major impact on the war.
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Some negative consequences of the howitzer are that it is very slow, it's heavy, and it takes a lot of men to take care of it. A small howitzer can take up to 10 men, but larger ones can take up to a hundred. Small howitzers weighed thousands of pounds, and Big Bertha weighed about 30,000. It's also very slow, because Big Bertha shot only 8 rounds an hour.
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Connections To Today
A modern-day example of the howitzer is the Archer, created by the British Aerospace, or B.A.E, for short. The archer is self-propelled, so it doesn't need as many men working on it. It is also faster, and it can shoot 21 rounds in 3.5 minutes. It would take Big Bertha about 3 hours to shoot that fast! This machine is designed to protect the Swedish and to be used in major combat, or against potential threats. This canon has not been used yet, but it was created in 1995 for Sweden, despite it being created by B.A.E.