Martin von Wahrendorff

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Martin von Wahrendorff ( November 26, 1789 - January 20, 1861 in Stockholm ) was a Swedish diplomat and developer of the first modern gun with a rear load .

Life

Martin von Wahrendorff's grandfather, Joachim Daniel Wahrendorff (1726–1803), had emigrated from Mecklenburg to Sweden in 1760 . Thanks to his successful work as a merchant , he was able to acquire the ironworks in Åkers styckebruk , known as a gun foundry, in 1772 . Martin's father, Anders von Wahrendorff, was raised to the nobility with his three brothers in 1805.

Martin von Wahrendorff became a diplomat; he was u. a. Swedish Chargé d'Affaires in London , Chief Ceremonial Master and Court Marshal . The trigger for dealing with the subject of breech-loading guns, which was much discussed at the time, was his stay in Saint Petersburg in 1837. Wahrendorff observed the attempts of an English officer there.

Wahrendorff initially experimented unsuccessfully and could not improve the inadequate locking technology. The breakthrough came when his foreman Anders Moberg developed a resilient ring that was pressed firmly against the wall of the gun chamber by the gas pressure. However, Wahrendorff and Moberg later fell out. Moberg insisted on being the real inventor of the breech-loading gun. Wahrendorff installed Malmgren as Moberg's successor; this improved the gun further. Wahrendorff also developed a cast-iron mount for the heavy artillery of its type .

The Piedmontese officer Giovanni Cavalli , who was posted to Sweden at the time, suggested Wahrendorff to use a drawn barrel . This proposal was not in itself new either; Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse developed the Dreyse needle gun, the first drawn rear -loading rifle , around 1840 . Wahrendorff took up the suggestion and within a month a simple drawing machine was purchased in Åkers styckebruk, with which a twenty-four pounder (caliber 15 cm) with 20 caliber lengths was provided with two trains. The first trial shooting took place on April 27th and 28th, 1846. Cast -iron pointed projectiles with cast-on wings were used, which were placed in the trains. The cast wings were later Malmgren by a rotating band of lead replaced.

The rifled breech-loader and the pointed bullets showed some advantages over the smooth muzzle-loaders with cannonballs : the firing range was much greater, the spread was much less and the projectiles could be provided with impact fuses, as they hit the point first.

Wahrendorff had the gun patented in many countries . The Swedish artillery was rather hostile to the new gun because it seemed too complicated. In contrast, it received a lot of attention abroad and was introduced in Prussia , Austria and Russia . Even if others had similar ideas at the time, it was Wahrendorff who revolutionized artillery in the end.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Wahrendorff, Martin von . In: John Rosén (Ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 1st edition. tape 17 : V-Väring . Gernandts boktryckeri, Stockholm 1893, Sp. 84 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
  2. ^ Carl Fredrik Lindahl: Svenska millionär , Volume I, 1897 pp. 241–247 runeberg.org
  3. ↑ a b Otto Johannsen: Hundred years of breech loading guns . In: steel and iron , August 27, 1942: 737, bochumer-bunker.de de.scribd.com
  4. ^ Carl G. Gustavson: The small giant: Sweden enters the industrial era . Ohio University, 1986, ISBN 978-0-8214-0825-4 , p. 47 books.google.de
personal data
SURNAME Wahrendorff, Martin von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swedish diplomat and inventor
DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1789
DATE OF DEATH January 20, 1861
Place of death Stockholm