Repeating crossbow
A repeating crossbow is a crossbow in which the steps of cocking , inserting an arrow and releasing the arrow can be performed with a simple, one-handed movement. As a result, such a weapon can shoot much faster than a normal crossbow. A container with a few bolts is mounted above the arch. The mechanism is driven by the back and forth movement of a rectangular lever.
history
The oldest repeating weapon was described by the Greek engineer Philon of Byzantium (3rd century BC). It was an arrow gun, called a Polybolos , which was driven via a chain drive with a winch that was operated back and forth to fire. Reloading took place automatically via a gravitational magazine.
In China , the oldest evidence goes back to the Han dynasty . The Chinese repeating crossbow (zhugenu) is a very simple piece of equipment. It is said to have been invented by the Chinese commander Zhuge Liang (181–234 AD), but this is controversial as the earliest drawings of the weapon were found in the library of Chu , dating from 250 AD. It is more likely that historians in the Ming Dynasty mistook the Liannu , a variant of the repeating crossbow that shot multiple arrows at once and was actually invented by Zhuge Liang, for the archetype. The last major use of the repeating crossbow took place in the Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895). The basic structure of the repeating crossbow has remained relatively unchanged since its invention.
Zhugenu
The zhugenu was one of the simplest and most famous building methods. It was extremely easy to make and use, and could easily fire ten arrows in 15 seconds. A normal crossbow with a steel bow could hardly shoot once at this time. However, the Zhugenu had neither the power nor the accuracy of a normal crossbow. In order to still achieve acceptable ranges, light arrows were used instead of bolts. As a result, the zhugenu was not very useful against heavily armored enemies, except when the arrows were poisoned, which could kill even a small wound. The accuracy of the target of the Zhugenu was rather poor, but since the next shot followed in just one second, the same target could quickly be shot again.
The zhugenu was powered by moving a lever back and forth. In this movement the bow was drawn, a new arrow inserted and the weapon fired.
This technique put enormous stress on the tendon as forces acted on it from above and below. Lifting the magazine in particular put pressure on the tendon, which is why it was reinforced with goose or duck feathers .
There were also modified versions of the Zhugenu, such as siege crossbows with larger arrows and greater tension that had to be operated by two soldiers , or heavy versions with two magazines that shot two arrows at once. The latter was used at a short distance.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Werner Södel, Vernard Foley: Ancient Catapults. In: Scientific American. Vol. 240, No. 3 (March 1979), pp. 124-125.