Rod (weapon)

The Rutte or Rütte, mentioned around 1300, was a medieval siege device that was designed for a horizontal shot.

description

The rod consisted of a vertical bar, on the rear surface of which a strong steel snap spring was attached at one end, the other end of which could be bent backwards with the help of a winch . In a cavity in the upper edge of the beam, the arrow or bolt , which protruded slightly beyond the surface of the beam and was supported in front by an iron fork, was placed. The fork could in turn be used to give the projectile a certain direction. If the spring was released from its bent back position, it snapped back into its original position, hit the rear end of the projectile with force and threw it forward.

The rod was primarily used to fire incendiary projectiles .

literature

• Otto Piper : Castle studies, construction and history of castles, initially within the German-speaking area. 3rd, much improved edition. Piper, Munich 1912, p. 389
• W. Gohlke: The guns of antiquity and the Middle Ages , in Volume 6 (1912-1914) of the magazine for historical weapons, publisher: Association for historical weapons, Dresden, 1915, pages 12 to 22. (online digitized)