"The History of Weapons," by ZDF Studios, Episode 5

 "The History of Weapons"
 By: ZDF Studios, Episode 5
*Continued from Ep. 4

Episode 5: Faster Than the Enemy               


                                                                   

                                                          Common Two Person Chariot
                                   
                                      By Álvaro Pérez Vilariño - Flickr: Biga, CC BY-SA 2.0,                                       
                               
                                https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19814849
                                                              

  In this episode, the historians look at a crucial battlefield element: speed. Using the chariot, the sling and the revolver, they demonstrate the need for speed in every aspect of warfare.

   First up is the chariot. While the origins of the chariot are murky, as they likely started as simple horse drawn carriages, the oldest examples of what we recognize as the chariot today date back to at least 2000 BCE, as found in burials in the Chelyabinsk region of modern-day Russia. Here, Mike loads discusses the amazing amount of technology needed to make them lighter, stronger, flexible and most importantly, fast. He even climbs up on one himself with a driver to show how they were used and how important they were to delivering troops quickly, spears and sword slashes at higher velocity and to put well trained archers in range of high priority targets and get them out quickly again. This is where Mike Loads is in his element; he's very adept at shooting a bow and throwing a spear from the rolling, bouncing cart with a fair degree of accuracy, and does so with a reverence for the fighting men who utilized them, the craftsmen that made them possible and the poor souls who had to defend themselves against a highly mobile enemy.

  They then move onto the sling. I'll be perfectly honest with you, I had no idea what the deal was with slings before seeing this documentary; you hear about David slaying Goliath with one, and you're left thinking "Well that was a lucky shot," or "God guided that boy's hand," but not so. Slings are simply stated: LETHAL; especially in the hands of a skilled slinger. They travel to the Balearic Isles, storied home to the best slingers in the world, and meet with a competitive slinger. Slinging is alive and well there even today, and after seeing this guy in action, all my preconceived notions of slings went out the window. They have him take aim at a plywood and sheet metal representation of a shield; the results of which are evident as the chunks of plywood are eaten away. They then move onto a leather covered ballistic gel torso, using the lead almond shaped projectiles produced by the Romans. Not only does it pierce the leather, it embeds itself several inches deep into the gel. Certainly a lethal wound by any measure. These things could pierce armor, split skulls and puncture shields like they were butter. The lethality of it comes from the speed of the released portion of the sling, which goes supersonic, much like a bullwhip. When placed in the hands of a skilled slinger, they could rain hell down on approaching enemies with a downright jaw-dropping amount of accuracy and lethal potency. True slings are not the cheap toys of young children as they are here in the west, they are legitimate weapons of war, and you'd be wise to respect them as such.


 Lastly, we have the revolver. Starting with the Colt Walker and Colt Army Model 1860, both cap and ball revolvers. For many centuries arms manufacturers were experimenting with ways to get more than one shot off before having to go through a lengthy and potentially deadly reloading procedure. The cap and ball revolver was one of the first truly successful multiple shot firearms, but they were prone to misfire and still had a lengthy and complicated reloading process. Sure, you could purchase an extra cylinder or two and pre-load them to be swapped out on the battlefield, but even that process was clumsy and time consuming. With the advent of the metallic pin-fired cartridge, it was only a matter of time before the two designs were married; and it was Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company that did so with the Colt Single Action Army. (Nicknamed the Colt Peacemaker) While it certainly wasn't the first cartridge based revolver, it is the most storied and most popular by far. For their effort they were awarded the contract to supply every enlisted officer in the army with one from 1873 until 1892, cementing the Colt name firmly into legend. They gained a swift reputation for reliability, ease of use and of course speed. It was favored by fighting men and civilians alike, with many variations for a variety of applications being produced, making it one of (if not the most) popular firearms of the late 19th century.