Artillery facts for kids

A large artillery shell being fired from a powerful M-198 howitzer gun.

Artillery refers to powerful, long-range guns used by armies. Think of them as giant cannons or howitzers! These weapons are designed to shoot targets that are very far away, often over hills or buildings.

Armies use artillery for several important reasons. They can stop enemy soldiers from moving into an area, or they can fire at enemy trenches and buildings. Artillery also helps support friendly troops by clearing the way or providing cover.

There are many different types of artillery weapons. Some shoot large shells (like big bullets), while others launch missiles. Some newer systems can even drop mines over a wide area, making it difficult for enemies to pass through. Artillery is also used in anti-aircraft warfare to shoot down enemy planes and other flying objects.

The soldiers who operate these big guns are called "gunners." Often, another person called a "spotter" helps by finding the enemy. This is because artillery guns often shoot their shells high into the air and over obstacles, so the gunners don't always need to see their target directly to hit it.

What are the main types of artillery?

Artillery comes in many shapes and sizes, each designed for a specific job. Here are some of the main types:

Field Artillery

These are the most common types of artillery used on battlefields.

• Field guns are powerful guns that can be moved around.
• Howitzers are similar to field guns but can shoot shells in a high arc, making them good for hitting targets behind hills.
• Self-propelled guns are artillery pieces built onto a vehicle, like a tank, so they can move quickly.
• Infantry guns are smaller guns used to support foot soldiers.
• Mountain artillery is designed to be light and easy to move in difficult mountain terrain.
• Siege artillery refers to very large guns used to attack strong enemy forts or cities.

Specialized Guns

Some artillery is made for very specific tasks.

• Anti-aircraft guns are used to shoot down enemy aircraft.
• Anti-tank guns are designed to destroy enemy tanks.
• Assault guns are often mounted on armored vehicles and are used to directly support attacking infantry.
• Autocannons are automatic cannons that can fire many rounds quickly.
• Coastal artillery protects coastlines from enemy ships.
• Nuclear artillery can fire shells with nuclear warheads (though these are rarely used).
• Recoilless rifles are lighter guns that don't push back as much when fired, making them easier to use.

Mortars

Mortars are simple, tube-shaped weapons that fire shells in a very high arc over short distances. They are great for hitting targets behind walls or in trenches.

• Mortars come in various sizes, from small ones carried by infantry to very large ones.
• Self-propelled mortars are mortars mounted on vehicles for faster movement.

Rocket Artillery

Instead of shells, these systems fire rockets.

• Rocket artillery systems can launch multiple rockets at once, covering a large area with explosions.

Vehicle-Mounted Artillery

Many artillery pieces are built directly into vehicles for protection and mobility.

• Naval guns are the large cannons found on warships.
• Railway guns are huge guns mounted on train cars, allowing them to move along railway tracks.
• Tank guns are the main cannons on tanks, used to destroy other tanks and fortifications.

Images for kids

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  Soldiers of the Royal Artillery firing 105mm light howitzers during an exercise (2013)

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  French soldiers in the Franco-Prussian War 1870–71

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  British 64 Pounder Rifled Muzzle-Loaded (RML) Gun on a Moncrieff disappearing mount, at Scaur Hill Fort, Bermuda. This is a part of a fixed battery, meant to protect against over-land attack and to serve as coastal artillery.

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  7-person gun crew firing a US M777 Light Towed Howitzer, War in Afghanistan, 2009

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  A bronze "thousand ball thunder cannon" from the Huolongjing.

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  A depiction of an early vase-shaped cannon (shown here as the "Long-range Awe-inspiring Cannon"(威遠砲)) complete with a crude sight and an ignition port dated from around 1350 AD. The illustration is from the 14th century Ming Dynasty book Huolongjing.

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  First Battle of Panipat

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  Bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill during Akbar's Siege of Ranthambore

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  The Austrian Pumhart von Steyr, the earliest extant large-calibre gun

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  Three of the large Korean artillery, Chongtong in the Jinju National Museum. These cannons were made in the mid 16th century. The closest is a "Cheonja chongtong"(천자총통, 天字銃筒), the second is a "Jija chongtong"(지자총통, 地字銃筒), and the third is a "Hyeonja chongtong"(현자총통, 玄字銃筒).

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  Artillery with gabion fortification

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  The Tsar Cannon (caliber 890 mm), cast in 1586 in Moscow. It is the largest bombard in the world.

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  A 19th-century cannon, set in the wall of Acre to commemorate the city's resistance to the 1799 siege by Napoleon's troops.

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  Prussian artillery at the Battle of Langensalza (1866)

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  Armstrong gun deployed by Japan during the Boshin war (1868–69)

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  8-inch Armstrong gun during American Civil War, Fort Fisher, 1865

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  The French Canon de 75 modèle 1897, the first modern artillery piece

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  German 15cm field howitzers during World War I

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  M982 Excalibur guided artillery shell

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  M1156 Precision Guidance Kit can be added to unguided projectiles

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  Artillery can be used to fire nuclear warheads, as seen in this 1953 nuclear test.

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  152 mm howitzer D-20 during the Iran–Iraq War

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  Battleship ammunition: 16" artillery shells aboard a United States Iowa-class battleship

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  Cyclone of the 320th French Artillery, in Hoogstade, Belgium, September 5, 1917

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  The Finnish Defence Forces using 130 mm Gun M-46 during a direct fire mission in a live fire exercise in 2010.

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  German Army PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery

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  Horse-drawn artillery

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  Man-pulled artillery

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  Australian gunners, wearing gas masks, operate a 9.2-inch (230 mm) howitzer during World War I

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  Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin (1772–1851)

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  Two French Army Giat GCT 155mm (155 mm AUF1) Self-propelled Guns, 40th Regiment d' Artillerie, with IFOR markings are parked at Hekon base, near Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in support of Operation Joint Endeavor

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  USMC M-198 firing outside of Fallujah, Iraq in 2004

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  Modern artillery ammunition. Caliber 155 mm as used by the PzH 2000

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  An artillery piece in the monument commemorating the 1864 Battle of Tupelo (American Civil War)

See also

In Spanish: Artillería para niños