Rocket Launchers

[Barrycdog]

Confederate War Era Guns
The Congreve rocket

Rocket launchers might seem like a 20th century phenomenon, but they made a few appearances on Civil War battlefields. Confederate forces reportedly experimented with Congreve rockets, a British-designed explosive that had previously seen action in the War of 1812. These weapons resembled large bottle rockets and were so inaccurate that they never saw widespread use.

The Congreve rocket, artillery rocket developed by Sir William Congreve was first used in 1806. It was an improvement over the rockets used by Hyder Ali, prince of Mysore, against the British in India in the 1790s. Used by both the British and Americans during the War of 1812, Congreve rockets bursting during the Battle of Ft. McHenry created "the rockets' red glare" that inspired Francis Scott Key to compose "The Star Spangled Banner," later adopted as the national anthem of the United States.

Congreve rockets varied in weight from 25 to 60 pounds and could carry either an incendiary or an antipersonnel warhead. The Congreve was a stick-guided rocket, with a range of 0.5 to 2 miles, depending upon its size. Pictured is the head of an antipersonnel Congreve Rocket.

Meanwhile, Union forces employed the Hale patent rocket launcher, a metal tube that fired seven- and 10-inch-long spin stabilized rockets up to 2,000 yards. While a vast improvement on the Congreve, these projectiles were still quite unwieldy, and were only generally used by the U.S. Navy.

 

[Copperhead-mi]

Interesting. I knew that rockets were used during the Civil War as signaling devices but I don't recall them being employed in the same manner as artillery. Well a quick search of the ORs resulted in a number of hits with the following being just one example (my bold):

HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH,
Folly Island, S. C., May 23, 1864.
Colonel L. VON GILSA, Commanding Post, Folly Island:

COLONEL: I have received orders this a. m. to make such demonstrations in this district as to cause the enemy to concentrate his forces in Charleston. These demonstrations must be made at once in order to have the desired effect. You will therefore -

First. Order the commanding officer of Long Island to show a number of men in his front, and with unusual life to cross over troops ostensibly, say about 2 o'clock this p. m., to Tiger Island, where they should hide away. He should, however, not send such numbers over as to make the enemy's fire on Tiger Island effective. The troops must remain there until late at night; must not return before 12. He should show his boat howitzer up the creek. Should fire from the fort at the enemy's outposts toward the chimneys at 2 o'clock this p. m.

Second. You will order a strong patrol over to Broad Island. The men should show themselves and remain there until 12 to-night.

Third. You will order the commanding officer of Cole's Island to cross over at once with a force of, say, at least 60 men, to Battery Island. They should hide away as though taking a position as skirmishers. The howitzer should be taken at once to the fort on the right. A rocket volley should be prepared at the bridge on the right, and at least 30 rockets should be fired away in three volleys. Planks should be ostensibly brought to the bridge on the right, and the bridge on the left should be ostensibly fixed so as to alarm the enemy. The firing from Cole's Island should commence with the rockets and howitzer at 4 this p. m., and at 6 o'clock musketry fire should commence along the whole line.

Fourth. You will have the troops of the Thirty-second U. S. Colored Regiment ready at the wharf at 2 o'clock and embark them on the steamers order there for that purpose. Besides those of the Thirty-second you should have at least 60 veterans on these steamers. Three rocket-boats will be ready at the same time, and the men will report to you.

If the gun-boats should not go up, which they will be requested to do, the expedition will go without them, and start at 2.30 up Stono River. The boats will halt in the neighborhood of Battery Island, and land a small part of these troops there, but on the whole taken such a position as to leave the enemy in an uncertainly whether we will land on James or John's Island.

They will take shelter behind the piles and will lie in the river until late at night, not to leave before 12. The rocket-boat will advance further. You will furnish Captain Jungblut with 40 men, which he will command besides his company. They will attack the farm on the right bank of the Stono River, about 2 miles above Legareville. Captain Jungblut will received his instructions direct from the general commanding.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. SCHIMMELFENNIG,
Brigadier-General, Commanding District.

O.R., Series 1, Volume 35, Part II, pg. 101

 

[leftyhunter]

In fairness to the CW forces if I am not mistaken it would not be until 1941 when the Soviets unleashed their 122mm "Katusyka" (sp) rockets that the artillery rocket became a more or less successful weapon.
Leftyhunter

 

[AndyHall]

There was a rocket factory in Houston during the war, and a rocket battery organized on paper during the latter part of the war. They never became operational, and I don't think the contractor ever delivered anything usable.

 

[thomas aagaard]

The Congreve worked pretty well in the terror bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807...

 

[Patrick H]

Nasty looking little "business end" there, wouldn't you all agree? I don't know about the success of these things, but I am pretty sure the use of rockets goes back many centuries. Probably an effective terror weapon, but no real accuracy. I can assure you I'd be pretty terrorized going up against some Chinese forces centuries ago and having several dozen of these things whistling over and crashing down all around me.

 

[Floridaman1985]

Very interesting. Learn something new every time I read this board.

 

[Specster]

In fairness to the CW forces if I am not mistaken it would not be until 1941 when the Soviets unleashed their 122mm "Katusyka" (sp) rockets that the artillery rocket became a more or less successful weapon.
Leftyhunter

The Katusyka was a devasting weapon. For all the fear the Stukas put in the hearts of the allies, with that siron, its bark was worse than its bite. B-29s and Lancasters far outclassed Stukas in terms of devastation. The Katusyka let out a god-awfully sound which the Germans feared - with good reason. It was nick named Starlins Organ....I think because when racked it looked like the pipe of an organ, but, I think moreso, because of that frightening screatch the rock made while powered. They were not very accurate but they saturated the area where they landed with devastation. The Germans feared them.

Im sure it was upgraded along the way but this weapon had a long service life......I recall after 9-11 there were reports of them being used in the early stages of Afganastan - not by the Russians but by Afganis. It would not surprise me to find they are still in use in some incarnation of the 1941 model.

 

[Specster]

Also, People often credit W. Von Braun, with ushering in modern rockety but in fact, Von Braun learned much of what he knew from the Americal Robert Gorrdard - whos 1st included liquid fueled rockets, gyroscopic stabilization and multi stage rockets, among others. I know Von Braun brought this to entirely another level, but groundwork is imperative in any endeavor. I dont think Goddard gets his due in history.

 

[kholland]

The Congreve worked pretty well in the terror bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807...

And as Barrycdog pointed out they were used in the War of 1812. During the infamous Battle of Bladensburg (known by some wags as the "Bladensburg Races" for the American troops who retreated leaving the British a path to burn DC buildings) they were part of the reason American troops were terrorized and abandoned their lines.

 

[James N.]

And as Barrycdog pointed out they were used in the War of 1812. During the infamous Battle of Bladensburg (known by some wags as the "Bladensburg Races" for the American troops who retreated leaving the British a path to burn DC buildings) they were part of the reason American troops were terrorized and abandoned their lines.

Soon after, they were also deployed at Waterloo, June 18, 1815, with negligible results. In the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, known as the Battle of the Nations, fought at Leipzig, Saxony, in 1813, the forces of France and their Polish and Bavarian allies were arrayed against the hosts of Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden, some 350,000 men total. Great Britian's contribution to the fray was a single battery of Congreve rockets attached to the Swedish army!

 

[Blessmag]

There was a rocket factory in Houston during the war, and a rocket battery organized on paper during the latter part of the war. They never became operational, and I don't think the contractor ever delivered anything usable.

So that's how the NBA team got its name!

 

[redbob]

There were also Hale Rockets, the Horse Soldier has one for sale under their artillery section.

 

[leftyhunter]

The Katusyka was a devasting weapon. For all the fear the Stukas put in the hearts of the allies, with that siron, its bark was worse than its bite. B-29s and Lancasters far outclassed Stukas in terms of devastation. The Katusyka let out a god-awfully sound which the Germans feared - with good reason. It was nick named Starlins Organ....I think because when racked it looked like the pipe of an organ, but, I think moreso, because of that frightening screatch the rock made while powered. They were not very accurate but they saturated the area where they landed with devastation. The Germans feared them.
The Germans did fear them but they soon reverse engineered them and used them quite a bit by 1943 on. The South Africans where impressed by them in Angola in when the fought on the UNITA side in 1975. The South Africans also reverse engineered them to a 127mm version with more rang e and even sold some abroad. Hans Ruddel the top Stuka pilot wrote a book about his exploits. The Stucka was a tactical bomber its more fair to compare it to say a Stormivic .or Typhoon. I am seriously off civil war topic.
Leftyhunter

 

[St Albans Raid]

that must must make a big BOOM.

 

[Specster]

I dont want to go too far off point either. The Stuka was a tactical weapon and the heavy bomber was quite another animal. Yet, at the outset of WW2 the German and Japanese had better planes than the allies. They both could have improved on what they had - especially the German, but they didnt even try until it was a desperation move. For all the pomp the V weapons conveyed, if the Germans had invested that money into heavy bombers they would have been much better served. By 1943 the allies had planes which outclassed (in product planes) anything the axis could serve up. I dont the planes like the ME 262 even enter into the equation - too few too late.

 

[leftyhunter]

I dont want to go too far off point either. The Stuka was a tactical weapon and the heavy bomber was quite another animal. Yet, at the outset of WW2 the German and Japanese had better planes than the allies. They both could have improved on what they had - especially the German, but they didnt even try until it was a desperation move. For all the pomp the V weapons conveyed, if the Germans had invested that money into heavy bombers they would have been much better served. By 1943 the allies had planes which outclassed (in product planes) anything the axis could serve up. I dont the planes like the ME 262 even enter into the equation - too few too late.

WW2 aircraft would be a bit off topic. I did get to speak to one or two WW@ pilots back in the 70's. I forgot to mention the 107mm rocket which was used in Vietnam and other conflicts has a 'scoot and shoot " weapon. Rockets are still used today. i would just add on WW2 the Axis where running out of good pilots and the allies could just out produce them. Even Soviet fighters by late 1942 onward where has good has the german fighters. I suppose the moderators might be getting mad at us real soon.
Leftyhunter

 

[Specster]

WW2 aircraft would be a bit off topic. I did get to speak to one or two WW@ pilots back in the 70's. I forgot to mention the 107mm rocket which was used in Vietnam and other conflicts has a 'scoot and shoot " weapon. Rockets are still used today. i would just add on WW2 the Axis where running out of good pilots and the allies could just out produce them. Even Soviet fighters by late 1942 onward where has good has the german fighters. I suppose the moderators might be getting mad at us real soon.
Leftyhunter

YES! I Concur