>
>
> From: tom helm <junkmail@...>
>
>
> In the study of Japanese Art swords all descriptions are
>given in Sun Shaku and in CM.s
>
Cool! I figured the metric system had completely taken over. Thanks.
> From: Dave Jackson <nihontonut@...>
>Subject: gun tactics
>
>Volly fire of guns was first used in Japan at the battle of Nagashino in 1575. My question is,
>is this the first time it was employed anywhere? When was this tactic first used in Europe?
>
Maurice of Nassau was mucking with linear tactics in 1584 as well as
uniform drills and the like, before then starting around 1500, Gonzalo
invents the prototype for what becomes the Tercio. This is a roughly
half pike and gun formation of about 1 to 3,000 men. I don't know if
they volleyed, but they did keep up a continous fire. My references
don't give enough details to be sure but sometime prior to 1584 might
not be too rash.
> From: "Kitsuno" <samurai-listowner@...>
>"What might be overlooked is that the technique used by Nobunaga to
>keep a continuous hail of bullets flying at the enemy [at Nagashino] -
> having the front row of musketeers move to the back to reload,
>allowing the next row to fire - was not even realized in Europe until
>almost twenty years after Nobunaga's application, in the 1590's.
>
Sounds like an interesting book, but this description sounds like what
the Europeans were already doing with the Tercio and their multiple
ranks of arquebusers. They would fall back to reload inside the pikes
while their fellows sallied out to fire again.
>Europe because it was inferior to having everyone blast away at once
>which would cause greater shock and chaos in the enemy ranks, or
>something essentially to that effect... any thoughts on this?
>
>
Yes, the gunners in a Tercio cannot all fire at once, period! They are
several ranks deep and the earlier weapons required forks to rest on
which means you can't even have a kneeling rank along with a standing
rank. Also drill until roughly the 1590's was kind of a hit or miss affair.