The Camel and Heavy Weapons.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Ibrahiim, AMAZING topic!!!!!
Excellent entries and artwork, you and Estcrh are a great team at the graphics and support in these discussions.

Kronckew, I could not be with you more on "Gunga Din", and I can never seem to watch that and these other classics enough.
Many years ago, I was about to watch Gunga Din ..AGAIN! and asked my wife to join me........she said OK......but you cant wear the helmet *...you're scaring the cats!!!!

* my trusty British pith helmet

It is always unclear just how often these weapons were discharged from the animals, it seems mostly they were transported by them, then assembled at position . I think of the Mountain Artillery guns packed in on horseback etc.
I have always thought of camels as pretty skittish, and a loud report or recoil might offset them. But then it seems the firing of matchlocks or muskets from them must have been loud too .

Hello Jim, Camels can be pretty impervious to noise or on other occasions can absolutely go crackers at even a leaf blowing across their front. When sat down (or folded) they can sit docile other than the odd grunt and are immobilized by tying the legs preventing leg extension ... Once they are up and running they don't tend to stop for several hours and even when they do their heartbeat is about the same as it was at the start... When grazing it is best to tie their legs together hobbling them to a few hundred metres overnight otherwise the next day is spent roaring after them beyond the horizon..

Estcrh Thanks for tying in page 2 on that reference and it observes the best position for firing ...enabling a bigger charge to be applied when fully dismounted firing from the ground.