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WorldWar2.ro Forum > WW1 and Regional Wars (1912-1919) > Rocket artillery?

Posted by: Imperialist February 20, 2009 05:43 pm

The February 2009 issue of Magazin Istoric publishes fragments from captain Constantin Ionescu's journal.

The following can be read on page 51:

QUOTE

Ajungem la Tancabesti, de-abia puteam sta pe cal din cauza viscolului, cand, deodata, vedem rachete aruncate de inamic de la 1 km si ne si pomenim cu focuri de infanterie inamica peste noi;

For the ones not speaking Romanian, it states that the enemy launched rockets from 1 km away. It happened sometime in November 1916.

The term is pretty explicit. Bear in mind that he was an artillery captain and somewhere else in his journal (in a non-related event) he talks about projectiles landing near his battery.

Using Google brought no result apart from air to air rockets used against balloons and zeppelins in WW1.

So what rockets could these be?

Posted by: MMM February 20, 2009 06:45 pm

Flares maybe?

What were the circumstances?

Posted by: 21 inf February 20, 2009 07:03 pm

Austrian and hungarian army used rocket batteries even in 1848/1849 revolution, so it is not imposible that german and/or AH army to have it, even improved, in ww1.

I found references about hungarian revolutionary army in summer 1849 which used rocket batteries in Abrud battle, Alba Iulia siege and other minor skirmishes in Apuseni Mountains. However, I didnt found yet a description of this rocket batteries. This rocket batteries were used for their destructive power, as artillery or together with field artillery, they were not for signaling. There are statements which say that in one skirmish in Apuseni Mountain in 1849 a romanian "tribun" (militia captain) was killed in battle by this sort of rocket, being cut in two by one of this projectile.

Posted by: dragos February 20, 2009 07:51 pm

I think he means signaling/illumination flares.

Posted by: Imperialist February 21, 2009 11:41 am

Thank you. Did some googling and they did use rockets to deploy flares in WWI. I wasn't aware of that, thinking they only did that with handguns or artillery.

So because they had no other use, when he said rockets he meant flare rockets? Is that why he didn't specify flare rockets (because there was only 1 known use they had at that time - that of deploying flares)?

Posted by: MMM February 22, 2009 03:46 pm

That seems to be as good a reason as the undocumented existence of rockets there and then! The mystery surrounds us all...

Posted by: Florin March 02, 2009 10:06 pm

QUOTE (dragos @ February 20, 2009 02:51 pm)

I think he means signaling/illumination flares.

I think as Dragos thinks. I am assuming that most probable they were rockets for site illumination during night.

Anyway, rockets were used for military purpose in the XIXth century, in the European countries.
Somebody else mentioned in this topic the Austrians and the Hungarians.

I am adding:
-the British
-the Russians
-the Confederates / Secessionists, during the American Civil War

The British and the Russians did not pursue the rocket development because of the fast progress of the barreled artillery. And the Confederates... Well, they disappeared.

Posted by: Florin March 02, 2009 10:19 pm

QUOTE (MMM @ February 22, 2009 10:46 am)

That seems to be as good a reason as the undocumented existence of rockets there and then! The mystery surrounds us all...

Writing about undocumented existence of rockets in those days, if have to double-check in my magazine "Realitatea Ilustrata" (The Illustrated Reality), year XIII, no. 646, 6th of June, 1939, where there are few words about a Romanian teacher who in 1909...1910 launched rocket airplanes in Bucharest, as a hobby.

What is interesting is that magazine is the only source of information about this matter, so if it really happened, it was totally forgotten.

Posted by: MMM March 03, 2009 09:14 am

That's exactly why I don't think there were rockets! There should have been many more witnesses to that unusual event - as there were in WW2, some 20 years later!

Posted by: Imperialist March 07, 2009 01:36 am

A bit of info that places the concept of rockets and their uses around that period:

QUOTE

Von Opel soon confirmed that he was interested in pursuing Valier’s project. Valier then contacted Friedrich W. Sander, a German pyrotechnical engineer who, in 1923, had purchased H.G. Cordes, a Bremerhaven firm famous for its manufacture of black-powder rockets used for harpoons and signal devices.

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2004/September%202004/0904rocket.aspx

Posted by: MMM March 07, 2009 08:55 am

I guess that only confirms my initial posting: illumination devices! The above-mentioned journal does NOT state they were attacked by rocket fire, but only that they saw (or have been seen by, as a matter of fact

) the enemy.
Thus, no offensive rockets implied.