Arvind

.. other form of artillery on an Elephant?

Also, were Rhinos ever really unleashed on enemy troops in ancient warfare?

hobbish

That elephant-cannon thing has been done in Medieval total war 2, but in real life it would be impossible. It would be kind of pointless, you couldn't aim and the cannon firing mgith break the elephants back if it wasn't broken from the weight already.

Not that I know of.

__________________
St. Thomas Aquinas said "he who sings prays twice". St. Thomas Aquinas never heard William Shatner sing "Rocket Man"

Ilasir Maroa

you might manage a small catapault, but a cannon is highly unlikely. I also doubt rhinos were used to much effect in ancient warfare.

__________________
My hopeful book:
Crap! Haven't posted it anywhere yet, darn!
"Only tyranny cloaks itself in shadows. The light of justice can not be hidden."

www.theoddvillepress.com

lin

It could be done if the gun was small enough. But why?

Also, instead of cannon, why not rockets?

__________________

CaptainFreedom

If I remember right, Jango Fett had to fight a rhino in Star Wars 2 just before Sammuel L. Jackson chopped his head off.

or maybe that was a space rhino...

Hope this helps!

CF

*Angel

mounting "launching weaponry" (i forget the technical term) such as cannons is not the most logical choice for it. first if the sound doesn't spook the animal into a horrible rage, the shear repercussion of the blast from the cannon would most likely either A) break all its supports, B) break the animals back. i haven't done much research on it mind you but if you watch most movies that have cannons. you notice that none are in fixed positions. there all on wheels, and when fired thrust the cannon backwards(correct me if i'm wrong please)

i'd suggest having the animals have the weapons in tow, rather than mounted, cause don't forget they also have to before the battle properly mount the cannon to the animal, and remove it when the battle is over, and if the animal dies how will they take the cannon back with them.

using an animal to "unleash" on advancing armies isn't really that far-fetched , but keep in mind that most animals that you send charging wont distinguish between enemy and ally, the only thing keeping the ally side from getting trampled is that there charging along side and there not in its way. and trained animals need their trainer to keep them in check.

ClancyBoy

Artillery is a very precise business. You need to fix the guns, check all the distances and angles, test and measure the powder, and fire a test volley before you're ready to attack.

A cannon that a) moves around, and b) isn't on a stable level platform can't be expected to be able to hit anything, and is therefore worthless except for gee-whiz value.


As to your other question, I think I remember Jared Diamond mentioning that rhinos are notoriously difficult to tame and impossible to domesticate.
On the other hand, middle eastern and Indian kings used to maintain huge numbers of trained cheetahs and other wild cats for use in hunting. That might be pretty cool.

__________________
"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons wait for you down there. Little pets they are, little little little pets. Cute little things, they say. Don't you believe it. No man ever saw them and walked away alive. You won't either. That's the final dash, flash. That's the utter clobber, cobber." --Cordwainer Smith, Norstrillia.

The Backward OX

I seem to remember Allan Quatermain using an elephant gun.

__________________
How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

The Backward OX

Q: What do you call an elephant with a machine gun?
A: Sir.

__________________
How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

lin

Cannonize and elephant and you end up with Saint Jumbo.

__________________

bwhite55

That'd be cool but highly impossible. The weight of the cannon (if it was a small one) most likely wouldn't break the animal's back, but it definitely would break it once the cannon was fired. If that didn't happen, then you have the case of the spooked animal going crazy and elephants stepping all over people probably won't be the best bet if you are trying to keep casualties to a minimum. Also, rhinos aren't an animal that can be tamed or domesticated. Their temperament is very very bad. Cheetah idea would be cool, as would having war dogs.

The Backward OX

"highly impossible" is linguistically redundant

__________________
How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb

FMK

Does it even matter? I should think not, especially since the meaning of his post wasn't hindered at all.

lin

Now this is absolutely untrue. Elephants have, in fact, been used to carry cannons.

Firing one from the turret on the elephant's back (called a howdah, by the way) is more conjectural. I wouldn't want to try it. It's hard enough to hit things with a cannon, anyway.

As I say, something like Congreve rockets might work. Or how about this...a jingal. This is another Indian term, it's like a pot au fer...a bulbous mortarlike thing under three feet long that, when touched off, blasts out a wide cloud of ball, chain, nails and such junk. A nasty blunderbuss, is the idea.

Short range anti-personnel mayhem...but not much weight or recoil involved.

__________________

The Backward OX

Huh. Typical.

If you’re going to come into a writing forum with that attitude, and if you think it’s ok for everyone else to be the same, all I can say is "God help the future of writing."

__________________
How Beautiful it is to Do Nothing, and then Rest Afterwards . . . . . Spanish proverb