"Austrian rocket batteries 1866" Topic

Austrian OBs in 1866 list a number of rocket batteries. Does anyone know anything about these? Would you use British Napoleonic rocket models for them with the standard Austrian artillerymen?

I believe they were fired from a trough mounted on a tripod so they would be different from British Napoleonic rockets.

I know very little of these.. some snippets:

The Russian, Italian, Hungarian, and Austrian armies all acquired and used Hale rockets in the 1850s and 1860s,
and the British officially adopted them in 1867.

Hale rockets (1844) were more accurate than Congreve rockets, they could not travel as far,
and typically had a maximum range of 2,000 yards. A version with a 2.25-inch diameter weighed 6 pounds,
while a version with a 3.25-inch diameter weighed 16 pounds.

Opps.. hit 'submit too soon..:-)

1850's Rockets similar to Hale rockets were developed by the Swiss, who deployed a 6-pound rocket that had
a maximum range of just under 2,000 yards. The rockets were fairly accurate when tested to a distance of 1,100 yards.
Set to fly at this distance, the Swiss rockets could hit a target in three out of five attempts.

Hale rockets were fired from a "Machine Rocket, War" also called a "Trough" or if discharged from a naval vessel
a "Machine Rocket, War,Naval" would be utilised, this is an aimable tube fixed to a suitable position on the vessel.

Rockets could still be fired faster than cannon, but the gap closed significantly as muzzle-loaded cannon firing
balls gave way to breech-loaded cannon firing shells. High-velocity shells even mimicked the high-pitched shrieking noise that made rockets unnerving to the soldiers they were fired at. Rockets played little or no role, therefore, in the turn-of-the-century conflicts that signaled the emergence of modern warfare (ie from 1890 or so onwards)

Hale rockets differ (ffrom a modeling standpoint) in that they have no attached "stick"

link

see also the end-on pic (found lower in the above)

I also vaguey recall a pic of a British Naval Landing party
armed with rockets in the Boer War.. and seem to recall a
wheeled carriage for tje laucher..

just now found this..

link

The Austrian rockets were of the Hale type and were indeed fired from a trough.Although each Austrian Corps had a rocket battery in its official OOB, during the 1866 war, only Gablenzs' Xth Corps had them in the field.The three Corps of the Army of the South also made some use of them due to the lack of more conventional field artillery.

Great information, it's why I love this site--thank you very much.

15mm wise, QRF Models has the rocket and crew from the Freikorps line.

Pendraken has the Rocket battery in 10mm.

SoM,

I had heard that too regarding Gablenz' Corps being the only one that fielded rockets in the North. However, if I recall correctly the Prussian official history records encountering them on the central heights at Jicin, which would mean Clam-Gallas corps deployed them as well. I'll try and look up the reference tonight.

Mollinary

SoM,

Have checked my Prussian History. They certainly report a rocket battery on the Bradaberg at Jicin, so one was serving in 1st Corps. My old and battered copy of Smith's "Campaigns of 1866" contains OOBs for all the major participants of the war and shows rocket batteries as present with 3 Austrian Corps in Bohemia (although not, curiously, with Gablenz' 10th Corps).

Cheers

Mollinary

Sorry to drag up long dead post but has anyone found 15mm Austrian rockets suitable for Risorgemento or Bruderkrieg other than QRF? As well a the Hales type shell there appears to be another stick stabilised system in use at least in the earlier Risorgemento wars. I found a pic on an ebay army but Im not shelling out 160 odd quid just to get the rockets! if anyone can loacate a source for the rocket type below I would be grateful ( and so will my Austrians)