Leach Trench Catapult
The Leach trench catapult (sometimes called a Leach-Gamage catapult) was a bomb-throwing catapult used by the British Army on the Western Front during World War I. It was designed to throw a 2 lb projectile in a high trajectory into enemy trenches. Although called a catapult, it was effectively a combination crossbow and slingshot. It was invented by Claude Pemberton Leach as an answer to the German Wurfmaschine, a spring-powered device for propelling a hand grenade about 200 m.
Leach Trench Catapult
British official photographer · This photograph Q 52982E comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums. · Public domain
- Name
- Leach trench catapult
- Field
- catapult
- Period
- 1915
- Region
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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Documentary summary
The Leach trench catapult (sometimes called a Leach-Gamage catapult) was a bomb-throwing catapult used by the British Army on the Western Front during World War I. It was designed to throw a 2 lb projectile in a high trajectory into enemy trenches. Although called a catapult, it was effectively a combination crossbow and slingshot. It was invented by Claude Pemberton Leach as an answer to the German Wurfmaschine, a spring-powered device for propelling a hand grenade about 200 m.
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wikidata · Q15991026 · wikipedia · Leach trench catapult
In this article
Overview
Overview
The design was a Y-shaped frame with natural rubber bands pulled taut by a windlass and held in position by a hook release. They were manufactured by the Gamages department store in Central London and cost £6 17s 6d to make. In tests, the Leach catapult could propel a golf ball 200 yd, and a cricket ball or Mills bomb 120 -. However, with new rubbers it was reported to be able to propel a jam tin grenade or No. 15 ball grenade up to 200 yd. The first was produced in March 1915 and by October of that year over 150 had been made. Twenty were allocated to each division. From the end of 1915 they were replaced by the French-made Sauterelle grenade launcher, and, in 1916, by the 2-inch medium trench mortar and Stokes mortar. Copies of the Leach catapult, made locally by the Royal Engineers, were used in the Gallipoli Campaign.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Leach trench catapult • Origin — United Kingdom • Type — Catapult • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Is Artillery — yes • Is Uk — yes • Service — 1915–1916 • Used By — United Kingdom • Wars — World War I • Designer — Claude Pemberton Leach • Design Date — 1915 • Manufacturer — Gamages • Unit Cost — £6 17s 6d • Production Date — March–October 1915 • Number — 152 • Range — 200 yd
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 1 entries
1915
Leach Trench Catapult first recorded.
Primary material
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reference work
- “Leach trench catapult”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q15991026: Leach Trench Catapult
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Arthur G Credland. The Crossbow and the Bow in Modern Warfare. Arms & Armour. 7. 1. 53–103.
- 2.Gary Sheffield. War on the Western Front: In the Trenches of World War I. Osprey Publishing. 201. 2007. 978-1846032103.
- 3.Hugh Chisholm. The Encyclopædia Britannica: The New Volumes, Constituting, in Combination with the Twenty-nine Volumes of the Eleventh Edition, the Twelfth Edition of that Work, and Also Supplying a New, Distinctive, and Independent Library of Reference Dealing with Events and Developments of the Period 1910 to 1921 Inclusive, Volume 1. Encyclopædia Britannica Company Limited. 470. 1922.
- 4.Stephen J. Chambers. Gully Ravine. Leo Cooper. 81. 2003. 978-0850529234.
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