It cannot have been long after the introduction of firearms in Europe before someone considered the possibility of having a multiple-barrelled version to increase the destructive power. No less a mind than Leonardo de Vinci drew up plans for one, but like so much of his work it was never made. The first practical weapon of this type is also one of the most famous – the Gatling gun, invented in the US and first used in anger at the very end of the civil war in 1865. The weapon had many problems, including the rather obvious amount of smoke it generated, which would attract rifle or artillery fire, but against a foe that had no real answer to rapid rifle fire, let alone a Gatling, it was particularly suited, and so it found favour with many colonial powers.
The Gatling entered British service in the early 1870s, and saw action in various parts of the Empire. The most popular model to be used was the 10-barrelled version.
Aantal figuren:
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24 Britse koloniale soldaten
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4 Gatlin-guns
Afmeting:
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24mm (1.73m)
