Artillery ammunition is one of the most important asset of an army and the gunner's real weapon, because it is the shell that actually destroys the enemy positions. The howitzer or gun is simply a mechanical tool with which he delivers the shell to the enemy. When ammunition is used either for an offensive or defensive tactic, it is called 'fire support', for it helps the infantry to keep advancing into enemy-held territory, or to safely withdraw and avoid being encircled by the enemy troops. However, since World War II, the fire support role has also been played by the dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft.
Types of Ammunition
The first shells used in military history was the solid ball, or round shot. It had been employed from the end of the Middle Ages up until the 19th century. The first solid ball was made of stone; then they began using steel balls. They were fired by smooth-bored cannon at shoulder-height level across open flat land to directly strike the advancing infantry formation. During Napoleonic Wars, the French started shooting canisters, which contained several small lead/steel bullets or metal fragments, which spread out to kill large number of infantry men; this was called 'la mitraille' (the grapeshots). Napoleon Bonaparte knew how to effectively and massively use the artillery and this type of shell.
Today, there are basically five types of artillery ammunition; high explosive (HE), bomblets, anti-bunker, illuminating, and smoke shell. HE shells consists of explosive packed into a steel body or casing; after it is fired, it explodes on the ground or above ground level on the enemy position, sending razor-sharp fragments everywhere at high speed. There are shells whose fuze is activated when it hits the target. There are others, fitted with proximity fuze, that explode when they are at a certain height above the ground.
Below, drawings showing types of artillery ammunition
