6. THE EFFECT OF SHRAPNEL BULLETS ON ANIMATE TARGETS.[1]
The wounds produced by shrapnel bullets are similar to those caused by the lead bullets of the infantry weapons of the past. When the bullet strikes normally to the surface, it produces a wound circular at the point of impact and considerably enlarged at the point of exit; bones are frequently shattered; and the most serious effect is the introduction of foreign substances, such as pieces of cloth, particles of earth or sand, or of the material in which the bullet is embedded.
The effect of shrapnel bullets on animate targets depends upon the striking energy of the bullets (expressed by kgm.) and on their density, those of smaller cross-section having the greater penetration. The closer the point of burst is to the target, the greater the velocity, and, naturally, the effect.
Opinions differ as to the amount of "striking energy" necessary to put animate targets out of action. In France, an energy of at least 4.8 kgm. is considered necessary to disable human beings, and for horses an average of 19 kgm., while in Germany, an average energy of 8 kgm. is deemed sufficient. The 10 g. hardened lead bullet, having a diameter of 12.3 mm., retains this energy until its remaining velocity is only 120 m. At ranges up to 1500 m., over 80% of the men struck by fragments and bullets from shrapnel, bursting within 300 m. (and beyond this range from shrapnel bursting within 150 m.) are put out of action. (Par. 30 German F. A. F. R.). In comparison, artillery projectiles produce a greater number of fatal wounds than infantry projectiles.
It is worthy of note that the packed knapsack affords
- ↑ Bircher, Colonel and Corps Surgeon of the Swiss IInd Army Corps, Die Wirkung der Artillerie Geschosse, Aarau, 1899. Küttner, Kriegschirurgische Erfahrungen aus dem südafrikanischen Kriege 1900. Tübingen, 1900. Hildebrand, Die Verwundungen durch die modernen Kriegsfeuerwaffen. I (1905). Bohne, Über die Wirkung des Schrapnelschusses, in Militär-Wochenblatt, No. 74, 1902.
