Leonardo da Vinci
A sketch from Leonardo da Vinciís notebook illustrating
a fixed counterweight trebuchet for long range fortress defense.
this single trebuchet would have an extremely limited field of fire. Although
the range could be varied by changes in counterweight mass, sling length
and release angle , the fixed orientation of the main axle and beam provides
only a single line of fire.
da Vinci probably envisioned a system of trebuchets, placed at varying
angles about the defensive perimeter, creating an overlapping field of
fire within a natural or manufactured approach. This would inhibit the
enemy from establishing their own artillery emplacements, forcing them
to attempt more dangerous and costly sapping, scaling , or ramming operations.
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