German army (_The Field Gun of the Future_) and in 1892 another by
Colonel Langlois of the French service (_Field Artillery with the other
Arms_) foreshadowed many revolutionary changes in _materiel_ and tactics
which have now taken place. The new ideas spread rapidly, and the
quick-firing gun came by degrees to be used in every army. The original
designs have been greatly improved upon (see ORDNANCE: _Field artillery
equipments_), but the principles of these designs have not undergone
serious modification. These are, briefly, the mechanical absorption of
the recoil, by means of brakes or buffers, and the development of "time
shrapnel" as the projectile of field artillery. The absorption of recoil
of itself permits of a higher rate of fire, since the gun does not
require to be run up and relaid after every shot. Formerly such an
advantage was illusory (since aim could not be taken through the thick
bank of smoke produced by rapid fire), but the introduction of smokeless
powder removed this objection. Artillerists, no longer handicapped, at
once turned their attention to the increase of the rate of fire. At the
same time a shield was applied to the gun, for the protection of the
detachment. This advantage is solely the result of the non-recoiling
carriage. The gunners had formerly to stand clear of the recoiling gun,
and a shield was therefore of but slight value.