How much land costs, so much time and wars, civil strife, various conflicts between people take place. If in our time they try to solve any problem peacefully, through negotiations, then many centuries ago, the main way to resolve the conflict was a fight. Its participants tried to fully outfit in order to hit the enemy as much as possible. One of the interesting and historically significant weapons is the mace. The word came from the "bull" - nodule, bump, knob. We will talk about this interesting subject of defense and attack today.
A bit of history
A mace is a cold weapon, the features of which are a short shaft and a stone top. This is a shock-crushing device that has a long and glorious history. The ancient peoples of South and North America, Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa for many centuries widely used this type of weapon. During the First World War, on the battlefields it was possible to meet a mace as the main means of fighting the enemy.
In Russia, an ancient mace weapon appeared in the 11th century. Historians believe that she "came" from the South-East. In ancient times, it was believed that the ancient mace weapon was not a combat weapon, but rather an honorable attribute. They were without fail equipped with infantry and mounted troops. The weapon was made of steel, iron, and not only the "head", but also the handle. They supplemented the original design with spikes, which increased the effectiveness of the weapon.
Ideal options
The ancestor of the mace can be considered an ordinary club. It was she who was the main and main weapon of the peasants - in all conflicts, simple farmers tried to prove their case with the help of a simple device. But it had such a stunning effect that it gradually entered the "everyday life" of the foot soldiers. Excavations by archaeologists clearly show how the mace has changed over time. Initially, the head of the weapon was round and smooth, but gradually it becomes more complicated and becomes rectangular, then it is supplied with spikes and ribs over the entire area. The weight of the weapon ranges from 500 grams to two or more kilograms. The handle length was about 60 cm - this parameter was “standard”. For ease of use, a leather strap was attached to it, and some copies were supplemented with a dagger.
In other words
Mace - a unique weapon. It has many modifications, which became possible due to widespread distribution. In the countries of the East, the mace was called "buzdykhan" or "buzdygan", its top was round. In Europe, weapons were called "cleaver" and had an elongated, pear-shaped or squared shape. In the West, traditional clubs were provided with spikes and ribs, and they were called “shestopers” or “feathers”. The Germans nicknamed the first version of the club the “morning star”, because just one blow of plain weapons could break through the strongest armor and defeat the enemy. The device, equipped with sharp feathers, was also called a "fist mace."
A distant cousin of the mace is a club or “trench baton,” as they began to call it during the Second World War. In India and Persia, weapons were supplemented with a closed hilt, which was the main difference between all the weapons of those countries. The mace is the weapon of the Cossacks, they called it the “notch”. Only the appearance and distribution of pistols pushed the mace and its sisters into the background, and then completely "survived" them from the battlefields.
Weapons advantages
The main advantage of the mace is its incredible simplicity and speed of manufacture. Materials do not cost a lot of money, which makes weapons available to many warriors. They especially liked the mace on the battlefield for its excellent striking properties - it is able to deal even with an enemy fully equipped with iron armor. For this she was unusually widespread. The mace is the weapon of both rich and poor.
Simple peasants made a mace of wood, iron, its shape was simple and uncomplicated. Who was richer, he fought with weapons made of copper, the handle of which was covered with a cloth for convenience, decorated with monograms and decals. Over time, the mace became more sophisticated. Her appearance and purpose changed, which over time became more “peaceful”.
Sign symbol
The mace was so fond of our medieval descendants that it gradually passed into the status of a symbol of power and dignity. The French gatekeepers of churches, rich houses and royal chambers proudly held a mace in their hands, emphasizing their importance. Now it was made of brass, covered with gilding, decorated with stones and gave an intricate shape. In many Western countries, nobles tried not to appear in public without a richly decorated mace stuck in their belts, and military leaders and officers had no right not to wear it constantly. Guardsmen of the tiny "state in the state" of the Vatican in festive parades still adorn themselves with historical weapons.
Mace of the 21st century
Russia has always been one of the strongest powers in the world, and it constantly proves this fact with its many discoveries and developments. It is no secret that the state is not inferior to others in military equipment. The pride of a domestic manufacturer is ballistic missiles. The most famous weapon in Russia in recent times is the Bulava. This is a ballistic intercontinental missile, on which developers have placed great responsibility for the integrity of the borders of the homeland. It is a three-stage solid fuel, designed for basing on the sea. The latest generation of nuclear submarines is equipped with these modern weapons, the well-known Topol-M complex "works" with it. The most noticeable weapon in recent times is the Bulava missile. Designers tried to unify land and sea solid-fuel missiles.
"Mace" - weapons of true patriots
The weapon owes its birth to the design engineers of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, who in 1988 began to carry out a responsible task. This is a completely Russian development: designers are proud of their offspring, and the military is loudly discussing conflicting weapons - the Bulava missile.
Ballistic missile tests began back in 2004, and, despite a series of failures and miscalculations, she became a good "assistant" to the submarine "Yuri Dolgoruky." Today, the fate of the "Mace" is not completely determined, but the developers continue to modify and improve the design.
Weapon characteristics
It is difficult for an ignorant person to understand the numbers and abbreviations, but some indicators will amaze the imagination of a simple Russian. So, the radius of the rocket is 8 thousand kilometers! The starting mass of the weapon is more than 36 tons. The nuclear units that the Bulava is equipped with can individually change the trajectory of their flight. There can be from 6 to 10 pieces, which makes the weapon almost invincible.
An inclined launch of a rocket can allow it to be launched from the “on the fly” position, which makes the “Mace” universal and easy to operate and launch. Without going into the characteristics of weapons, it is clear that this is one of the large-scale projects that will strengthen the state’s borders and equip the military with the latest technology. This powerful weapon - the Bulava missile - is a large-scale project of the last decade, which is still being finalized, but promises to be grandiose.
Behind more than one launch
The first test launch of a ballistic missile was carried out on September 23, 2004 from the submarine Dmitry Donskoy in Severodvinsk. This event marked the beginning of a series of tests of finished products. It became clear that the Bulava weapon could be delivered in submarines. After almost a year, a second missile launch was made in Kamchatka, during which warheads successfully hit the desired targets at the testing ground. A month later, the Bulava again proved to be the best, having coped with the military task.
For two years, all subsequent ballistic missile tests were not so successful: the Russian weapon - the Bulava missile - either completely deviated from the intended course, then unexpectedly self-destructed, then not all missile warheads reached the desired target. In the future, it was decided to change not only the plant that produced powerful weapons, but also the composition of designers and developers.
Perhaps the problems with launching the rocket can be explained there that the weapons designed for "work" at sea were designed by specialists on land projects. Subsequently, "Bulava" began to produce at the enterprise "Moscow Engineering Plant" Vympel ".
Under the scrutiny
It is interesting that during the entire process of production of the Bulava ballistic missile, observers from the USA followed the progress. According to the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty, from 1988 until December 5, 2009, American colleagues continuously carried out visual control on the territory of factory floors. On the monitor screens, foreign observers saw weapons at the exit from the Votkinsk plant, a special program determined the dimensions and some technical characteristics of the weapon. On the territory of the plant, American employees regularly conducted a detour to identify and prevent violations of the Bulava’s transportation. Wagons in which a ballistic missile could theoretically be taken out were carefully checked by observers from America. This fact suggests that, despite some obstacles in the form of unsuccessful launches, the Bulava is a formidable and promising weapon.
Echo of history
It is noteworthy that weapons with a long history and modern developments in the field of defense and rocket science have the same name. The mace is the weapon of the heroes not only of the Middle Ages, but also of the fighters of our days. It is not for nothing that the developers called their brainchild exactly that, because they tried to give a modern ballistic missile a big name and give it special strength.
The mace of past centuries and today are two completely different weapons, both in appearance and in function. It is hoped that the sonorous name will become one of the keys to the successful work of the team of designers, testers and developers. Despite a number of problems with testing, we believe that the main weapon of Russia is the Bulava.
Now you know almost everything about the formidable ballistic ammunition. We presented the birth story, important characteristics of the Bulava rocket, photo. This weapon is not yet fully armed, but already has certain merits. The military has high hopes for the Bulava, so work on a high-profile project does not stop.