Prussian Naval Howitzer: "Vulcan"

The development of the Vulcan-class Naval Howitzer was publicly-ridiculed by Imperial Admiralty commanders. Senior figures expressed their doubts to the Press that it could ever be safely fired without the recoil sinking the vessel, and some voiced opinion that perhaps the Kaiser, or "Little Willie" as they christened him, was attempting to compensate for a personal deficiency elsewhere.

In private however, Naval Chiefs were concerned. The Vulcan represented a massive leap forward in Prussian naval engineering for although the vessels were very slow and handled rough seas poorly, their formidable armament could deliver a devastating bombardment. The Vulcan's 48" howitzer could drop Nitroglycerine shells on targets over 18 miles away. This far outstripped the range of even the most powerful Imperial guns.

Despite Admiralty fears, the Vulcans never proved to be a serious threat. There were only ever eight Vulcan vessels commisioned. Their numbers were limited partly due to the enormous cost of forging the gun barrels, but mostly because even one firing of the gun deafened the entire crew of the craft, resulting in few sailors being willing to serve on board.

Interested readers are invited to view more images of this vessel here.

Prussian Submersible "Ocean Predator"

In 1868 the Kaiser, increasingly-frustrated with Prussia's inability to compete with the Imperial Navy, gave his approval to increase the size and sophistication of Prussia's fleet of submersible craft. The Mark III (pictured above in a rare photograph) was the result.

Although the Mark III could travel further, faster and deeper than any previous submersible, it was never popular amongst Prussian sailors. Constructed predominantly of wood, it was prone to leaking at even moderate depths and soon earned itself the nickname "the water closet". This was to detract somewhat from the Kaiser's objective of establishing a fearsome reputation for his submersible fleet.

Nonetheless, Prussian submersibles began roaming freely throughout the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, much to Admiralty Office chagrin, and as Prussian naval engineering techniques developed, subsequent vessels were to become the envy of navies across the world.

Only a handful of images of the Mark III have ever been recorded. A small collection of them is available for viewing here.

Kaiser Willhelm's "Iron Stride"

The silver-plated "Iron Stride" mechanical walker was famously used by Wilhelm II at the 1889 review of Prussian troops in Konigsberg. Mounted atop this impressive contraption, the Kaiser gave a belligerent speech during which he criticised the "sinister machinations of foreign powers" and warned that Prussia would not stand for interference in the "legitimate pursuit of her interests around the world".

Coupled with the rapid build-up of Prussian Mechanised Infantry forces, this speech was to cause widespread consternation in the Imperial press. Editorial demands were made in The Times for Imperial forces to be used to "put the Kaiser back in his place".

With hindsight, it is clear that the Kaiser's statements, now known as the "Iron Stride Speech", was one of the earliest sparks to light the long, slow-burning fuse which was eventually to lead to war.

Recently-unearthed photographic images of this famous mechanical walker may be viewed here.

Mobile Howitzer "Wasp"

Bismarck's determination to secure Prussia's "place in the sun" was to see the Great Powers engage in a constant struggle for influence and colonial power in Africa.

From 1831 onwards, Prussian troops were being sent deep into the African interior, often on the pretext of helping native leaders resist the oppression of other European nations.

Although never breaking out into open conflict, strained relations between Prussia and the Empire in Colonial Africa were played out over a constant background of small-scale raids across poorly-defined borders.

The ill-fated Prussian occupation of the Tanganyika Territory in 1863 was to see the attempted use of self-propelled artillery by Prussian forces. Whilst these mobile units had won themselves a formidable reputation on the battlefields of Europe (earning the affectionate nickname "The Kaiser's Wasps" amongst Prussian troops) they were to prove unreliable at best in the heat and damp of the African rainforest.

Howitzer pilots were forced to become adept mechanics as well as drivers and gunners, resulting in the typical ill-temper displayed in this photographic image taken at the time. More photographs, some in colour, may be seen here.

Sturmpanzer Shrittmaschine "Mecha 3"

With the introduction of the Mark 3 in 1885, the Prussian Mechanized Infantry became a real force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Whilst previous models of these walking-machines had been widely ridiculed by military commentators as both cumbersome and unreliable, the considerably lighter and faster Mark 3 was to prove itself agile and sure of foot on even the roughest terrain.
The stunning Prussian successes in the short conflict with Vulgaria in the Winter of 1886 were due, in no small measure, to the introduction of the Mark 3 and the lack of any established tactics to deal with the "Mechs" or "Mechas", as the walking-machines became popularly known.
The rapid increase in Prussian Mecha numbers was to become a particular worry to the Imperial Army Command in London and further poisoned the already uneasy relationship between Prussia and the Empire.
The interested reader is invited to peruse a larger collection of photographic images of the Mecha 3.