But he died - and then
The dam burst right away, What are the adventurous daring
Protected from the people.
G. Heine. Witzlipuzli
Assyrian ram. Relief from Nimrud. (British museum)
So in ancient Assyria - as evidenced by the bas-reliefs from Nimrud, the original device of rams was used, which looked like carts completely closed on all sides with logs sticking out of them with characteristic tops in the form of spear tips, or a bell made of cast metal. Such a ram could have two or three wheelsets, and the question is: how did such an "ancient tank" move. He could not have horses in front by definition. They are not visible from the back in the figures. The conclusion is that they were hidden inside the ram. Well, and nobody shook the log in it, just as the Greeks and Romans did. It was rigidly fixed, after which the ram was dispersed and … hit the wall of the enemy city. But the hooves of animals between the wheels are not visible.
Another relief from Nimrud. On it you see a battering ram with a rifle turret operating on an inclined embankment. (British museum)
Another feature of the Assyrian rams was the presence of battle towers for archers on them. That is, their ram was not only a machine for destroying walls. No! The soldiers on its tower could fire at the defenders of the city, who were apparently trying to interfere with the work of the ram.
In any case, the ancient bas-reliefs of the Assyrians are an interesting monument of the military art of this ancient people, from whom other peoples who lived nearby studied and passed on their knowledge to others. And something was discovered after millennia by other nations themselves, who knew about the Assyrians only from the texts from the Bible! Although they themselves, perhaps, did not even suspect that they were repeating the discoveries of a long-forgotten people and were following its paths.
Assyrian ram from Nimrud. Reconstruction by a contemporary artist.
It is interesting that a "tank" similar to the Assyrian model, however, without a tower for shooters in the XIV century, was proposed by a certain Sienese Mariano do Jacopo (Mariano Taccola), in whom we see such a "cart" closed from all sides (including wheels), crowned unicorn head on a long neck. The head rises and falls on the block, and then the horn acts as a battering ram. That is, it was clearly a collective weapon, but it is not known how it was moved, controlled and what means of observation it had!
In 1456, that is, long before the Cortez expedition, four-wheeled, two-story war wagons were used in Scotland. There were two horses inside the frame below. Upstairs behind the fence are the warriors. But … it is not clear how this cart was driven, and then in medieval Scotland the problem of roads was also …
"Tank of Leonardo da Vinci". His own drawing.
Leonardo da Vinci at this time was four years old, but then he designed his own, and, judging by his drawings, completely inoperable, tank. Not only would there not be enough human strength to move it, there is also one gear missing in the gearbox, and without it it will not go! He wrote about him in his letter to the Duke of Milan Sforza (c. 1500) literally the following: “7. In addition, I can make carriages covered with iron, safe, reliable and unapproachable; equipped with cannons, they whirlwind crash into the closed ranks of the enemy, and no army, no matter how well armed, could not resist them. And the infantry walking behind them will be able to move forward without the slightest damage to themselves, without encountering any resistance on their way."
"Tank of Leonardo da Vinci". Modern renovation.
In 1472, the Italian Valturio proposed an "airmobile" driven by windmill wings, and Simon Stevin of the Netherlands proposed to put small warships on wheels. There was another interesting project of that era, but a time later than the expedition of Cortez - the combat amphibious vehicle of Augustino Ramelli (1588), and again an Italian. It is interesting that this machine was not intended for action on land, but only … to overcome water obstacles under enemy fire. Original, isn't it? A horse drove his car to the crossing point. Then it was unhitched, the shafts were removed and the car was lowered with its front wheels into the water, after which the crew climbed into it through the back door. Movement afloat was carried out by rowing boats, located between the "running wheels", and control - by a steering paddle sticking out from behind. The crew, crossing the water barrier, could fire at the enemy through the loopholes, and he himself was protected from enemy fire. When the car went ashore, the front ramp was thrown back and … the soldiers inside rushed into battle! Not a bad idea, but too, shall we say, "philanthropic" for that time. This is how much effort needed to be put just to protect their soldiers when they crossed the ditch or crossed the river. Naturally, it was easier not to do all this …
Battle wagon of Augustino Ramelli. Reconstruction by a contemporary artist.
Be that as it may, the idea of a certain device on wheels designed to facilitate the conduct of hostilities by the soldiers inside it was literally in the air at the beginning of the 16th century. And educated people, in particular, the same Cortez, could well have heard about it and read … Why not? Well, besides, need is the best teacher and stimulator of creative activity. So, it’s not surprising that when the Spaniards besieged in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán had serious problems fighting in the urban environment, the smartest of them found a solution that best suited the circumstances in which they found themselves.
And it so happened that while Emperor Montezuma was alive, the Indians regularly and without hesitation supplied food to him at the palace. But when he died during the storming of his palace by the Indians, his reserves began to dramatically decrease. Soldiers received a few cakes only once a day. Water, and that was issued at the rate, since the well that the besieged Spaniards dug in the palace was filled with water very slowly. In his famous work Witzliputsli, Heinrich Heinrich wrote about the sufferings of the conquistadors as follows:
After the death of Montezuma
The supply of supplies has run out;
Their diet has become shorter, The faces got longer.
And the sons of the Spanish country, Glancing at each other, Remembered with a heavy sigh
Christian homeland.
We remembered our native land, Where churches are called humbly
And a peaceful smell rushes
Delicious ollea potrida, Toasted with peas
Between which so slyly
Hiding, hissing quietly, Sausages with thin garlic …"
Suffering from wounds was added to the pangs of hunger and thirst. Particularly embittered were the soldiers of Narvaez, who joined Cortez's army, being attracted by promises, were now ready to tear him to pieces, since they saw in him the main culprit of their misfortunes. Without a doubt, they would have given vent to their anger if they also did not see in him their only savior. But then they scolded him heartily …
And Cortez was very worried that the Spaniards were threatened with death from hunger, and he decided that he needed to leave the city. But it was very difficult to do it. But worst of all, the gunpowder was running out. Another couple of such battles, such as those that the conquistadors already had here in Tenochtitlan, and their arquebusses and falconets, the most formidable weapon of the conquerors, which gave a huge advantage over the Indians, will be silenced. Thinking over a plan of escape, Cortez decided to walk along the Tlakopan Dam, which was shorter than the others and was only two miles long. But first it was necessary to find out the dangerous sections of the forthcoming path through the bridges that crossed the dam. And first of all, it was necessary to find out whether the Indians really destroyed them, and if this was true, then it was necessary to try to restore them.
I must say that when the Spaniards were surrounded in the palace of Montezuma, then … they had to face the specifics of war in a city with the correct layout, for which they were simply not ready. After all, European cities were completely different. And here the streets intersected at right angles, there were no dead ends, there were no lanes, and it was impossible to set fire to houses so that the fire would spread to other buildings, since all the houses were made of stone. That is, again, the Spaniards managed to set fire to individual houses of the Indians, and it happened that they burned 300 houses each, but it was a difficult matter. In addition, the houses were two stories high and with flat roofs, and the Indians threw stones from them on the Spanish horsemen, from which neither helmets, nor shields, nor armor protected them. And it was impossible to hit the Indians on the rooftops from below. The streets were both wide and … narrow. The last Indians were easily partitioned off with barricades. The Spaniards had to scatter them with artillery fire, that is, while moving around the city, they also had to drag guns along with them.
Illustration by John Paul from one of the European prints. Something like this, in the opinion of this historian, looked like the "tanks of Cortez" with the crossbowmen and arquebusiers placed on them.
Moreover, even the cavalry did not always help them. For example, having decided to storm the "Big Teokalli", the Spaniards faced … "big trouble." On the perfectly smooth stone slabs of the temple courtyard, the shod horses of the conquistadors slid and fell. So their men at arms had to dismount in the courtyard and go into battle in one formation with the infantry. So such battles on the streets of the city were very dangerous for the Spaniards. Even Cortez himself was wounded in his left arm …
Therefore, when it was decided to leave the city, and to leave at night, under cover of darkness, since it was known that the Aztecs did not fight at night, Cortez tried to do everything possible to save the lives of his soldiers and reduce losses. To do this, he decided to use moving battle towers of his own design in the upcoming reconnaissance in force. Two-story boxes, knocked down from planks and planks, were made with loopholes extending in all directions. Each such tower could accommodate twenty-five soldiers. These bulky and awkward structures had four wheels on wooden axles, abundantly watered with oil. Moreover, the flat pavements of Tenochtitlan lined with stone slabs greatly facilitated their use. Well, and they had to drag them, grabbing the ropes, dozens of Indians - allies of Cortez - Tlashkalans.
"Tank of Cortez". Reconstruction by a contemporary artist.
At first, the moving towers (and there were four of them made) were successful. Behind their wooden walls, the Spanish arrows were safe from arrows and stones. But the shooters, who were on the second floor, could easily fire at the Indian warriors on the roofs of their houses and were previously difficult to vulnerable. When they fled, the Spaniards opened the door of the tower, threw out the bridges and entered hand-to-hand with them, wielding their steel swords.
But these "tanks" were proposed to build by Voltaire Catherine II. For some reason, by the way, Cortez preferred to use the Indians as a draft force …
However, at the very first bridge dismantled by the Indians, the towers were forced to stop. I had to deal with the restoration of the destroyed bridge in full view of the Aztecs. First, the first, and then the second … After that, ferry towers along them and move forward in this way. As a result, in two days of truly hard labor, the Spaniards managed to restore the crossings across all seven canals! But Cortez simply didn’t have enough men to guard these seven crossings. And while the battle was going on in one place, the Aztecs made their way to the rubble from which the Spaniards were leaving, and began to pull them apart. The Spaniards returned, shot, killed several people, but then the battle broke out in another place. Only the towers made it possible to have at least a little rest, but there were only four of them, and there were seven crossings that needed to be protected from the Indians!
Reconstruction by A. Sheps.
