How much the land costs, so much time and there are wars, civil strife, various conflicts between people. 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 equip themselves in order to hit the enemy as much as possible. One of the interesting and historically significant weapons is the mace. The word comes from "bula" - nodule, bump, knob. We will talk about this interesting subject of defense and attack today.
A bit of history
A mace is a melee weapon, the features of which are a short shaft and a pommel made of stone. 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, the mace could be found on the battlefields as the main means of struggle.with the enemy.
In Russia, the ancient weapon mace appeared in the 11th century. Scientists-historians believe that she "came" from the South-East. In ancient times, it was believed that the ancient weapon mace was not a combat, but rather an honorary attribute. They were mandatory equipped with infantry and cavalry 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 parameters
An ordinary club can be considered the progenitor of a mace. It was she who was the main and main weapon of the peasants - in all conflicts, ordinary farmers tried to prove their case with the help of a simple device. But it had such a stunning effect that it gradually became "in everyday life" of the foot soldiers. Archaeological excavations clearly show how the mace has changed over time. Initially, the head of the weapon was round and smooth, but gradually it becomes more complex and becomes either rectangular, or supplied with spikes and ribs over the entire area. The weight of the weapon ranges from 500 grams to two or more kilograms. The length of the handle 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 is a unique weapon. It has many modifications, which became possible due to its ubiquitous distribution. In the countries of the East, the mace was called "buzdykhan" or "buzdygan", its pommel was rounded. In Europe, weaponsIt was called "cleaver" and had an elongated, pear-shaped or bar-like shape. In the West, traditional maces were supplied with spikes and ribs, and they were called "six-feathers" or "feathers". The Germans called the first version of the mace the "morning star", because just one blow of a simple weapon could break through the strongest armor and defeat the enemy. A device equipped with sharp feathers was also called a "fist mace".
A distant relative of the mace is the mace, or "trench club" as it came to be called during World War II. 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 "notch". Only the appearance and spread of pistols pushed the mace and its sisters into the background, and then completely "survived" them from the battlefield.
Weapon Values
The main advantage of the mace is its incredible simplicity and speed of manufacture. Materials do not cost a lot of money, which makes the weapon affordable for many warriors. The mace was especially loved on the battlefields for its excellent damaging properties - it is able to deal with even an enemy fully equipped in iron armor. For this, it has received an unusually wide distribution. The mace is the weapon of both the rich and the poor.
Ordinary peasants made a mace of wood, iron, its shape was simple and uncomplicated. Whoever was richer fought with weapons made of copper, the handle of which was covered with fabric for convenience, decorated withmonograms and decals. Over time, the mace became more and more sophisticated. Its appearance and purpose changed, which eventually 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. French gatekeepers of churches, we althy houses and royal chambers proudly held a mace in their hands, emphasizing their importance. Now it was made of brass, covered with gold, decorated with stones and given an intricate shape. In many Western countries, the nobles tried not to appear in public without a richly decorated mace tucked into their belts, and military leaders and officers had no right not to wear it all the time. The guardsmen of the tiny "state within a state" of the Vatican are still adorning themselves with historical weapons in festive parades.
21st century mace
Russia has always been one of the strongest powers in the world, and it constantly proves this fact with its numerous discoveries and developments. It is no secret that the state is not inferior to others in military equipment. The pride of the domestic manufacturer are ballistic missiles. Russia's most famous weapon in recent times is the Bulava. This is a ballistic intercontinental missile, on which the developers have placed great responsibility for the integrity of the borders of the Motherland. It is a three-stage solid-propellant, designed to be based at sea. Nuclear submarines of the latest generation are equipped with this modern weapon, it "works" widelyknown complex "Topol-M". The most notable weapon in recent times is the Bulava missile. The designers tried to unify land and sea rockets running on solid fuel.
"Mace" is the weapon of true patriots
The weapon owes its birth to the design engineers of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, who in 1988 began to carry out a responsible task. This is a completely Russian development: the designers are proud of their brainchild, and the military is loudly discussing the controversial weapon - the Bulava missile.
Tests of the ballistic missile began back in 2004, and, despite a series of failures and miscalculations, it became a good "assistant" to the submarine "Yuri Dolgoruky". Today, the fate of the Bulava is not completely determined, but the developers continue to modify and improve the design.
Weapon stats
It is difficult for an ignorant person to understand numbers and abbreviations, but some indicators will amaze the imagination of an ordinary Russian. So, the range of the rocket is 8 thousand kilometers! The starting weight of the weapon is more than 36 tons. The nuclear blocks that the Bulava is equipped with can individually change the trajectory of their flight. There can be from 6 to 10 of them, which makes the weapon almost invincible.
The inclined launch of the rocket can allow it to be launched from a "on-the-go" position, making the Mace versatile and easy to control and launch. Without going into the characteristics of the weapon, it is clear that this is one of the large-scale projects thatwill strengthen the borders of the state and equip the military with the latest technology. This powerful weapon is the Bulava missile, a large-scale project of the last decade that is still being finalized but promises to be grand.
Behind more than one launch
The first test launch of a ballistic missile was made on September 23, 2004 from the Dmitry Donskoy submarine in Severodvinsk. This event marked the beginning of a series of tests of finished products. It became clear that the Bulava weapon could be placed on submarines. Almost a year later, a second missile launch was made in Kamchatka, during which the warheads successfully hit the desired targets at the test site intended for testing. A month later, Bulava again showed its best side, having coped with the task set by the military.
For two years, all subsequent tests of a ballistic missile were not so successful: the Russian weapon - the Bulava missile - either completely deviated from the intended course, or unexpectedly self-destructed, or 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 missile launch problems can be explained by the fact that the weapons designed to "work" at sea were designed by specialists on land projects. Subsequently, Bulava began to be produced at the Moscow Machine-Building Plant Vympel enterprise.
Under the watchattention
Interestingly, during the entire production process of the Bulava ballistic missile, observers from the United States 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 monitor screens, foreign observers saw weapons at the exit from the factory in the city of Votkinsk, a special program determined the dimensions and some technical characteristics of the weapon. On the territory of the plant, American employees regularly made rounds in order to identify and suppress violations of the Bulava transportation. The 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 Mace is a formidable and promising weapon.
Echoes 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 heroes not only of the Middle Ages, but also of the fighters of our days. The developers didn’t name their brainchild that way for nothing, because they tried to give the modern ballistic missile a big name and give it a special power.
The mace of past centuries and today are two completely different weapons both in appearance and in functionality. It remains to be hoped that the sonorous name will become one of the keys to the successful work of the teamdesigners, testers and developers. Despite a number of problems with testing, we believe that Russia's main weapon is the Bulava.
Now you know almost everything about the formidable ballistic ammunition. We presented the birth story, important characteristics of the Bulava missile, photos. This weapon has not yet been finally put into service, but already has certain merits. The military has high hopes for the Bulava, so work on the high-profile project does not stop.
