The ''Arbalète sauterelle type A'', or simply ''Sauterelle'' (French for
grasshopper
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grasshopp ...
), was a
bomb
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...
-throwing
crossbow used by
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
and
British forces on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to:
Military frontiers
*Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany
*Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
during
World War I. It was designed to throw a
hand grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...
in a high trajectory into enemy
trenches. It was initially dismissed by the French Army but
General Henri Berthelot thought it had practical value.
It was lighter and more portable than the
Leach Trench Catapult, but less powerful. It weighed and could throw an
F1 grenade or
Mills bomb .
The Sauterelle replaced the Leach Catapult in British service until they were replaced in 1916 by the
2 inch Medium Trench Mortar and
Stokes mortar.
[ Please note a wikilink to the article "Bombthrowers" in EB1922 is not available]
References
{{WWIFrenchInfWeaponsNav
Crossbows
Projectile weapons
World War I French infantry weapons
World War I British infantry weapons
Grenade launchers
