The French were equipped with bronze, rifled muzzle-loading artillery, while the Prussians used new steel breech-loading guns, which had a far longer range and a faster rate of fire. Prussian gunners strove for a high rate of fire, which was discouraged in the French army in the belief that it wasted ammunition. In addition, the Prussian artillery batteries had 30% more guns than their French counterparts. The Prussian guns typically opened fire at a range of 2–3 kilometres (1.2–1.9 mi), beyond the range of French artillery or the Chassepot rifle. The Prussian batteries could thus destroy French artillery with impunity, before being moved forward to directly support infantry attacks. COUNT 5
QSN1 What type of artillery were the French equipped with? ANS1 bronze, rifled muzzle-loading QSN2 What newer artillery were Prussians using? ANS2 steel breech-loading guns QSN3 What did the French believe was overly wasted in artillery with a higher rate of fire? ANS3 ammunition QSN4 The Prussian artillery batteries had what percentage more of guns than the French? ANS4 30% more QSN5 What was the typical range that Prussian guns could fire? ANS5 2–3 kilometres