The military rifle cartridges of Ghana from Ashanti to AR.
Portuguese mariners reached the region of West Africa known today as Ghana in 1471 and in 1485 built a trading post, known as Elmina, where they traded with the natives for gold, ivory, pepper and slaves. The area became known as the Gold Coast, and soon there were more than 30 British, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese and Swedish trading enclaves.To gain an advantage over their competitors, the Europeans made alliances with local leaders, often providing them with firearms. These weapons led to changes in warfare and the region's economy became based less upon exporting gold and more on intertribal warfare that provided captives for the slave trade.
In the mid-1600s, the interior of the region came under the control of the Ashanti (Asante) people who, by the end of the 17th century, had created a highly centralized empire with the most powerful native army in West Africa.
By the early 19th century the British had displaced the other European traders and declared a protectorate over the region. Attempts to expand their control of the region's trade and, after 1807, to suppress the slave trade resulted in four Anglo-Ashanti Wars of 1823-1831, 1863-1864, 1873-1874 and 1894-1896. As colonial conflicts went, the first two wars did not accomplish much for either side.
The Third War saw British forces using breechloading, cartridge firing rifles--the Snider-Enfield. Many of these were also sold to "friendly" tribes and the Ashanti by British traders seeking to make a profit.
* .577 Snider--the Snider-Enfield's cartridge consisted of a coiled brass foil body inside of a cardboard tube which was attached to an iron base. A 480-grain hollow-based lead bullet was propelled to approximately 1250 fps by 73 gains of blackpowder.
Despite strong resistance, British forces commanded by General Garnet Wolseley were victorious during the Third War, capturing the Ashanti capital of Kumasi. Wolseley imposed a harsh peace on the Ashanti ruler, King Kofi, forcing him to recognize British control over the entire coastal region and giving British merchants unimpeded access to trade.
To help police the region, in 1879 the British created the Gold Coast Constabulary, consisting of askaris brought in from Nigeria. While originally armed with rifled muskets, as was the usual British practice with native troops, when the British garrison began receiving the new Martini-Henry rifles their Snider-Enfields were passed down to the constabulary.
* .450 Martini-Henry--the Martini's cartridge utilized a Boxer-style coiled brass., bottlenecked case attached to a brass base cup with an iron rim. Its 480-grain paper-patched lead bullet was driven to 1350 fps by 85 grains of blackpowder.
As the Constabulary was expanded, locals--primarily non-Ashanti--were recruited into its ranks and the unit served with distinction during the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti war (see below). During the 1890s, the Constabulary was re-equipped with Martini-Henry rifles, while British forces were issued the new smallbore, smokeless powder Lee-Metford, and later, Lee-Enfield, rifles
* .303 Mark I Cordite--used a rimmed, bottlenecked case 56mrn long loaded with 30 grains of Cordite, which propelled its 215-grain round nosed, full metal-jacketed bullet to a velocity of 1970 fps.
The Ashanti refused to become a British protectorate and in 1891, fearful of growing French and German intentions upon the region, the British instigated the Fourth War on the pretext of the Ashanti failure to pay indemnities from the Third War on time. A force of British and West Indian troops, the Constabulary and native allies attacked in December 1895 and captured Kumasi the following month. The king was deposed and most Ashanti leaders were sent into exile. In 1902 all Ashanti territories were incorporated into the Gold Coast Protectorate.
In recognition of its service in the Fourth Ashanti War, in 1901 the Constabulary was expanded and renamed the Gold Coast Regiment. Shortly afterward they were incorporated in the West African Frontier Force (WAFF) and rearmed with .303 cal. Martini-Enfield carbines.
* .303 Mark VI--adopted by the British army in 1904, this cartridge consisted of a rimmed, bottlenecked case 56mm long topped with a 215-grain round-nosed, full metal-jacketed bullet backed by 30 grains of Cordite for a muzzle velocity of 2050 fps.
British authorities adopted a system of indirect rule for the Gold Coast whereby traditional chiefs maintained power but took instructions from English supervisors. This was cost-effective, as it reduced the number of British officials needed and minimized local opposition to British rule.
With the outbreak of World War I, askaris of the WAFF took part in the capture of the German colonies of Togoland and Kamerun. Afterwards several battalions were sent to German East Africa to assist in the campaign against Col. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and his Deutche Schutztruppe. During the war, most of the WAFF received the British army's standard rifle, the No. 1 Mk. III Lee-Enfield.
* .303 Mark VII--adopted in 1910, it used the same case as the Mark VI, but was loaded with a 174-grain FMJ, flat-based, spitzer bullet that 37 grains of Improved Cordite drove to a velocity of 2440 fps.
British administration of the Gold Coast saw significant social, economic, and educational development, while communications, agriculture and railroads were greatly improved. The latter created an educated Ghanaian elite that became increasingly involved in commerce, newspapers and government. In 1920, the National Congress of British West Africa was formed to seek elected representative government in Britain's West Africa colonies.
When World War II broke out, as part of the WAFF, units of the Gold Coast Regiment took part in the 1940 Allied invasions of Vichy-controlled French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa. They were then transferred to various fronts and saw service in Italian Somaliland, Abyssinia, and Burma. During the war, many units were equipped with No. 4 Lee-Enfield rifles.
Postwar economic problems led to increasing social discontent, of which the nationalists took advantage to press for independence. In an attempt to quell rioting, the British arrested many nationalist leaders including Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).
In the early 1950s the Labor government undertook a program to divest Britain of its colonies, and in 1957 the Gold Coast became the first independent state in sub-Saharan Africa and changed its name to Ghana. The CPP won the elections held later that year and Kwame Nkrumah became president and, later, prime minister, offices he would continue to hold until 1966. In 1964 he declared the CPP as the only legal political party in Ghana.
In the 1960s the Ghanaian Army began replacing its Lee-Enfield rifles with the British L1A1, a copy of the FN-FAL rifle.
* 7.62mrrun NATO--the L1Al was chambered for the new NATO cartridge which used a rimless, bottlenecked case 51mm long and a FMJ 148-grain boattail spitzer bullet at a velocity of 2750 fps.
In 1966 Kwame Nkrumah and the CPP were overthrown by a group of army officers who ruled the nation until 1968. Since then, there have been a number of military governments interspaced with elected civilian governments, all of which enjoyed stable relations with Ghana's neighbors.
The Ghanaian Army adopted the Heckler & Koch G3A3 rifle in the 1980s. The Ghanaian military is recognized as one of the most professional and up-to-date armed forces in West Africa and has provided troops to African Union peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, Lebanon, Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.
In the late 1990s, the army began replacing the G3A3 with Ml 6A2 rifles and M4 Carbines. As with many African nations, the ubiquitous AKM series of rifles are used by the Ghanaian police and internal security forces.
* 5.56mm SS109--the M16A2 and M4 fire the 5.56mm NATO with a rimless, bottlenecked case 45mm topped with a 62-grain FMJ boattail bullet, moving at 3000 fps. A steel insert in the bullet time tip improves penetration of body armor and light vehicles.
* 7.62mm patron obr. 1943g--the AKM type weapons use a cartridge with a rimless, bottlenecked case 39nun long with a FMJ spitzer bullet weighing 122-grain moving at a muzzle velocity of 2330 fps.
In contrast to many African countries, tribal and religious differences in Ghana have been minor, and because of this the country has experienced relative peace and prosperity. This political and economic stability, its low crime rate, and the wide use of English have made the country attractive to foreign investors.
By: Paul Scarlata Photos by: Nathan Reynolds & James Walters
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Author: | Scarlata, Paul |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Shotgun News |
| Geographic Code: | 6GHAN |
| Date: | Feb 1, 2013 |
| Words: | 1374 |
| Previous Article: | SIG Sauer P290RS: Kokalis found the SIG P938 easy to conceal, hard to enjoy shooting. This one's a bit larger and heavier, and it's a lot more fun to... |
| Next Article: | School shootings, again. |
| Topics: | |