Military smokeless powder (Poudre B)
Pólvora sin humo militar (Poudre B)
- Date
- 1884-1886 · confidence high
- Place
- Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Credited to
- Paul Vieille
- Field
- Conflict
What it is
Nitrocellulose gelatinised with ether and alcohol, rolled and cut, which burned without smoke or residue and was far superior to black powder. Adopted with the 1886 Lebel rifle, it forced every army to renew rifles, guns and tactics.
Vieille perfected ideas of Schönbein and Abel; Nobel (ballistite, 1887) and Abel-Dewar (cordite, 1889) followed with rival patents.
What it led to
- ballistite and cordite
- small-calibre high-velocity rifles
- a battlefield without a smoke screen and concealment of the shooter