Papo History Red catapult 39345

The sling arm is a medieval artillery weapon class and is the successor to the tension gun and torsion gun. These siege weapons, like all other antiquity and early medieval artillery weapons, were catapults; weapons that use mechanical energy to blast projectiles. Crank-arm catapults were intended for firing projectiles against or over fortress walls. Furthermore, this weapon was used to sling carcasses of animals or people dead from diseases over the enemy walls. This with the hope of poisoning the well and spreading diseases such as plague to the besieged. Finally, the presence of the weapon was enough to terrify the enemy. The installation of such a missile in front of a castle also acted as a psychological threat: the enemy was sometimes so impressed that they spontaneously hoisted the white flag.