Big Guns: Artillery on the Battlefield (Casemate Short History) - Softcover

Konstam, Angus

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1612004881 ISBN 13: 9781612004884

Publisher: Casemate, 2017

Synopsis

The Casemate Short History Series presents readable and entertaining introductions to military history topics.

Over seven centuries the artillery piece has evolved from a status symbol to one of the most deadly weapons wielded by man. Using gunpowder weapons was initially something of a black art, but over the centuries gunnery became a science, a dependable method of breaching fortifications, or overcoming an enemy on the battlefield.

By the 19th century, most European armies had artillery units manned with trained gunners; Napoleon, originally an artillery officer, then took the use of artillery to a new level. Over the following decades, rapid advances in gun technology paved the way for the devastatingly powerful heavy artillery that literally transformed the landscape during World War I. The use of rolling and box barrages shaped how armies fought on the front lines and powerful naval guns dictated the outcome of battles at sea.

By World War II the range of artillery had expanded to include self-propelled guns, and powerful antitank and antiaircraft guns. In this informative introduction, Angus Konstam concisely explains how the development and evolving deployment of artillery led to big guns becoming the key to victory in two world wars and a potent force on the modern battlefield.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Timeline

1: Medieval Origins (14th - 15th Centuries)
2: The Renaissance (16th - 17th Centuries)
3: The Age of Reason (18th Century)
4: The Wars of Napoleon (1792-1815)
5: The Industrial Age (1815-1914)
6: World War I (1914-1918)
7: World War II (1919-present)

About this title

About the Author:

Angus Konstam is a military and maritime historian and author. Formerly a curator at the Royal Armouries, and curator at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum, he is now a full-time author, with over 70 books in print.

Review:

"Angus Konstam looks at field artillery from its earliest uses right up to the modern day in the second of Casemate's brilliant new Short History series." (Books Monthly)

"These books would be excellent for someone with an early interest in military history or for someone talking history at school. Very readable and easy to understand with some good illustrations." (Army Rumour Service)

About this edition

• Publisher: Casemate
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1612004881
• ISBN 13: 9781612004884
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160