Artillery

A Global History

Alexander Querengässers new book gives the interestedreader an innovative overview of the history of artillery which appreciatesdevelopments both inside and outside Europe. It explores the manyfactors which proved decisive for its consistently improving efficiency fromancient times right to the battlefields of the present.

Since the invention of black powder and the developmentof large cannons, artillery has been considered a gamechanger of globalmilitary history. It spelled the end for knights and castles, both ofwhich were unable to resist its powerful impact, and it ushered in radicallynew warship designs, whose firepower changed the face of sea warfare forever.Artillery was seen as a vital component in the military rise of Europe,with whose armies and navies Asian, African and American native forces wereunable to compete. While such ideas continue to exist, the present volumes aimis to approach the history of artillery on a broader scale by taking globaldevelopments into account and putting them into perspective. It begins byexamining the mechanical artillery of antiquity with its catapults andstone-throwers. The development of the cannon from a cumbersome and unreliablebombard into a modern high-tech weapon was a long process that took centuriesto complete. The efficiency of the new weapon was highly dependent not just onimproved production techniques but also on transport and logistics, and onincreasingly lethal and destructive ammunition. And although artillery has beenconsidered an indispensable part of any army for five hundred years, itremained an auxiliary weapon for a long time until mass deployment offast-firing, large-calibre, guns during the First World War made artillery thetrue queen of battlefields.
Alexander Querengässers new book gives the interested reader an innovativeoverview of the history of artillery which appreciates developments both insideand outside Europe. It seeks to examine the many factors which proved decisivefor its consistently improving efficiency from ancient times right to thebattlefields of the present. More than 200 illustrations will provide thereader with a comprehensive visual impression of the history of this remarkableweapon.

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