Artillery: books - history, types and construction (1/2)

Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC–AD 363 (Osprey)

The catapult (katapeltikon) was invented under the patronage of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in the 4th century bc. At first only the arrow-firing variant was used, and it was not until the reign of Alexander the Great that stone-projecting catapults were introduced. The Romans adopted these weapons during the Punic Wars and further developed them, before introducing the new arrow-firing ballista and stone-throwing onager.

This title traces the often controversial design, development and construction of these weapons throughout the history of the classical world.

Contents: Introduction - The Arrow-Firing Catapult of the Greeks - The Stone-Projecting Catapult of the Greeks - Roman Artillery: The Republic and Early Empire - The Roman Artillery Revolution - Conclusion.

Napoleonic Artillery

The Napoleonic Wars gripped Europe, and beyond, for over ten years at the beginning of the Nineteenth century. Hundreds of battles were fought between the armies of France (and its allies) and all those powers that wished to see Napoleon Bonaparte stopped in his tracks and an end to the French Empire.

The battles and sieges of the Napoleonic Wars, which cost the lives of between 3 and 6 million men, made unprecedented use of large guns, and every participating army possessed a range of artillery.

With the Wars covering such a long period of time, and with so many armies involved, the subject of Napoleonic artillery is a complicated one. The product of years of research, this book presents most of what is known about the artillery pieces of the Napoleonic Wars. Including numerous drawings, contemporary illustrations and modern photographs of surviving guns, it will be an invaluable addition to the library of historians, modellers, wargamers and re-enactors.

Superguns 1854-1991 - Extreme artillery from the Paris Gun and the V-3 to Iraq's Project Babylon (Osprey)

Over the last 150 years, gun designers have sought to transform warfare with artillery of superlative range and power, from William Armstrong's 19th-century "monster guns" to the latest research into hypersonic electro-magnetic railguns.

Taking a case study approach, "Superguns" explains the technology and role of the finest monster weapons of each era. It looks at the 1918 "Wilhelm Gun," designed to shell Paris from behind the German trenches; the World War II "V-3" gun built to bombard London across the Channel; the Cold War atomic cannons of the US and Soviet Union; and the story of Dr Gerald Bull's HARP program and the Iraqi "Supergun" he designed for Saddam Hussein.

Illustrated throughout, this is an authoritative history of the greatest and most ambitious artillery pieces of all time.

Artillery in the Great War

Artillery was the decisive weapon of the Great War - it dominated the battlefields. Yet the history of artillery during the conflict has been neglected, and its impact on the fighting is inadequately understood.

Paul Strong and Sanders Marble, in this important and highly readable study, seek to balance the account. Their work shows that artillery was central to the tactics of the belligerent nations throughout the long course of the conflict, in attack and in defence.
They describe, in vivid detail, how in theory and practice the use of artillery developed in different ways among the opposing armies, and they reveal how artillerymen on all sides coped with the extraordinary challenges that confronted them on the battlefield.

The Bofors Gun

The 40mm Bofors Gun, first produced in the 1930s, has become one of the most famous artillery pieces of all time. It shows no sign of fading from the defence scene even though, in the second decade of the twenty-first century, it performs in many roles that were not contemplated by its original designers. It has also proved to be so versatile that it is now allied to electronic and other technological marvels that were mere pipe dreams only a few years ago.

When the Bofors entered the international defence market, its primary quarry, the military aircraft, was still a slow and fragile machine that could be terminally damaged by a single hit from a 40mm projectile. Terry Gander describes this early period in the gun's development and he shows how, despite recent increases in target speed and other performance parameters, it can still inflict a one-hit kill on almost any aircraft, helicopter or guided missile.

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the story is that the fundamentals of today's Bofors guns remain virtually unchanged from the very first examples to come off the Karlskoga production line in Sweden. In all its forms, the Bofors continues to be a sound, reliable and lethal piece of military hardware that has given good service to gunners all over the world.

Terry Gander's comprehensive account of the history of this remarkable weapon over the course of almost eighty years is fascinating reading and an invaluable work of reference for military historians and artillery specialists alike. It is the definitive work in the field.

Gebirgsartillerie - bis 1945

Der Einsatz von Artillerie im Hochgebirge stellte vor allem in früheren Zeiten besondere Anforderungen an das Gerät, denn es musste nicht nur unwirtlichen Witterungen trotzen, sondern auch im unwegsamsten Gelände in oft schwindelerregenden Höhen transportiert und bedient werden können - und das ohne die fortschrittlichen technischen Hilfsmittel der Gegenwart.

Unterstützt von rund 200 historischen Abbildungen, beschreibt Franz Kosar in diesem Band ausführlich, welche Lösungen hierfür weltweit seit dem 19. Jahrhundert bis zum Ende des Zweiten Weltkrieges gefunden wurden: in Europa, Afrika, Asien sowie in Nord- und Südamerika.

Tank Turret Fortifications

Tank Turret Fortifications traces the origins of the idea from the development of the first armoured turrets in the nineteenth century through to the present day. On the way it covers the inter-war period when the first turrets were used in this way, the Second World War, when tank turrets were used on every front in the European Theatre of Operations, and the post-war period, when tank turrets were used even more widely.

The book also details the decline of the idea as countries reassessed the threats they faced and slowly dismantled all their fixed fortifications.

Widely used during World War Two and since, tank turret fortifications deserve a history, and Neil Short has spent several years writing this, the first proper study.