Big guns : artillery on the battlefield
(Book)

During both world wars the devasting firepower of artillery accounted for a huge proportion of casualties, killing and maiming hundreds of thousands. But how did we reach this point given that in the Middle Ages it was little more than an princely novelty? 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. This is the colourful story of how the power of gunpowder has been harnessed and developed. It is a seven-century tapestry of invention, technoogical breakthrough, industrial ingenuity - and deadly intent.

Text in English.