The advent of the cannon many centuries ago added a new dimension to warfare, and soon became the weapon of choice of the Kings and Emperors. Since then artillery has evolved into a battle-winning factor, often being the determinant between success and failure. This book covers five great artillery battles fought in four continents over 136 years.

The Battle of Gettysburg (1 to 3 Jun 1863) is the most 'written about' battle of the US Civil War. The Battle of Vimy Ridge (9 to 12 April 1917), which saw the Canadian Corps fight as one entity for the first time, commenced with the greatest artillery barrage in history (till then) - 983 guns! In the Battle of Bir Hacheim (Point 171) (27 May 1942) 2 Indian Field Regiment firing over 'open sights' knocked out 56 tanks of the German Afrika Korps, led by General (later Field Marshal) Erwin Rommel. The Battle of Chhamb (3 to 17 December 1971) recounts what was perhaps the toughest and most intensely fought battle of the Indo-Pakistan War. The Battles of Tololing and Tiger Hill fought during the Kargil Conflict in the summer of 1999 saw the Indian guns engaging targets at heights of 16000 feet!