War has been a constant in our lives since prehistoric times. Anywhere and anytime around the world, people always find at least one good reason to make war. From merely self-defense to insatiable ambitions for conquering based on political interests or megalomaniac syndrome. Trained human body were formidable, but it is also quite fragile, so making and/or using a weapon was a part from our basic instincts to defend our existence in this world.
50 Weapons that Changed Warfare was written by William Weir. Being a former army combat correspondent and photographer with the 25th Infantry Division and the 27th “Wolfhound” Regiment at Korean War, he showed his extensive knowledge about
War and weaponry, especially those that really took a great part in development of warfare. From barbarism to civilization, from merely a simple spear to nuclear, from those formerly used for cattle business to those that really invented for battle business. He wrote chronologically according to the timelines of war technology development.
The spear might be first noticed by some ancient warriors, who found that a partially burned sticks tends to have a pointed end, and if they scraped the charcoal off the stick, the point became even sharper, thus more effective to bring down an elephant and provide meals for entire family. In the end, more sophisticate models of spear developed, such as phalanx, halberd, and pike. Bows and arrows was the first ballistic weapon after fist-sized stone that being threw, and the sword was an everlasting symbol of war, from Turkish
yataghan to Philipine Moro
kris, from Japanese
katana to French naval cutlass. Meanwhile, the galley was a very first form of battleship, which has one earlier accounts in the story-legend of Jason and the Argonauts. Some ancient-European scholars and fans will also note the catapult (Roman “onager”), Middle-ages
trebuchet and Greek Fire.
Reader will also find descriptions about things that essentially not weapons, but nonetheless gave very significant influence in warfare, such as body armor, chariot, stirrup, sonar, and radar. It also includes devices that essentially is weapon carriers, but have had enormous effects on the conduct of war such as tanks, submarine, and aircfrat carriers. And of course, the bayonet, grenades, mines, revolvers, torpedoes, poison gases and machine guns was something that gave this book its “kick”. Note also that some, as I said before, were formerly used for cattle business such as barbed wire, and such simple but surprisingly pain-in-the-ass weapon like punji stick used by Vietnamese troops at Vietnam War, “dumb weapons”, the kind guerrillas use.
In the end, Weir also gave honorable mentions; that is, some weapons that had been suggested or otherwise considered as possibilities to be put in this book and reasons why they ended to be put outside the list such as the ax, the sling, the spear-thrower, the crossbow (although much modern version were still used by British Special Air Sevice), the wagenburg (actually more a formation rather than a weapon), the Molotov cocktail, and the neutron bomb.
Little bit dissappointing that this quite thick book were not much illustrated, and some pictures or photos inside were only in boring, black-and-white tones. But the informations was accurate, and Weir even put bibliography at the last pages for more serious readers. Another good book recommended for all of military fans.
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