Autocannon

Autocannon is a comprehensive history of the development of automatic cannon and their ammunition from the end of the nineteenth century up to the present day. A brief history of their development is followed by sections examining the basic principles of gun and ammunition design, including various unconventional systems. Next comes a survey of cartridges in calibre order, from 20mm to 57mm, including not only ammunition that has seen service, but also a wide range of experimental types. Finally there is a survey of the cannon, grouped by nationality, which again includes many experimental models. The book includes data on about 200 different cartridges and 400 cannon, and has nearly 500 illustrations. It is the culmination of decades of research, and is unmatched in its coverage of this subject.

Anthony G. Williams is primarily an ammunition specialist, but also has an interest in the guns which fire it. He was an Editor of Jane's Weapons: Ammunition for thirteen years, contemporaneously with being Editor of The Cartridge Researcher, the journal of the European Cartridge Research Association, for over fifteen years, thereby covering both the modern and historic aspects of ammunition. Over more than a decade he has made numerous presentations on aspects of military ammunition to international conferences such as the annual symposia held at the Ministry of Defence Academy at Shrivenham and the National Defence Industries Association conferences in the USA, and he maintains a military gun and ammunition website at http://quarryhs.co.uk.