One of the defining traits of human beings is that they seem to have no qualms about killing each other. Not to say that other species that habitate this planet are totally free of this desire, but humans seem to do it with greater frequency than other.

Eventually, killing became organized and groups of people would go out to kill other groups of people. War.

Originally men (and war has been primarily a male endeavour for most of recorded time) used what was at hand. Branches for clubs, stones for throwing, sharpened sticks for spears were many of the initial weapons. Then they began manufacturing specialty weapons whose main use was in war.

Author Chris McNab takes a look at what he considers to be the 100 most influential weapons of war. Each section covers what was developed, how it was an improvement over what had gone before and how it was used in battles. I have to say that of the 100 items included in the book, it seems rather skewed to the 20th century and especially to American weapons and many of those are aircraft.

Now this may well be due to the rapidity of technology change, but really, only time will tell. It starts with the Flint Axe and ends with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. In between there are a goodly number of inventive weapons including the bow, catapult, trireme, various swords, a plethora of powder weapons, ships of various types, flame throwers, poison gas, tanks, nuclear bombs and a considerable number of aircraft.

Of course there is much more than what I've mentioned as a review is such that one should be enticed in reading the book. I found at least the first half of the book quite fascinating and informative. I say this as my knowledge of pre 20th century weapons was quite limited. Not to say the more 'modern' stuff was not informative, as it is and for many, these sections will be equally as fascinating. While one could perhaps argue some of the choices, it still makes for a book that I'm pretty sure just about any military enthusiast will enjoy reading.

September 2011

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