Customer Reviews

Rapid Fire: The Development of Automatic Cannon and Heavy Machine Guns for Armies, Navies, and Air Forces

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It should be evident that one cannot fully understand the history of combat aircraft, ships, or vehicles, without having some knowledge of the weapons that armed them. During the last century, heavy automatic guns have been an essential part of this armament. But unfortunately their study has been very much neglected, and with distressing regularity one finds information that is incomplete, misleading, or plain wrong. The existing literature about automatic guns and their ammunition is perhaps more reliable, but mostly limited to weapons of smaller calibre.

This book at last fills the gap by offering a wealth of information on these guns. Because it is virtually the only comprehensive discussion of this subject, it can be considered essential reading for anyone interested in the technical aspects of modern military history. The author has made the subject accessible to people without any previous knowledge about guns, but the work also contains enough extensive and detailed information to be attractive to the specialist. It is primarily a book about guns, but it does give careful consideration to the important relationship between gun design and application. It can be read as a history, but also consulted as a reference. Despite the specialist subject the book should appeal to a wide audience, encompassing researchers and modellers, people with an interest in guns as well as those with in an interest in aircraft, ships, or armoured vehicles.

Of the six chapters, the first two contain a technical explanation cartridges, guns, and related subjects. The basic operating principles behind different types of guns are clearly explained, and a brief history of their development is given. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of guns, related to their intended applications, are also discussed. The author has chosen to avoid formulas and extended discussions of ballistics, but the principles of gun action are illustrated.

The next three chapters then discuss these applications, in armies, navies, and air forces. It explains how the military of different branches and different countries approached the armament problems, and how this determined the development and isntallation of guns. The sixth chapter discusses future developments, and mentions some of the current experimental guns --- most of the book is limited to guns that saw service.

Of the five appendices the first is a history of anti-tank and heavy rifles. The second contains tables with complete data related to heavy automatic weapons, including service cartridges and guns up to a calibre of 57mm. The last three appendices contain scale drawings of cartridges and guns. The book concludes with a glossary, a bibliography, and an index.

Despite its technical subject "Rapid Fire" is well-written, clear and concise. The book has been well edited and produced, and a good balance between text and illustrations was achieved. The limitations of the work are a consequence of the need to pack an enormous amount of information in a compact format, in all 297 pages including about 30 pages of color photographs. I can recommend this book without reservations, and in the hope that when knowledge spreads, errors will no longer be repeated!

This book is a very well written history of large caliber automatic weapons. It gives a good coverage of the mechanisms and characteristics of the weapons, but it's real importance to me is it's well illustrated gallery of the rounds used in the weapons, complete with specifications of the rounds and the weapon and country using them, something that is rare to find in other works.In a library of over 1000 volumes on weaponry, this is one of the most used references I have.

An excellent review of automatic weapons for the technically inclined. There is little or no operational history involved, but this book's detailed development histories of weapons and their ammunition is more comprehensive than anything I've seen since Johnson's books from the '40s. If you are into the details of automatic weapons and the ammunition they fire, you must have this book. If you are looking for operational military history of how these weapons were employed, this is not for you.

This book speaks for itself with detailed information on the calibers, types, models, and ammuntion used by a vast number of automatic cannons, naval artillery, and aircraft weaponry. The images are superb, and the range of cannon covered makes for a well rounded reference book. I find this book to be among the best in my collection. I highly recommend this reference book to anyone interested in the research of military hardware, the development of cannon, and the operation of modern automatic cannon.

This is the essential reference work on the subject of autocannon and similar weapons, at least in English. Note however that the author maintains an online errata-and-updates site, and also participates in several online forums where related subjects are discussed. Those additional sources of information must be considered integral to the book to gain its full continuing value.

Very informative, easy to read text - not too dry or technical. Great photos & diagrams. Really helps to understand the auto loading mechanisms of many different weapons, their performance data, specifications. Glad to have this in my collection, definately recommend it.

It is immensely informative but well written so that it's easily absorbed. Great book.

This book sets a standard that would be hard to beat. The author knows his subject and the production is superb. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the field covered, and to others as an example of how a book should look.