New Books Network – Interview with Jeremy Black: "A History of Artillery" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023)

Podcast Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Dr. Charles Coutillo
Guest: Professor Jeremy Black
Total runtime for content: 01:30–37:49 (approx. 36 min)

Overview

In this episode of New Books in History, host Dr. Charles Coutillo interviews renowned military historian Professor Jeremy Black about his latest book, A History of Artillery. The discussion explores the development, impact, and changing role of artillery from its early origins to the present day, challenging "magic bullet" views and instead emphasizing contextual, nuanced understandings. Black offers richly detailed analysis, candid insights, and trenchant skepticism of oversimplified narratives regarding artillery’s role in warfare.

Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. Rethinking Artillery: Moving Beyond the "Magic Bullet" Theory

• Black’s Approach: Instead of claiming artillery as the singular engine of military transformation, Black frames it as one factor among many in the history of warfare.
  • "What I've tried to do is to not say this is the only way to look at the subject... history is a multivalent process that one has to allow for context, conjunctures, various frictions of operational factors and indeed the extent to which the other side has a big potential play. And we need to move away from the magic bullet fallacy." — Jeremy Black [02:13]
• He positions his book alongside thematic works on air power, tanks, and fortifications, all emphasizing context over technological determinism.

2. The Origins and Predecessors of Artillery

• Early Artillery Precursors: Discussion of catapults as ancient antecedents of artillery.
  • "The most OB1 is the catapult... a ground based weapon that fires projectiles and is fired by more than one human." — Black [04:36]
• Invention of the Cannon: No singular inventor; gunpowder weaponry first developed in China (possible 9th century), with a complex process leading to effective cannons.
  • "No single person invented the cannon... what one is looking at is a range of practices that really developed, I would argue, gunpowder weaponry first in China." — Black [05:25]
  • Memorable aside: Black humorously warns listeners not to ignite gunpowder in their car exhausts, keeping the tone lively. [06:18]

3. Artillery as a Game-Changer: Limits and Potentials in Early Use

• Sieges vs. Battles: Artillery first changed siege warfare (e.g., Ottomans at Mytilene 1462, Negroponte 1470, Constantinople 1453).
  • "[In a siege] you've got a target that is fixed, you can bring up your cannon... and you can deal with the low rate of fire..." — Black [07:18]
• Not a Magic Weapon: Technological and logistical limits meant old forms (trebuchets, catapults) persisted alongside early cannon; gunpowder’s reliability was variable.

4. The Limits of Artillery’s Influence (15th–18th centuries)

• Artillery vs. Pike: In battles such as Charles the Bold at Nancy (1477), artillery was not decisive; traditional arms and tactics (pikemen) could be more significant.
• 17th Century: Artillery is important for sieges but not central in many decisive conflicts (e.g., the Manchu conquest of Ming China, rivalry in India).
  • "One has to be cautious. I'm not saying artillery doesn't play a role. What I'm trying to do, to loop right back to the beginning, is to say you can understand the role better if you put its usage in context." — Black [15:29]

5. The West’s Cannon Dominance and Naval Innovations

• 18th Century: European powers dominated partly because of their naval power, essentially deploying warships as mobile cannon carriers.
• Comparative Discussion: Non-European states sometimes chose not to develop large naval artillery fleets, focusing on other needs.
  • "At sea, of course, the Europeans are the dominant naval powers..." — Black [16:09]

6. Napoleon and the Tactical Rise of Artillery

• Napoleon’s innovations included tactical massing, improved mobility (horse-drawn limbers), and institutional change.
  • "Napoleon is good at the tactical deployment and placing of artillery on the battlefield. He's good at institutional changes to use his cannon as an offensive force." — Black [19:56]
• Artillery was a battlefield advantage but still only one element—strategy, logistics, and broader context remained crucial.

7. 19th Century: Industrialization and Artillery Evolution

• Standardization, mass production, steel use, rapid-firing and breechloading artillery emerge.
  • "The 19th century where you have mass production, you had standardization, you had the effective use of iron and the developing use of steel..." — Black [23:25]
• However, as technology diffused, relative advantage was lessened due to arms races—culminating in the mass artillery of World War I.

8. Artillery in the World Wars

• WWI: “King of Battles”
  • British in 1918 pioneered coordinated, three-dimensional artillery use, leveraging aerial reconnaissance for devastating effect.
  • Notable quote: "Lieutenant Colonel Percy Worrell... 'The repeated German attacks on his infantry battalion... were mowed down by a controlled fire. A good system of observing was established, communication maintained, and the artillery and machine gun corps did excellent work in close cooperation.'" — Black reading Worrell [26:32]
  • "It killed the largest number of combatants. It was more effective than the machine gun." — Black [28:54]
• WWII: Allied Superiority
  • Artillery was a “major strength” of the Soviet Army; British and Americans leveraged large bombardments to support offensives.
  • "It's the major strength in the Soviet army. And I think the British and the Americans were very keen on using big artillery bombardments... the Germans... had no real answer." — Black [30:07]
  • Soviets (1944–45) particularly lauded for effective use on the Eastern Front.

9. The Cold War and Modern Era: Artillery’s Shifting Role

• Transition to missiles (surface-to-surface, surface-to-air) and the end of the battleship’s era.
• Land-based artillery remained important in limited conflicts (e.g., Yom Kippur 1973, Falklands 1982, Iran–Iraq War).
• “Classic artillery” became less prominent in fast-moving or low-intensity conflicts where air power or lighter support dominated.

10. The Post-1989 Era and Ukraine

• Artillery’s decisive role seemed diminished in many conflicts, overshadowed by tanks and air power in the Gulf Wars, mortars and machineguns in African wars.
• However, the war in Ukraine (2022–2023) shows artillery regaining prominence due to static frontlines and both offensive and defensive utility.
  • "Its ability to act in both those respects is very significant, has always been very significant as a form of, at the tactical level." — Black [35:00]
• No “Revolution” in Ukraine: Black sees incremental, not revolutionary, changes—improved real-time intelligence, sensor-shooter interplay, and drone use.
  • "I wouldn't actually say that there has been anything revolutionary." — Black [36:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Whenever you hear somebody saying this is fundamental, this is crucial and they have got a radical new interpretation that changes everything, then not only are they almost certainly wrong, but they need calling out as wrong." — Jeremy Black [03:41]
• (On early artillery challenges): "You need to hammer a length of wrought iron together to ensure that the seams are able to withstand the pressures generated within the barrel. Again, I don't urge you to practice this at home, but you can understand the principle." — Black [09:36]
• (On the "King of Battles"): "It killed the largest number of combatants. It was more effective than the machine gun. But obviously the machine gun was the one that people tended to talk about because it was in a sense more novel and also more frightening in a way." — Black [28:54]
• (On what readers should take away): "These topics are important in helping to explain the complexity of war, of military effectiveness and of victory. And that taking only one of them away, as if that explains everything, would be a mistake." — Black [37:10]

Timeline Highlights & Timestamps

• [02:13] – Black introduces his approach to artillery history: against “magic bullet” narratives.
• [04:36] – Ancient artillery: Catapults as early forerunners.
• [05:25] – No single “inventor” of cannon; Chinese origins of gunpowder weaponry.
• [07:18] – Artillery’s early impact in sieges (Ottomans in the 15th century).
• [12:15] – Artillery’s limits at the Battle of Nancy and the enduring role of pikemen.
• [13:45] – Downplaying the centrality of artillery in 17th-century conflicts.
• [16:09] – Western dominance: Naval artillery and global power projection.
• [19:56] – Napoleon’s artillery innovations and logistics.
• [23:25] – Industrialization and the technological leap of artillery in the 19th century.
• [24:55] – British mastery of artillery in 1918 and “three-dimensional” warfare.
• [28:54] – Artillery as “the King of Battles” in WWI.
• [30:07] – Artillery superiority in WWII; Soviet, British, and US examples.
• [32:40] – Cold War era: the rise of missiles and the decline of classic artillery roles.
• [35:00] – Artillery’s resurgence in the Ukraine war, the importance of context.
• [36:42] – No revolutionary change in artillery in Ukraine, only incremental improvements.
• [37:10] – Black’s closing message: Resist single-factor explanations; embrace complexity.

Final Takeaway

Professor Jeremy Black’s conversation emphasizes complexity in military history, repeatedly cautioning against attributing battlefield outcomes—or shifts in military history—to any single technological invention. Artillery has been a crucial, adaptable force, but its significance waxes and wanes with context, innovation, and logistics. The lesson: appreciate nuance, integration, and the interplay of numerous factors in understanding both artillery’s past and its present role in warfare.