Artillery and Heavy Weapons

I finished my PDP on Artillery and Heavy Weapons today:

The term “artillery” is used to describe mounted and self-propelled explosive weapons that reach beyond the effective range of and are larger than light weapons carried by personnel. Not long after the invention of gunpowder, cannons were first used by the Chinese in defense of Mongol invasion. The artillery revolution soon hit Europe as cannons were used to defend castles during the Hundred Years’ War. In the 15th century cannons evolved into mobile field pieces. Eventual standardizations in the manufacturing process and improvements in firing mechanisms and munitions helped prove cannons decisive in Napoleon’s conquests and the American Civil War. Indirect fire was the defining characteristic of 20th century artillery, and the developments of predicted fire techniques and battlefield adjustments of fire led to near precision weapons, mass casualties, and artillery as it is known today. Modern and precision artillery includes howitzers and rockets as well as surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. Technological advances in guidance systems have blurred the lines between missilery, artillery, and heavy weapons.