The role of artillery on the Eastern Front should not be underestimated. While dashing aerial battles waged overhead and panzers and T-34s rumbled across the vast steppes, it was the artillery that rained down the most destruction. Steel Thunder takes the reader deep into the action, illuminating the massive array of weapons that were constructed by both sides in an effort to literally smash their enemy into the earth. From light artillery pieces that could be man-handled by a small crew to guns so monstrous they had to be transported in pieces, and from rockets that wailed like screaming death to fully tracked armoured artillery vehicles designed to pulverise concrete, steel, and flesh, the sheer quantity and variety of weapons designed to hurl high explosives fills these pages.About the AuthorChris Evans holds a master's degree in military history and is history editor for Stackpole Books. He lives in New York City.