The ominous sound of cannons began to play a main role on battlefields in Europe in the mid 15th century. Over time, the use of trunnions for elevation made cannon more accurate and deadly. During the 17th and 18th centuries cannons became a major weapon of war. During World War II the creation by the Germans of self propelled artillery guns helped shape the battle field as these mobile gun platforms could keep pace with tank formations. The U.S. Army followed suit and by the 1960's had the M109 armored and tracked artillery piece. In 1993 the Army fielded the Paladin with a 155mm cannon with a range of 14 miles and has digital fire control. The modern warfare of combined arms is still paced by the tank but the Paladin artillery can move at the same speed and support the tank and infantry maneuver forces with immense firepower.