Translated by R. C. Long, and with a conversation with the author by W. T. Stead, and an introdution by Edwin D. Mead. Subjects covered are military and naval developments in Russia, Britain, Germany, and France.
The essays reprinted here are shorter statements of Bloch's basic beliefs. Bloch was not entirely right in his views on war. He failed to note the heavy influence that indirect fire would have on World War I battlefields. Obviously, he could not...
The official narrative of Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, dated July 6, 1863, describing the engagement of the 20th Maine Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg, with an Introductory Note and type transcription by Joseph B. Ezhaya, Chair of the...
Clausewitz, Carl von, 1780-1831; Paret, Peter; Moran, Daniel
NOTE: The original edited and translated version of Carl von Clausewitz: Two Letters on Strategy was published earlier by the U.S. Army War College Art of War Colloquium in November 1984. This edition has retained the editing style of the original....
This study shows how the U.S. Army identified and overcame the problems of fighting in difficult terrain. The adoption of new tactics combined with technical innovations and good small-unit leadership enabled American forces to defeat a...
According to an old saying, "amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics." any serious student of the military profession will know that logistics constantly shape military affairs and sometimes even dictate strategy and tactics. This...
This study is a companion piece to "Railroad generalship" by the same author, and shows that neither brillant generals or valiant soldiers can, in the long run, overcome the effects of a neglected and deteiorating logistics sytem. Moreover, the...
In 1944, the 4th Armored Division played a central role in one of the more remarkable campaigns in American military history - Third Army's pursuit across France, which was capped off by the encirclement and capture of Nancy. In the course of this...
This overview serves as a point of departure for more in-depth studies, sets the stage for the analysis of unit operations from platoon to corps, and furnishes a useful reference for studying branch operations in battle. Repeated reference to this...
Trained to fight a linear war in Europe against conventional Soviet forces, field artillery units were unprepared for combat in Korea, which called for all-around defense of mutually supporting battery positions, and high-angle fire. Pacific...
The Army of DESERT STORM owed much to three past trainers of the Army. For much of his career, George C. Marshall argued for field exercises to supplement institutional training; once raised to high command, he ordered large-scale maneuvers. World...
I recognize that, years after the fact, it is difficult to synthesize with complete accuracy and largely from official documents the actions relating to a military operation. This is particularly true when references are not available from two...
The commander's role throughout military history has been to reduce the uncertainties of war for his own side and increase them for his enemy. Notwithstanding great advances in the arts and sciences of command and control, the best commanders have...
Casualties are an inevitable consequence of battle, and they are commonly listed at the end of historical accounts as figures for dead and wounded. The assumption, on reading these numbers, is that the dead were al some point, during or after the...
In 1945, to end the Pacific war, American strategic plans foresaw an invasion of Japan's heavily defended home islands. Operations Olympic and Coronet, America's proposed landings on Kyushu and the Tokyo Plain, were the largest amphibious invasions...
From Baron de Jomini, Summary of the Art of War or A New Analytical Compend of the
Principal Combinations of Strategy, of Grand Tactics and of Military Policy. Translated from the French by Major O. F. Winship, Ass't. ADJT. General, U.S. A., LT....
Military historians have often focused on the period between the world wars in order to examine issues such as preparedness, doctrine, technology, and politics. Less often have we looked closely at social issues peculiar to the military in that...
Special operations have not always been viewed so positively. Prior to the early 1960's- when President John F. Kennedy expanded U.S. Special Forces and made counterinsurgency the cornerstone of his Flexible Response doctrine- the lot of special...