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In this fascinating narrative history, internationally recognized
military expert Martin van Creveld narrates the rise and fall of
the most glamorous offensive and defensive instrument of war in
military history,airpower. From the scenes of its greatest exploits
during World War I and II, to present day where the advent of
ballistic missiles, drones, and other computer-controlled weaponry
threaten to eclipse its use all together, van Creveld recounts the
successes and failures of airpower to date and shows how its
triumphs are fast becoming a thing of the past.
Many books have been written about strategy, tactics, and great
commanders. This is the first book to deal exclusively with the
nature of command itself, and to trace its development over two
thousand years from ancient Greece to Vietnam. It treats
historically the whole variety of problems involved in commanding
armies, including staff organization and administration,
communications methods and technologies, weaponry, and logistics.
And it analyzes the relationship between these problems and
military strategy.
In vivid descriptions of key battles and campaigns--among
others, Napoleon at Jena, Moltke's Koniggratz campaign, the
Arab-Israeli war of 1973, and the Americans in Vietnam--van Creveld
focuses on the means of command and shows how those means worked in
practice. He finds that technological advances such as the
railroad, breech-loading rifles, the telegraph and later the radio,
tanks, and helicopters all brought commanders not only new tactical
possibilities but also new limitations.
Although vast changes have occurred in military thinking and
technology, the one constant has been an endless search for
certainty--certainty about the state and intentions of the enemy's
forces; certainty about the manifold factors that together
constitute the environment in which war is fought, from the weather
and terrain to radioactivity and the presence of chemical warfare
agents; and certainty about the state, intentions, and activities
of one's own forces. The book concludes that progress in command
has usually been achieved less by employing more advanced
technologies than by finding ways to transcend the limitations of
existing ones.
Combining razor-sharp analysis with dramatic narrative, vivid
portraits of soldiers and commanders with illuminating discussions
of battle tactics and covert actions, "The Sword and the Olive"
traces the history of the IDF from its beginnings in Palestine to
today. The book also goes beyond chronology to wrestle with the
political and ethical struggles that have shaped the IDF and the
country it serves--struggles that are manifesting themselves in the
recent tragic escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Often
revisionist in attitude, surprising in many of its conclusions,
this book casts new light on the struggle for peace in the Middle
East.
If there is anything that distinguishes us from animals, it is our
ability to understand that such a thing as the future exists and
our willingness to try and look into it. But how have people
through the ages gone about making predictions? What were their
underlying assumptions, and what methods did they use? Have
increased computer power and the newest algorithms improved our
success in anticipating the future, or are we still only as good
(or as bad) at it as our ancestors? From the ancients watching the
flight of birds to the murky activities of Google and Facebook
today, Seeing into the Future gives us an insight into the past,
present and future of prediction.
"The definitive one-volume history of Israel by its most
distinguished historian
"From its Zionist beginnings at the end of the nineteenth
century through the past sixty, tumultuous years, the state of
Israel has been, as van Creveld argues, "the greatest success story
in the entire twentieth century." In this crisp volume, he
skillfully relates the improbable story of a nationless people who,
given a hot and arid patch of land and coping with every imaginable
obstacle, founded a country that is now the envy of surrounding
states. While most studies on Israel focus on the political, this
encompassing history weaves together the nation's economic, social,
cultural and religious narratives while also offering diplomatic
solutions to help Israel achieve peace. Without question, this is
the best one-volume history of Israel and its people.
In this impressive work, van Creveld considers man's use of
technology over the past 4,000 years and its impact on military
organization, weaponary, logistics, intelligence, communications,
transportation, and command. This revised paperback edition has
been updated to include an account of the range of technology in
the recent Gulf War. 12 photographs.
Why did Napoleon succeed in 1805 but fail in 1812? Could the
European half of World War II have been ended in 1944? These are
only two of the many questions that form the subject-matter of this
meticulously researched, lively book. Drawing on a very wide range
of sources, van Creveld examines the specifics of war: namely,
those formidable problems of movement and supply, transportation
and administration, so often mentioned - but rarely explored - by
the vast majority of books on military history. In doing so he
casts his net far and wide, from Gustavus Adolphus to Rommel, from
Marlborough to Patton, subjecting the operations of each to a
thorough analysis from an unusual point of view. In this edition
with a new introduction, van Creveld revisits his now-classic text,
and comments in a new afterword on the role of logistics in
high-tech, modern warfare.
One of the most influential experts on military history and
strategy has now written his magnum opus, an original and
provocative account of the past hundred years of global conflict.
The Changing Face of War is the book that reveals the path that led
to the impasse in Iraq, why powerful standing armies are now
helpless against ill-equipped insurgents, and how the security of
sovereign nations may be maintained in the future.
While paying close attention to the unpredictable human element,
Martin van Creveld takes us on a journey from the last century's
clashes of massive armies to today's short, high-tech, lopsided
skirmishes and frustrating quagmires. Here is the world as it was
in 1900, controlled by a handful of "great powers," mostly
European, with the memories of eighteenth-century wars still fresh.
Armies were still led by officers riding on horses, messages
conveyed by hand, drum, and bugle. As the telegraph, telephone, and
radio revolutionized communications, big-gun battleships like the
British Dreadnought, the tank, and the airplane altered warfare.
Van Creveld paints a powerful portrait of World War I, in which
armies would be counted in the millions, casualties-such as those
in the cataclysmic battle of the Marne-would become staggering, and
deadly new weapons, such as poison gas, would be introduced.
Ultimately, Germany's plans to outmaneuver her enemies to victory
came to naught as the battle lines ossified and the winners proved
to be those who could produce the most weapons and provide the most
soldiers.
The Changing Face of War then propels us to the even greater global
carnage of World War II. Innovations in armored warfare and
airpower, along withtechnological breakthroughs from radar to the
atom bomb, transformed war from simple slaughter to a complex event
requiring new expertise-all in the service of savagery, from Pearl
Harbor to Dachau to Hiroshima. The further development of nuclear
weapons during the Cold War shifts nations from fighting wars to
deterring them: The number of active troops shrinks and the
influence of the military declines as civilian think tanks set
policy and volunteer forces "decouple" the idea of defense from the
world of everyday people.
War today, van Crevald tells us, is a mix of the ancient and the
advanced, as state-of-the-art armies fail to defeat small groups of
crudely outfitted guerrilla and terrorists, a pattern that began
with Britain's exit from India and culminating in American
misadventures in Vietnam and Iraq, examples of what the author
calls a "long, almost unbroken record of failure."
How to learn from the recent past to reshape the military for this
new challenge-how to still save, in a sense, the free world-is the
ultimate lesson of this big, bold, and cautionary work. The
Changing Face of War is sure to become the standard source on this
essential subject.
"From the Hardcover edition."
The state, which since the middle of the seventeenth century has been the most important of all modern institutions, is in decline. From Western Europe to Africa, many existing states are either combining into larger communities or falling apart. Many of their functions are likely to be taken over by a variety of organizations that, whatever their precise nature, are not states. In this unique volume Martin van Creveld traces the story of the state from its beginnings to its end. Starting with the simplest political organizations that ever existed, he guides the reader through the origins of the state, its development, its apotheosis during the two World Wars, and its spread from its original home in Western Europe to cover the globe. In doing so, he provides a fascinating history of government from its origins to the present day. This original book will of interest to historians, political scientists and sociologists.
Why did Napoleon succeed in 1805 but fail in 1812? Could the
European half of World War II have been ended in 1944? These are
only two of the many questions that form the subject-matter of this
meticulously researched, lively book. Drawing on a very wide range
of unpublished sources, van Creveld examines the specifics of war:
namely, those formidable problems of movement and supply,
transportation and administration, so often mentioned - but rarely
explored - by the vast majority of books on military history. In
doing so he casts his net far and wide, from Gustavus Adolphus to
Rommel, from Marlborough to Patton, subjecting the operations of
each to a thorough analysis from a fresh and unusual point of view.
In this new edition with a new introduction, van Creveld revisits
his now-classic text, and comments in a new afterword on the role
of logistics in high-tech, modern warfare.
Where did wargames come from? Who participated in them, and why?
How is their development related to changes in real-life warfare?
Which aspects of war did they capture, which ones did they leave
out, how, and why? What do they tell us about the conduct of war in
the times and places where they were played? How useful are they in
training and preparation for war? Why are some so much more popular
than others, and how do men and women differ in their interest?
Starting with the combat of David versus Goliath, passing through
the gladiatorial games, tournaments, trials by battle, duels, and
board games such as chess, all the way to the latest simulations
and computer games, this unique book traces the subject in all its
splendid richness. As it does so, it provides new and occasionally
surprising insights into human nature.
The state, which since the middle of the seventeenth century has been the most important of all modern institutions, is in decline. From Western Europe to Africa, many existing states are either combining into larger communities or falling apart. Many of their functions are likely to be taken over by a variety of organizations that, whatever their precise nature, are not states. In this unique volume Martin van Creveld traces the story of the state from its beginnings to its end. Starting with the simplest political organizations that ever existed, he guides the reader through the origins of the state, its development, its apotheosis during the two World Wars, and its spread from its original home in Western Europe to cover the globe. In doing so, he provides a fascinating history of government from its origins to the present day. This original book will of interest to historians, political scientists and sociologists.
Broadly defined as the grey area between strategy and tactics,
operational art spans the theory and practice of planning and
conducting campaigns and major operations aimed at accomplishing
strategic and operational objectives in a given theatre of
operations. An intermediate link between strategy and tactics has
always existed, but a distinct concept that encompasses a
systematic and deliberate plan of campaign for major operations is
a mere two hundred years old. Based on country specific
case-studies, this book describes how the concepts that underpin
operational art originated, how they received practical expression
in various campaigns, and how they developed over time. The point
of departure is the campaigns of 'the God of War', Napoleon
Bonaparte. The book then proceeds with chapters on the evolution of
operational art in Prussia / Germany, the Soviet Union / Russia,
the United Kingdom, United States, Israel, and China. The final
chapter deals with the future of operational art in irregular
warfare. Theory is critical to refining and improving existing
methods of applying operational warfare, and its importance cannot
be overstated; however, to be useful, theory and its accompanying
vocabulary must be combined with a proper examination of historical
trends and practical experience. The present volume attempts to
achieve that combination. This book is a project of the Oxford
Leverhulme Programme on the Changing Character of War.
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