Military strategies are methods of arranging and maneuvering large bodies of. Moltke says that war cannot be conducted from the green table and underlines tactics over strategy throughout all his essays. Military strategy deals with the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and disposition of forces, and the deception of the enemy. Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. Praise for moltke on the art of war moltke molded the prussian and ultimately the german army at a time of technological and economic change. Nov 01, 2017 military theory is a way of distilling the raw materials of history into a concentrated, potent form that educates the strategist and commander. Strategy isnt something thats taught well in school. Illustrated with over 30 maps and diagrams of the war. On war has become one of the most respected classics on military strategy. The best books on military strategy five books expert. However bizzare it may seem, but this book, which is a compilation of his essays, maintains his view that in conduct of military operations, a strategy plays much. Moltkes contributions to prussogerman military theory can only be outlined in broad terms here. As a result, he considered the main task of military leaders to consist in the extensive preparation of all possible outcomes. The mediterranean basin saw the dawn of modern military strategy and tactics.
Moltke on the art of war download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. Freedmans first sentence, everyone needs a strategy, p. Bettmann archivegetty images the original schlieffen plan was later modified by. Moltke master of modern management the european financial. There are a myriad of books that you can read about warfare, battles and strategy.
Arden bucholz book, moltke, schlieffen and prussian war planning paperback edition, berg press, oxford 1993 leads us nicely on to how moltkes theories and planning were put into action, and explains the changes that occurred in prussian leadership when he took over as chief of the great general staff in 1857. Strategy governs the movements of the army for the planned battle. In this way, theory can serve as a starting point for strategy. Given the centuriesold military origins of strategy, it seems sensible to begin our examination of strategy with the military view. This is unfortunate, because strategy is something that is critically relevant to. In october 1823 moltke was sent to the general war college for a threeyear course, but. A history is a wonderful summary of the field by lawrence freedman, kings college london emeritus professor in the department of war studies and a former foreign policy advisor to tony blair. It is not uncommon for analogies to be drawn between business strategy and military strategy. Moltke is credited with creating the operational level of warfareor at least identifying it. Military history not visualized is a support channel to military history visualized with a focus personal accounts, answering questions that arose on the main channel and showcasing events like. Moltke shaped the way that the german army looked at war up until 1945. Moltke is widely considered to be one of the most important military thinkers between the fall of napoleon and the first world war. Moltkes contribution to the allied campaign of prussia and austria against denmark in 1864 was an important part of his own development, before the inevitable war between the successful allies in 1866.
Jan 19, 2016 among the most widely read strategists is b. Moltke was the incarnation of clausewitzian theory says hermann teske. The francogerman war of 187071 by helmuth moltke book. You need to get down the basics of how an army on the move operates and thinks. Although he wrote no single integrated work on warfare, his views became the foundation of prussian military thought, particularly in the areas of strategy and largeunit operations. Military strategy is a collective name for planning the conduct of warfare. This book is an interesting read to say the least, dr. Moltke s contribution to the allied campaign of prussia and austria against denmark in 1864 was an important part of his own development, before the inevitable war between the successful allies in 1866. The francoprussian war was also not a total war because while it was intensive in manpower while it lasted, its limited duration did not force a radical reorganization of both countries economies in order for it to be waged.
In eighteen months he had finished nine volumes out of twelve, but the publisher failed to produce the book and moltke never received more than 25 marks. Moltke on the art of war download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Moltke, schlieffen and prussian war planning by arden bucholz. Which are the best books to read on military tactics and. The chief of staff of the prussian army for thirty years, he is regarded as the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field. Mar 12, 2009 praise for moltke on the art of war moltke molded the prussian and ultimately the german army at a time of technological and economic change. Arden bucholz book, moltke, schlieffen and prussian war planning paperback edition, berg press, oxford 1993 leads us nicely on to how moltkes theories and planning were put into action, and explains the changes that occurred in prussian leadership when. While sound military theory is a good starting point. Moltke continued to be politically active, however, until his death in berlin on april 24, 1891. Popular military strategy books goodreads share book. Davies not only contains guevaras writings, but case studies on guerrilla war in nearly ten latin american countries along with an extensive bibliography. However bizzare it may seem, but this book, which is a compilation of his essays, maintains his view that in conduct of military operations, a strategy plays much less significant weight than any armchair general may have wished. Clausewitz enlisted in the prussian army in 1792, and in 179395 he took part and was commissioned in the campaigns of the first. Military strategies are methods of arranging and maneuvering large bodies of military forces during armed conflicts.
In october 1823 moltke was sent to the general war college for a threeyear. As the book shows, for that war moltke prepared his plans in the minutest detail. Operational thinking from moltke the elder to heusinger is indispensable reading for any student of the. Was germany doomed in world war i by the schlieffen plan. Bettmann archivegetty images the original schlieffen plan was later modified by other military leaders. Although born into a danish family and trained for the danish army, he transferred to. After his retirement in 1888, he took an increasingly critical view of kaiser william ii. The military strategy of the war is fascinating and i urge people to study and understand that for different reasons. It was under such leaders as philip ii 382336 bc and alexander the great 356323 bc of macedonia and hannibal 247183 bc of carthage that the first great strides were made in military science. Military theory is a way of distilling the raw materials of history into a concentrated, potent form that educates the strategist and commander. The edition of che guevaras guerrilla warfare edited by brian loveman and thomas m. Oct 26, 2018 military history not visualized is a support channel to military history visualized with a focus personal accounts, answering questions that arose on the main channel and showcasing events like.
List of military strategies and concepts wikipedia. He was both a practitioner and thinker in the fields of strategy, leadership, organisation and what we would today call management. The francoprussian war was a modern war although it was not the first of europes modern wars. That military strategy has become national strategy, involving complex assessments of technological resources, politics, and national priorities, was made clear in the vietnam war and afghanistan war where superior strategies and tactics allowed small nations to defeat great powers armed with the. The french revolution and the emergence of modern strategies. This article is a list of military strategies and concepts that are commonly recognized and referenced. Antulio echevarria ii of the us army war college talks us through key books, both old and new, on military strategy. It was under such leaders as philip ii 382336 bc and alexander the great 356323 bc of macedonia and hannibal 247183 bc of carthage that the. Hell, most people probably couldnt tell you the difference between strategy and tactics or even know there is a difference. It is the art of acting under pressure of the most difficult conditions.
Strategy also refers to the means by which policy is effected, accounting for clauswitz famous statement that war is the continuation of political relations via other means. Which are the best books to read on military tactics and war. Moltkes main thesis was that military strategy had to be understood as a system of options since only the beginning. While sound military theory is a good starting point for strategy, however, context and execution matter. List of books and articles about military strategy. Derived from the greek strategos, strategy was seen as the art of the general. Moltkes main thesis was that military strategy had to be understood as a system of options since it was only possible to plan the beginning of a military operation. The uses and abuses of clausewitz militaire spectator. He rejects the idea that systems could ever replace individual talent and considers local commanders and their qualities to be the most decisive factor in conduct of operations. Moltke writes in book to left strategy is a system of expedients.
His modification of the german attack plan in the west and his inability to retain control of his rapidly advancing armies significantly contributed to the halt of the german offensive on the marne in september 1914 and the frustration of german efforts for a rapid, decisive victory. His other publications include a dictionary of the napoleonic wars, 1979, waterloo the hundred days, 1980, an atlas of military strategy, 1980, and napoleons marshals, editor, 1987. Click download or read online button to get moltke on the art of war book now. Moltke s contributions to prussogerman military theory can only be outlined in broad terms here. Most courses analyzing military strategy or its broader cousin grand strategy devote at least a portion of their time to the central idea of liddell harts career as a strategist and historian. Moltkes main thesis was that military strategy had to be understood as a system of options since it was. International relationsmilitary strategy wikibooks, open.
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