Overview

The Crucible of Combat is a fascinating anthology of the author's previous lauded works on British military history, focusing on the mid-nineteenth century to World War II. Meticulously researched and compellingly written, these fourteen enthralling essays highlight little-known battles and campaigns; battlefield bravery; deception operations; the evolution of weaponry, tactics, and leadership; and the indispensable and frequently-neglected human dimension of soldiering. The incredible stories of miraculous escapes from besieged Delhi during the Indian Mutiny are detailed using first-hand accounts, and the varying perceptions of battles by participants of different ranks, are examined. Ingenuous examples of the intentional use of war correspondents, and the planting of false documents as a means of deception to mislead and convey ""misinformation"" to adversaries, are dissected and evaluated. Frequently overlooked military operations, such as the 1875-1876 Perak War and the 1898 Fashoda Expedition are chronicled in rich detail. The tactical employment of artillery at the 1898 Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan, and the decisive role of advanced weaponry, dispersed tactics, and rifle marksmanship at Elandslaagte in 1899 during the South African War, are insightfully assessed. Case studies also showcase innovative training, detailed planning, and dynamic leadership from both world wars. The riveting Crucible of Combat is an exceptionally outstanding and highly recommended book that makes a major contribution to British military history. It belongs on the bookshelf of every British military historian. AUTHOR: Dr. Harold E. Raugh, Jr., is a retired senior U.S. Army officer. After military retirement, he served from 2002 to 2023 as a senior Department of the Army civilian military historian in six increasingly responsible command historian positions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, culminating as Command Historian, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, 2017-2023. Dr. Raugh received his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has published 17 military history books and over 895 articles and book reviews. Dr. Raugh is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Royal Asiatic Society, and currently serves as Vice President of the International Commission of Military History. 20 b/w illustrations, 40 b/w photos, 15 colour illustrations, 5 colour photos, 20 b/w maps, 8 colour maps, 4 tables

Full Product Details

9781804518120

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Harold E. Raugh, Jr., currently serves as Chief Historian, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Department of Defense, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He previously served as the Command Historian, U.S. Army V Corps, in Germany, from 2006 to 2013, and as the Command Historian, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Presidio of Monterey, California, from 2002 to 2006. Dr. Raugh retired from the U.S. Army in 1998 as a lieutenant colonel after twenty years' service as an infantry officer. He served on active duty in the United States; West Berlin; South Korea; the Persian Gulf; with the United Nations in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan; in Saudi Arabia; and as a NATO detachment commander in the former Yugoslavia. He also served as an Assistant Professor of History at the United States Military Academy, West Point, as well as at the Pentagon and at the National Security Agency. Dr. Raugh, who received his Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), served as an Adjunct Professor of Military History and National Security Studies, American Military University, Manassas Park, Virginia, from 2000 to 2004. Dr. Raugh is the author or editor of fourteen military history books (and some 800 published articles and book reviews), including the highly-acclaimed Wavell in the Middle East, 1939–1941: A Study in Generalship (London: Brassey’s, 1993; reprint, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2013); The Victorians at War, 1815–1914: An Encyclopedia of British Military History (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2004); and two authoritative Victorian military bibliographies: British Military Operations in Egypt and the Sudan (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2008) and Anglo-Zulu War, 1879 (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2011). An internationally-recognized expert on British military history and leadership, Dr. Raugh was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in the United Kingdom in 2001, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society in 2010, and a member of the British Commission for Military History.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available