Piercing the Fog of War: The Theory and Practice of Command in the British and German Armies, 1918-1940

Author:   Martin Samuels
Publisher:   Helion & Company
Edition:   Reprint ed.
ISBN:  

9781804514788


Pages:   332
Publication Date:   01 February 2024
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $75.00 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Piercing the Fog of War: The Theory and Practice of Command in the British and German Armies, 1918-1940


Add your own review!

Overview

Since the late 1970s, anglophone and German military literature has been fascinated by the Wehrmacht's command system, especially the practice of Auftragstaktik. There have been many descriptions of the doctrine, and examinations of its historical origins, as well as unflattering comparisons with the approaches of the British and American armies prior to their adoption of Mission Command in the late 1980s. Almost none of these, however, have sought to understand the different approaches to command in the context of a fundamental characteristic of warfare - friction. This would be like trying to understand flight, without any reference to aerodynamics. Inherently flawed, yet this is the norm in the military literature. This book seeks to address that gap. First, the nature of friction, and the potential command responses to it, are considered. This allows the development of a typology of eight command approaches, each approach then being tested to identify its relative effectiveness and requirements for success. Second, the British and German armies' doctrines of command during the period are examined, in order to reveal similarities and differences in relation to their perspective on the nature of warfare and the most appropriate responses. The experience of Erwin Rommel, both as a young subaltern fighting the Italians in 1917, and then as a newly-appointed divisional commander against the French in 1940, is used to test the expression of the German doctrine in practice. Third, the interaction of these different command doctrines is explored in case studies of two key armored battles, Amiens in August 1918 and Arras in May 1940, allowing the strengths and weaknesses of each to be highlighted and the typology to be tested. The result is intended to offer a new and deeper understanding of both the nature of command as a response to friction, and the factors that need to be in place in order to allow a given command approach to achieve success. The book therefore in two ways represents a sequel to my earlier work, Command or Control? Command, Training and Tactics in the British and German Armies, 1888-1918 (London: Cass, 1995), in that it both takes the conceptual model of command developed there to a deeper level, and also takes the story from the climax of 1918 up to the end of the first phase of the Second World War. AUTHOR: Martin Samuels gained his PhD in Military Studies at the University of Manchester. He entered the UK public service and has subsequently filled roles at national, regional and local level in a variety of organisations in the civil service, National Health Service, and local government. He is currently an executive director for an urban unitary council. Having returned to the field of military studies in 2010, he has been surprised to find that his analysis of military command approaches has had an impact on his own practice as a senior leader. 4 b/w maps, 4 b/w diags, 14 tables

Full Product Details

Author:   Martin Samuels
Publisher:   Helion & Company
Imprint:   Helion & Company
Edition:   Reprint ed.
ISBN:  

9781804514788


ISBN 10:   1804514780
Pages:   332
Publication Date:   01 February 2024
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""This is an interesting read on a topic which is seldom tackled....it is worth a look.''-- ""Miniature Wargames"""


Author Information

Martin Samuels gained his PhD in Military Studies at the University of Manchester. He entered the UK public service and has subsequently filled roles at national, regional and local level in a variety of organisations in the civil service, National Health Service, and local government. He is currently an executive director for an urban unitary council. Having returned to the field of military studies in 2010, he has been surprised to find that his analysis of military command approaches has had an impact on his own practice as a senior leader.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

lgn

al

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List