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How to Win on the Battlefield
The 25 Key Tactics of All Time
Rob Johnson, Michael Whitby, John France
£10.99
An indispensable guide to the twenty-five key tactics that have achieved victory down the ages
Also available as an eBook from Online store, Online store
Overview
How can you off-balance your enemy? When is the best moment to deliver a counter-attack? What is the effect of shock action or defence in depth? Certain tactical concepts have stood the test of time. This ground-breaking book examines, in a series of case studies, 25 of the key tactics that have achieved victory through the ages. Drawing on examples of battles from around the globe, on land, at sea and in the air, and across history, the authors reveal the enduring value of each tactic in clear and compelling descriptions and analysis.
General Robert E. Lee, although heavily outnumbered achieved a remarkable victory through an audacious flanking manoeuvre at Chancellorsville in 1863; the same bold move had been used over 600 years before by the king of France at Bouvines. For the Parthian general Surenas at Carrhae in 53 BC and again for Kitchener at Omdurman in 1989, an overwhelming concentration of firepower ensured a decisive outcome, while drawing the enemy led to victory both for Saladin at Hattin in 1187 and for the Russians against Napoleon in 1812. The book examines how Allied armies seized and retained the initiative through the airborne landings in Normandy in 1944, and how Soviet General Zhukov pierced enemy lines and penetrated in depth using Blitzkriegtactics in Mongolia in 1939.
Evocative photographs, illustrations and paintings, and a series of specially commissioned battle plans complete this detailed study of the most successful tactics of all time. Written by leading experts, How to Win on the Battlefield will prove indispensable reading for historians, military enthusiasts and business leaders.
Reviews
'A riveting study of tactics ancient and modern'
Richard Holmes
'A useful and timely reminder of the theory of tactics that have evolved during the long history of warfare'
General Sir Michael Rose, former Adjutant General of the British Army and author of Washington’s War
'Original and innovative … both specialists and general readers will learn much from this treatment'
Michael Neiberg, author of Fighting the Great War: A Global History
Product Information
Book Details
Format: Paperback
Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm
Extent: 240 pp
Publication date: 2 July 2020
ISBN: 9780500295892
Contents List
Introduction • 1. The Attack at the Centre of Gravity • 2. Counter-Attack • 3. Surprise Attack and Ambush • 4. Envelopment and Double-Envelopment • 5. Flanking • 6. Dominating the Terrain and Using the Environment • 7. Echelon Attack • 8. Committing the Reserve • 9. Blitzkrieg • 10. Concentration of Firepower • 11. Shock Action • 12. Co-ordination of Fire and Movement • 13. Concentration and Culmination of Force • 14. Seizing and Retaining the Initiative • 15. Off-Balancing and Pinning • 16. Mass • 17. Defence in Depth • 18. Strategic Offence and Tactical Defence • 19. Drawing the Enemy • 20. Deception and Feints • 21. Terror and Psychological Warfare • 22. Attrition and Annihilation • 23. Intelligence and Reconnaissance • 24. Insurgency and Guerrilla Warfare • 25. Counter-Insurgency
About the Author
Rob Johnson is Deputy Director of the Changing Character of War Programme, Oxford University and Lecturer in the History of War. Michael Whitby is is pro-vice-chancellor and head of the College of Arts and Law at the University of Birmingham. John France is Professor Emeritus, University of Swansea and Director of the Callaghan Centre for the Study of Conflict.
