Since the earliest days of warfare; military operations have followed a predictable formula: after a decisive battle; an army must pursue the enemy and destroy its organization in order to achieve a victorious campaign. But by the mid-nineteenth century; the emergence of massive armies and advanced weaponry—and the concomitant decline in the effectiveness of cavalry—had diminished the practicality of pursuit; producing campaigns that bogged down short of decisive victory. Great battles had become curiously indecisive; decisive campaigns virtually impossible. At the beginning of the twentieth century; the inability to achieve decisive victories in warfare had become the single greatest military problem facing modern armies.Robert Citino now tells how European military leaders analyzed and eventually overcame this problem by restoring pursuit to its rightful place in combat and resurrecting the possibility of decisive warfare on the operational level.Quest for Decisive Victory chronicles the evolution of European warfare during the first half of the twentieth century. A study of war at the operational level; it demonstrates the interplay and tension between technology and doctrine in warfare and reveals how problems surrounding mobility—including such factors as supply lines; command and control; and prewar campaign planning—forced armies to find new ways of fighting.Citino focuses on key campaigns of both major and minor conflicts. Minor wars before 1914 (Boer; Russo-Japanese; and the Balkan Wars of 1912-13) featured instructive examples of operational maneuver; the First World War witnessed the collapse of operations and the rise of attrition warfare; the Italo-Ethiopian and Spanish Civil Wars held some promise for breaking out of stalemate by incorporating such innovations as air and tank warfare. Ultimately; it was Germany's opening blitzkrieg of World War II that resurrected the decisive campaign as an operational possibility. By grafting new technologies—tanks; aircraft; and radio—onto a long tradition of maneuver warfare; the Wehrmacht won decisive victories in the first year of the war and in the process transformed modern military doctrine.Citino's study is important for shifting the focus from military theory and doctrine to detailed operational analyses of actual campaigns that formed the basis for the revival of military doctrine. Quest for Decisive Victory gives scholars of military history a better grasp of that elusive concept and a more complete understanding of modern warfare.
#1870970 in Books University Press of Kansas 2001-10-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.28 x 1.05 x 6.33l; 1.24 #File Name: 0700611274264 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good CW Bio'sBy William HopkeInteresting short chapter bios of Grants Lieutenants. Vol I of II volumes. Definitely worth the time to read as it will give you a better feel for these generals when reading other CW histories.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. a great companion peace to lee's lieutenantsBy Barnes D. Kellerterrific for civil war buffs--so much ineptitude--a war fought without thought given to new technilogical advances--has much changed--hopefully we will never find out4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A Biography In The Round - Part 1By James D. MillerPointillist paintings; when viewed close up; reveal themselves to be made up of thousands of tiny dots of color. Stepping back from the painting; the viewer's eye blends the spots of and the larger picture is revealed.Editor Steven E. Woodworth has taken the same approach to biography; resulting in a two volume study entitled "Grant's Lieutenants;" in which he has collected a series of essays by prominent historians. Each essay focuses on the relationships Ulysses S. Grant formed with his subordinates. Separately; each essay appears to be a mini-biography of the chosen lieutenant. But in a larger sense; when read as a whole; it is a retrospective portrait of Grant; the first Lieutenant General in the American army since George Washington.The first volume; subtitled "From Cairo to Vicksburg;" covers the first half of the Civil War from 1861 to 1863; and highlights Grant's relationships with William T. Sherman; William H. L. Wallace; Charles F. Smith; Lew Wallace; William S. Rosecrans; John A McClernand; James B. McPherson; Grenville M. Dodge; Peter Osterhouse and admirals Andrew H. Foote and David D. Porter. Historians who have essays in the book are; respectively; John F. Marszaleck; Steven E. Woodworth; Benjamin F. Cooling (with two essays; the first on Charles F. Smith; and the second on Andrew H. Foote); Stacy D. Allen; Lesley J. Gordon; Terrence J. Winschel; Tamara S. Smith; William B. Feis; Earl J. Hess and R. Blake Dunnavent.The essays; read in chronological order; cover the battles of Belmont; Fort Henry; Fort Donelson; Shiloh; the siege and battle of Corinth; and the Vicksburg Campaign. With the inclusion of admirals Foote and Porter; Grant's embracement of joint use of the navy in conjunction with his army; is also covered. Taken together; the essays demonstrate how Grant developed his leadership style over time grew into a competent and confident General.
