Description
Surrounded by potential adversaries, nineteenth-century Prussia and twentieth-century Germany faced the formidable prospect of multifront wars and wars of attrition. To counteract these threats, generations of general staff officers were educated in operational thinking, the main tenets of which were extremely influential on military planning across the globe and were adopted by American and Soviet armies. In the twentieth century, Germany's art of warfare dominated military theory and practice, creating a myth of German operational brilliance that lingers today, despite the nation's crushing defeats in two world wars.
In this seminal study, Gerhard P. Gross provides a comprehensive examination of the development and failure of German operational thinking over a period of more than a century. He analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of five different armies, from the mid--nineteenth century through the early days of NATO. He also offers fresh interpretations of towering figures of German military history, including Moltke the Elder, Alfred von Schlieffen, and Erich Ludendorff. Essential reading for military historians and strategists, this innovative work dismantles cherished myths and offers new insights into Germany's failed attempts to become a global power through military means.
About the Author
Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, editor of Vietnam magazine and author of several military history books, served as an infantry rifleman in Vietnam. After earning his commission, he was an operations officer, intelligence officer, and a chief of staff. In 2003 he was the senior security adviser on the U.S. co-ordinating and Monitoring Mission in Israel. He lives in Germany. Robert M. Citino is professor of history at the University of North Texas. His many books include Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm, Death of the Wehrmacht, and The German Way of War.
Reviews
Anyone working in the military history of the 19th and 20th centuries will need to read this book. And any one, academic or general reader, with more than a casual interest in the study of war will find it informative and accessible."" - Dennis Showalter, author of The Wars of German Unification
Book Information
ISBN 9780813168371
Author Gerhard P. Gross
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint The University Press of Kentucky
Publisher The University Press of Kentucky
In this seminal study, Gerhard P. Gross provides a comprehensive examination of the development and failure of German operational thinking over a period of more than a century. He analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of five different armies, from the mid--nineteenth century through the early days of NATO. He also offers fresh interpretations of towering figures of German military history, including Moltke the Elder, Alfred von Schlieffen, and Erich Ludendorff. Essential reading for military historians and strategists, this innovative work dismantles cherished myths and offers new insights into Germany's failed attempts to become a global power through military means.
About the Author
Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki, editor of Vietnam magazine and author of several military history books, served as an infantry rifleman in Vietnam. After earning his commission, he was an operations officer, intelligence officer, and a chief of staff. In 2003 he was the senior security adviser on the U.S. co-ordinating and Monitoring Mission in Israel. He lives in Germany. Robert M. Citino is professor of history at the University of North Texas. His many books include Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm, Death of the Wehrmacht, and The German Way of War.
Reviews
Anyone working in the military history of the 19th and 20th centuries will need to read this book. And any one, academic or general reader, with more than a casual interest in the study of war will find it informative and accessible."" - Dennis Showalter, author of The Wars of German Unification
Book Information
ISBN 9780813168371
Author Gerhard P. Gross
Format Hardback
Page Count 464
Imprint The University Press of Kentucky
Publisher The University Press of Kentucky
