Imponderable but Not Inevitable: Warfare in the 20th Century

by Malcolm H. Murfett

Overview

This book fills an important gap in the literature of modern warfare by focusing on random elements in warfare often overlooked in both the planning and execution of military operations—factors that can turban certain success into devastating failure.

By definition, the unforeseeable cannot be seen, but one way to bring more variables under consideration when planning a military action is to review those instances where the unforeseeable changed everything. For professionals and enthusiasts alike, Imponderable But Not Inevitable: Warfare in the 20th Century does just that, reviewing specific instances in 20th-century warfare when things did not go according to plan.

Imponderable but Not Inevitable uses case studies to expose the "Inevitability Syndrome," exploring the role of luck, fate, and randomness in influencing both victory and defeat. In essays drawn from World War II, Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, a distinguished set of military experts looks at real scenarios of inexplicable losses, illustrating why nothing—nothing—should be taken for granted in war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313378829
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/12/2009
Series:	Praeger Security International
Pages:	203
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Malcolm H. Murfett, PhD, is associate professor of history at the National University of Singapore.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Abbreviations xvii

1 Casting Doubt on the Inevitability Syndrome Malcolm H. Murfett 1

2 The Unknown and the Unknowable: The Loss of HMAS Sydney Peter J. Dennis 23

3 The Madness of General George Daniel K. R. Crosswell 41

4 What Do They Want, and How Can We Respond? Commonwealth Intelligence and Confrontation with Indonesia, 1963 Brian P. Farrell 73

5 Air Power Finds Its Ascendancy, at Last Christopher Clark 107

6 Three of a Kind? Fisher, Rickover, and Gorshkov and the Management of Naval Change Geoffrey Till 121

7 Measuring Defeat: Imponderables of the American Experience in Vietnam Ronald Spector 141

8 What's Luck Got to Do with It? Random Elements That Affected the Naval Campaigns of 1939-1945 Malcolm H. Murfett 155

Selected Bibliography 175

Index 187

About the Editor and Contributors 201

Editorial Reviews

Presented by Murfett (history, National U. of Singapore), eight chapters explore the role of the unexpected and the unknown in 20th century warfare, which frequently upends the inevitable results expected by military leaders of their careful planning. The case studies examine the World War II naval battle between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German armed raider Schiff 41 Kormoran, the leadership style of American General Geoge S. Patton Jr., British intelligence about the intentions of the Indonesian leadership during their confrontation in 1963, the role of air power in the post-World War II era, and the problems the United States faced in attempting to measure the effects of their efforts in Vietnam.” —Reference & Research Book News

From the Publisher