The Allure of Battle: A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost

by Cathal Nolan

Overview

History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive." Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt-all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought. Nor has the "genius" of the so-called Great Captains - from Alexander the Great to Frederick the Great and Napoleon - play a major role. Wars are decided in other ways. Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking," the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defences. Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars," beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but matériel. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it help corrects a distorted view of battle's role in war, replacing popular images of the "battles of annihilation" with somber appreciation of the commitments and human sacrifices made throughout centuries of war particularly among the Great Powers. Accessible, provocative, exhaustive, and illuminating, The Allure of Battle will spark fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199910991
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/02/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Cathal J. Nolan is Associate Professor of History and Executive Director of the International History Institute at Boston University. In addition to editing six books on international history, Nolan is the author of Principled Diplomacy: Security and Rights in U.S. Foreign Policy and Wars of the Age of Louis XIV. He is also the sole author of several multi-volume encyclopedias on military and international history.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments List of Maps and Illustrations Introduction Chapter I: Battle in History Chapter II: Battle Retarded Chapter III: Battle Remembered Chapter IV: Battle Reformed Chapter V: Battle with Reason Chapter VI: Battle Restored Chapter VII: Battle Decisive Chapter VIII: Battle Defeated Chapter IX: Battle Exalted Chapter X: Battle of Annihilation Chapter XI: Annihilation of Battle Chapter XII: Annihilation of Strategy Chapter XIII: Annihilation of Nations Chapter XIV: Annihilation of Mercy Chapter XV: Annihilation at Sea Chapter XVI: Annihilation of Illusions Conclusions Glossary

Editorial Reviews

"This is one of the most valuable military histories in years. A must-read for students of military history." - Kirkus Reviews (Starred review)

"In a sweeping narrative that ranges from the Middle Ages through World War II, Cathal Nolan dismantles an illusion that has persistently distorted our understanding of armed conflict - that of the decisive battle engineered by the genius general. But the importance of this brilliantly provocative book is not merely historical. Its conclusions apply directly to war and military policy in the present day." - Andrew J. Bacevich, author of America's War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History

"Why do so many generals overpromise and under-deliver, from Breitenfeld to Basra? We buy the hype because we want quick results at low cost. Yet the blood-sodden reality is almost always quite different. In seeking the Allure of Battle, Cathal Nolan draws on the broad sweep on Western military history. He explains what went wrong, and why, with wit, insight, and a knowing eye for the heroes and cads who made it so. Battles rarely deliver convincing results. But Cathal Nolan sure does." - Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army, Retired, author of Why We Lost: A General's Inside Account of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

"A lyrical, sweeping, and fast-paced return to grand military history with the important proviso that the allure of battle has constantly misled generals, politicians and historians to mistake rousing tactical victories for long-term and enduring strategic gains. In exacting detail, Cathal Nolan pushes myopia aside and the result is a trenchant reappraisal of decisive battles in Western warfare." - Michael L. Gross, The School of Political Science, University of Haifa, the author of Moral Dilemmas of Modern War and The Ethics of Insurgency

"One of the most stimulating and controversial books on military history in a long time. Challenging, well written, well-sourced ... there is a great deal of food for thought for military historians and professionals in this volume." New York Journal of Books

"The Allure of Battle is highly recommended to serious students of war, especially senior officers who must balance the planning of wars with the material resources needed to execute them." - Dr. Frank Hoffman, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies

"Nolan does not merely write from the point of view of the commander. He recreates the atmosphere of battle, the valor and misery of common soldiers and bystanders caught in the tempest of war. His masterful writing and attention to detail, combined with a rare ability to write succinctly and never lose the larger picture, will fascinate historians and general readers alike." - Danny Orbach, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"This is a book that military planners and general/flag officers should read, and it should be required reading for anyone assigned to the National Security Council. Most military professionals like to think of themselves as maneuver warriors; this book shows the dark side of maneuver warfare." - Gary Anderson, Elliott School of International Affairs

"The Allure of Battle provides new and fresh insights into war studies and offers several new and fresh perspectives to look at military history...This is a very well-researched book. Nolan's credentials on the subject are unmatched. It will change the way you have looked at military history up until now. It is a must-read for both students and experts of military history" —The Washington Book Review

"The Allure of Battle is written with impressive energy and verve." —Daily Beast

"Nolan's meticulous contribution remains unmatched as it provides an in-depth survey picking up the right threads and nuances of history and relating it to contemporary events." —Academic Council on the United Nations System

From the Publisher

In the unusual The Allure of Battle: A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost, Cathal J. Nolan seeks to demolish how historians view war—and succeeds surprisingly well. The traditional Western view of conflict is that the way to win a war is to seek battle and prevail. This is the approach embodied by Napoleon, made doctrine by Clausewitz and captured on film in Patton. And it is entirely wrong, Nolan…says, as he conducts the literary equivalent of scorched earth warfare…I cannot remember reading anything in the last few years that has made me reconsider so many basic questions—What wins wars? What is the most illuminating way to relate military history? Most important, is our own military too focused on battles and insufficiently attentive to what is required to win wars?…Ultimately, Nolan is persuasive that too much attention has been paid to battles.

The New York Times Book Review - Thomas E. Ricks

★ 2016-12-26
Why wars are won not in a single decisive battle but over the long haul.At the outset of this sweeping history of Western warfare, Nolan (History/Boston Univ.; Wars of the Age of Louis XIV, 1650-1715, 2008, etc.) notes that the outcomes of great battles by no means guarantee victory in the war as a whole. Hannibal's win over the Roman legion at Cannae—a battle that became a model for generations of subsequent commanders—did little to avert Rome's final conquest and destruction of Carthage. Significantly, Rome won the war by a policy of attrition, a strategy that Nolan finds has been far more effective over the millennia than the more glamorous set piece battles that historians so admire. The idea of a quick knockout has a special appeal to states looking to take on a stronger adversary, and there are enough historical examples of the strategy succeeding to raise the hopes of those tempted to try it. Beginning with the Thirty Years' War, readers get full-scale analyses of the great commanders' careers, with due attention to the geopolitical context of their wars. Particularly after the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon, war began to involve significant parts of the populations of the nations involved. Napoleon, who became the model to whom generals looked for inspiration for at least a century, also illustrates Nolan's central theme: whatever his genius for battle, Napoleon was finally ground down by a coalition of major powers that refused to fold after a defeat. The theme takes on new meaning with the two great 20th-century wars, in which initial successes were not enough to ensure victory to the aggressors. Nolan also looks to more recent asymmetric wars, where small nations wear out great power aggressors by a strategy of attrition. His focus on Europe may disappoint readers who would like more on American wars, and there is some repetition. Nonetheless, this is one of the most valuable military histories in years. A must-read for students of military history.

Kirkus Reviews