Synopses & Reviews
Second edition of this classic work, commenting on the role of logistics in warfare.
Synopsis
An examination of the `nuts and bolts' of war, the vast problems of movement and supply, transportation and administration, from the seventeenth century to the Second World War, offering, in effect, a reinterpretation of modern military history.
Synopsis
Drawing on a very wide range of unpublished and previously unexploited sources, Martin van Creveld examines the nuts and bolts of war. He considers the formidable problems of movement and supply, transportation and administration, often mentioned (but rarely explored) by the vast majority of books on military history. By concentrating on logistics rather than on the more traditional tactics and strategy, van Creveld is also able to offer an original reinterpretation of military history. First Edition Hb (1977): 0-521-21730-X FIrst Edition Pb (1979): 0-521-29793-1
Synopsis
An examination of the `nuts and bolts' of war, the vast problems of movement and supply, transportation and administration, from the seventeenth century to the Second World War, offering, in effect, a reinterpretation of modern military history.
Synopsis
Drawing on a range of unpublished sources, Martin van Creveld examines the specifics of war: namely, those formidable problems of movement and supply, transportation and administration mentioned by the vast majority of military history books. By concentrating on logistics rather than on more traditional tactics and strategy, van Creveld is able to offer a reinterpretation of the whole field of military history. In this new edition with a new introduction, van Creveld revisits his now-classic text, and comments in his afterword on the role of logistics in high-tech, modern warfare.
About the Author
Martin van Creveld is a Professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University, Jersualem. His previous books include The Rise and Decline of the State (Cambridge, 1999), The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force (2002), Air Power and Manoeuvre Warfare (2002), and Transformation of War (1991).
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. The background of two centuries; 2. 'An army marches on its stomach!'; 3. When demigods rode rails; 4. The wheel that broke; 5. Russian roulette; 6. Sirte to Alamein; 7. War of the accountants; 8. Logistics in perspective.