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The Allure of Battle: How Wars are Won and Lost
The Allure of Battle How Wars are Won and Lost Author:Cathal Nolan As Cathal J. Nolan notes in this provocative book, we have tended to think of war's winners and losers in terms of major engagements. Gettysburg, Trafalgar, Agincourt, Dien Bien Phu - these all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as decisive. But while it might seem obvious, what actually signifies a "decisive" battle has n... more »ever been definitively agreed upon, and tends to evolve over time. Nolan argues that while battles may seem to define success or failure in warfare, the outcomes of wars themselves are determined by other factors. The Allure of Battle systematically examines a series of great battles, each traditionally perceived as the "turning point" of the war in which they occurred and shows how these battles actually fit into the histories of those wars and military history more generally. In each case, as Nolan reveals, even large and important battles have only contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defenses. In massive conflicts, a shared characteristic emerges: prolonged stalemate created from an uneven military balance, broken only over time and by a series of smaller engagements.
Nolan does not propose to have discovered linear or universal laws about modern military history, nor does he attempt at a "theory of war." His aim, rather, is to examine battles within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place, and to help correct a distorted view of battle's place in war-replacing popular images of the "decisive battle" with somber appreciation of the commitments and human sacrifices made throughout centuries of war. Accessible, provocative, and entertaining, The Allure of Battle sparks fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare.« less