★★ TORPEDO BOMBERS TACTICS If we were forced to fight a World War II carrier battle again, what key concepts, tactics, techniques, procedures, and technologies would give us a marked advantage over the adversary? As already stated in the introduction, seeking an answer to such questions goes beyond historical curiosity. Because all forms of warfare... Continua a leggere →
The Fortress of Broken Dreams: Strategic Lessons of Dien Bien Phu
★★★ 17 minutes Introduction The word “catastrophe” has an interesting history. When it was first introduced into the English language, it carried the meaning of sudden dramatic change; something like a plot twist. Over the centuries, it developed a darker significance as “a sudden disaster, widespread and very fatal.”[1] For six months in 1953-54, the... Continua a leggere →
From Chivalry To Cavalry: The Development Of French Cavalry During The Early Modern Period
★★★ 18 minutes The early modern era saw distinct changes to the composition of armies, tactics, and the art of warfare itself. The return to the “classics” so advocated by the Renaissance period gave rise to the implementation of mass infantry formations, composed of pike and shot, subsequently changing the role of the medieval knight... Continua a leggere →
The Israeli Experience: The Apogee of Blitzkrieg
★★★ 33 minutes "Commanders seize the initiative by acting . Without action, seizing the initiative is impossible. Faced with an uncertain situation, there is a natural tendency to hesitate and gather more information to reduce uncertainty. Waiting and gathering information might reduce uncertainty, but does not eliminate it. Waiting may even increase uncertainty while providing... Continua a leggere →
La potenza di fuoco come rivoluzione della “battle effectiveness” settecentesca
13 minuti In un articolo precedente [1] ho trattato – sommariamente e senza la pretesa di essere esaustivo – quella rottura di faglia che furono le Small Wars ed il loro impatto sugli esercizi e sulle loro dottrine di impiego. Circa un secolo prima di questa lenta e diluita “rivoluzione”, dai risvolti non subito evidenti,... Continua a leggere →
Replacing Battleships with Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific in World War II (II)
★★★★ 29 minutes Lundstrom quotes Captain Duckworth as saying that the essential tactical lessons for using multiple carriers had been demonstrated in 1942 and that “all we did was apply them in the summer & fall of 1943.” [55] But two other oftenunmentioned developments were essential if multicarrier U.S. task forces were to raid far... Continua a leggere →
Replacing Battleships with Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific in World War II (I)
★★★★ This is a case study of operational and tactical innovation in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Its purpose is to erase a myth—the myth that Navy tactical and operational doctrine existing at the time of Pearl Harbor facilitated a straightforward substitution of carriers for the battleship force that had been severely damaged... Continua a leggere →
Goth tactics of the 4th century, as exemplified by the Battle of Salices (377)
24 minuti Le fonti tardoantiche e bizantine antiche caratterizzano le tattiche gotiche con vari gradi di completezza, a partire dalla metà del III secolo e terminando con la metà del VI. Il modo di agire dei Goti in battaglia nel IV secolo è presentato, in sostanza, da una fonte principale: il resoconto del militare Ammiano... Continua a leggere →
