Command in War Reprint Edition

by Martin Van Creveld (Author)

13 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0674144415

ISBN-10: 0674144414

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Many books have been written about strategy, tactics, and great commanders. This is the first book to deal exclusively with the nature of command itself, and to trace its development over two thousand years from ancient Greece to Vietnam. It treats historically the whole variety of problems involved in commanding armies, including staff organization and administration, communications methods and technologies, weaponry, and logistics. And it analyzes the relationship between these problems and military strategy.

In vivid descriptions of key battles and campaigns―among others, Napoleon at Jena, Moltke’s Königgrätz campaign, the Arab–Israeli war of 1973, and the Americans in Vietnam―Martin van Creveld focuses on the means of command and shows how those means worked in practice. He finds that technological advances such as the railroad, breech-loading rifles, the telegraph and later the radio, tanks, and helicopters all brought commanders not only new tactical possibilities but also new limitations.

Although vast changes have occurred in military thinking and technology, the one constant has been an endless search for certainty―certainty about the state and intentions of the enemy’s forces; certainty about the manifold factors that together constitute the environment in which war is fought, from the weather and terrain to radioactivity and the presence of chemical warfare agents; and certainty about the state, intentions, and activities of one’s own forces. The book concludes that progress in command has usually been achieved less by employing more advanced technologies than by finding ways to transcend the limitations of existing ones.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“One cannot but admire the author’s excellent discussion of how modern technology has complicated command and the processes of command; of the interaction of this complication with the political complexities of Vietnam; and of the uses and limitations of systems analysis in general, and in Vietnam in particular.”―Trevor Dupuy, Washington Times

“One of the finest and most perceptive military historians writing in English today… Van Creveld has marshaled more than enough historical evidence―and with great depth and richness―to support his conclusions.”―Robert L. Goldich, Armed Forces and Society

“[Van Creveld] provides us with a vivid historical narrative of the significant steps in the evolution of command systems from the Greek period to the Vietnam war: the birth of the nation-state regular army, the rise of the science of military strategy, the advent of new communication technologies, the development of means for mobilization, and the emergence of computer and space technologies.”―Ethics

“I can think of few books on military subjects of greater originality and importance than Martin van Creveld’s scholarly and fascinating dissertation on command in war… The subject is examined in depth, supported by a wide historical base, with a perceptive, unprejudiced eye, and the result expressed in clear prose of high literary merit.”―Michael Carver, Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies Journal

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press; Reprint edition (January 1, 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674144414
ISBN-13: 978-0674144415
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Customer Reviews: 13 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5261 in Political Science (Books)
- #251 in Military Sciences
- #1286 in Military History (Books)

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Customer reviews

13 customer reviews

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Kevin

A good read so far

July 17, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I'm only approximately 100 pages into this book, and it already is worth it's weight in knowledge of the evolution of staffs supporting commanders. The examples of Napoleon's use of evolving staff structures is enlightening when compared tot he span of control he exercised. A good read so far. Former Marine Corps officers will recognize this book as required reading.

2 people found this helpful

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david ryan

Five Stars

December 8, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Excellent book highly recommended

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David Emery

Best book (I've read) on Command and Control

April 19, 2005

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Much has happened (e.g. Boyd's OODA methodology, etc) since this book was written, but I still think it's the best single book I'ved read on Command and Control. Much of what van Creveld talks about historically is supported by Boyd's OODA theory and similar models of decision-making.

Highly recommended, and one of those books I've bought and given to others...

dave

3 people found this helpful

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J. Brown

Interesting Read

July 17, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is on the US Marine Corps Commandant's reading list for officers, I was a Cpl when I ordered this book. I think it should be read by all Corporals that are Infantry. It covers the change in battle command from so many years ago BC to modern day. Very good book.

2 people found this helpful

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Courtney Buzzard

Poor shape

June 15, 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Book was in poor shape

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Nathan Albright

Wonderful and Lucid Book on Command

August 7, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is the first book by Martin Van Crevold I have read, but it is a fine one. In this wonderful tome, Van Crevold analyzes the problem of military command in detail, looking at the evolution of Command systems, paying close attention to Napoleon, Van Moltke, Israel during 1967 and 1973, and the United States in Vietnam. A must buy for any military history buff.

7 people found this helpful

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M. G. R. Maran

Command in War

February 25, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Martin Van Creveld had chosen to use military history as the backbone to his thesis on Command and Conrol. The book not only deals with contemporary issues related to command, but traces the evolution of command and control alongside the development of warfare. This excellent analysis of specific battles is a good read for all who need to understand the fundamentals of command and control through storytelling.

2 people found this helpful

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Tom

Three Stars

November 26, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Good read

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Command in War Reprint Edition