Intelligence In War HB(战争的智慧)

‘War is not an intellectual activity but a brutally physical one. War always tends towards attrition, which is a competition in inflicting and bearing bloodshed, and the nearer attrition approaches to the extreme the less thought counts. Nevertheless, few who make war at any level, from commander to the soldier in the line of battle, seek to win by attrition. All hope for success at lesser cost. Thought offers a means of reducing the price.’

‘No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence,’ wrote Marlborough, and from the earliest times commanders have sought knowledge of the enemy, his strengths and weaknesses, his dispositions and intentions. But how much effect, in the ‘real time’ of a battle or a campaign, can this knowledge have?

In this commanding new study, which will fascinate readers of both military and more general history, the author of A History of Warfare goes to the heart of a series of important conflicts to develop a powerful argument about intelligence in war. From the Napoleonic Wars to the sophisticated electronic warfare of the twenty-first century, John Keegan finds linking themes, which lead to a compelling conclusion. His narrative sweep is enthralling, whether portraying the dilemmas of Nelson seeking Napoleon’s fleet, Stonewall Jackson in the American Civil War, Bletchley as it seeks to crack Ultra during the Battle of the Atlantic, or the polymorphous intelligence issues of the contemporary fight against terrorism.

Book Description
‘War is not an intellectual activity but a brutally physical one. War always tends towards attrition, which is a competition in inflicting and bearing bloodshed, and the nearer attrition approaches to the extreme the less thought counts. Nevertheless, few who make war at any level, from commander to the soldier in the line of battle, seek to win by attrition. All hope for success at lesser cost. Thought offers a means of reducing the price.’

‘No war can be conducted successfully without early and good intelligence,’ wrote Marlborough, and from the earliest times commanders have sought knowledge of the enemy, his strengths and weaknesses, his dispositions and intentions. But how much effect, in the ‘real time’ of a battle or a campaign, can this knowledge have?

In this commanding new study, which will fascinate readers of both military and more general history, the author of A History of Warfare goes to the heart of a series of important conflicts to develop a powerful argument about intelligence in war. From the Napoleonic Wars to the sophisticated electronic warfare of the twenty-first century, John Keegan finds linking themes, which lead to a compelling conclusion. His narrative sweep is enthralling, whether portraying the dilemmas of Nelson seeking Napoleon’s fleet, Stonewall Jackson in the American Civil War, Bletchley as it seeks to crack Ultra during the Battle of the Atlantic, or the polymorphous intelligence issues of the contemporary fight against terrorism.

Book Dimension
length: (cm)23.6 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)15.6

John Keegan, who was knighted in the Millennium Honours List, is the Defence Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Britain's foremost military historian. The Reith Lecturer in 1998, he is the author of many bestselling books including The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, The Second World War, A History of Warfare (awarded the Duff Cooper Prize) and The First World War.