The Allure of Battle
A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost

This is a book that needs to be read. I have for many years (decades) felt that the whole concept of one great battle that will make a world historical impact is overblown. We hear of masterpieces such as Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz. Yet, less than a decade later, his empire was falling into ru......more

The book makes the important point that wars are not won by decisive battles or genius generals, but by attrition, resources and long defensive strategies. As a supporter of longue durée history by the Annales school, I cannot applaud this insight enough. Especially as I come from a country which ha......more

Decisive battles don't win wars? The author definitely has a way with words, in print and at presentation. He views war as hopeless and eternal, something to not get into casually. One needs to consider: truly decisive battles rarely happen. Usually, war is a test of endurance, lasting way, way, wa......more

Despite my rating, I think this is pretty much a "must read" as a good summary work. even if you don't agree with the author's premise, there is plenty of food for thought. There are several provisos, though. For one thing, there is no formal bibliography; all the reference works are covered in the......more

Extremely thorough, but lacking focus. The book's premise is to describe the ways in which wars are actually won, claiming that "decisive" battles seldom lead to victory. The real decisive factor, it says, is the attrition of men and materiel during long campaigns,a fact seldom envisioned by the men......more