Liddell hart in the 20th century press archives of the zbw. Despite being slanted to support the authors preconceptions, this is a colorful and valuable look at military history. Liddell harts jaunt through time is intended to support one basic thesis. Liddell hart, including the strategy of indirect approach, and a greater than napoleon. He arrived at a set of principles that he considered the basis of all good strategy. Winston churchhills 5volume account, written in the late 1940s, is the ww2 bible. Liddell hart was considered one of the worlds foremost military thinkersa man generally regarded as the clausewitz of the 20th century.
Providing searing insights and drawing on an unparalleled knowledge of tactics and strategy, it is the culmination of a lifetimes analysis and study. I recommend all of harts books, from strategy to why dont we learn from history to his excellent biographies of strategic geniuses like william t. Liddell harts distain for the application of clausewitzian strategy in the first half of the twentieth century is easy to see. Pdf on jan 1, 2015, hasan deniz peksen and others published 11th. History of the first world war by hart, bh lidell and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. His history, written in the late 1960s, adds accuracy to the earlier accounts because of the release of formerly unavailable german, english, and american information. Liddell hart was considered one of the worlds foremost military thinkersa man. The indirect approach clearly owes its origins to sun tzu and is essentially a theory of maneuver, which makes strategy valuable reading for maneuver warfare theorist and professional warrior. His final judgment is that hitler was original, daring, and that the general staff remained competent but conservative.
Liddell hart is often considered one of the foremost mid20th century scholars on military history. Liddell hart has 72 books on goodreads with 43686 ratings. Obtaining recognition is essential to establishing influence. Liddell hart, was a british soldier, military historian and military theorist. Liddell hart stressed movement, flexibility, and surprise.
Frederick praeger, 1968 18 when, in the course of studying a long series of military campaigns, i first came to perceive the spueriority of the indirect over the direct approach, i was looking merely for light upon strategy. That liddell hart was a selfpublicist who had a habit of altering facts to suit his own interpretation of history is supported in his own correspondence and papers. Presented on wednesday, november 3rd, 1920, at 3 p. List of books and articles about basil henry liddell hart online. The works of bh liddell hart i recommend all of harts books, from strategy to why dont we learn from history to his excellent biographies of strategic geniuses like william t. He wrote tracts on sherman, scipio, rommel, and on military strategy itself. Like greene, hart has the ability to communicate and explain timeless truths about strategy and power. Liddell hart, 18951970 was a british soldier, military historian, and military theorist.
Liddell hart, was an english soldier, military historian, military theorist, and author of many books, including strategy, the german generals talk, the memoirs of captain liddell hart, and history of the second world. Captain basil henry liddell hart 18951970 was a prolific military historian and one of the foremost military theorists of the twentieth century. Liddell hart has 73 books on goodreads with 43407 ratings. Liddell hart, was an english soldier, military historian and leading military theorist. First published in 1970, the year after his death, liddell harts history of the second world war is a highly acclaimed account by one of the greatest military writers of the twentieth century. Liddell hart was considered one of the worlds foremost military. Besides being written prior to the ultra revelations, i recall a couple of other problems. Liddell hart find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Liddell hart stressed movement, flexibilty, surprise. Liddell hart, was an english soldier, military historian, military theorist, and author of many books, including strategy, the german generals talk, the memoirs of captain liddell hart, and history of the second world war. His historical significance lies, however, in his contribution as a journalist and historian in reshaping attitudes to the war in britain during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He is credited with greatly influencing the development of armoured warfare.
Hart very carefully lays out the life and personality of sherman, but also understands that he was a strategic genius whose indirect approach to warfare during americas bloody civil war ended the vicious stalemate in. The maninthedark theory of infantry tactics and the expanding torrent system of attack. Liddell hart is a battletested ww1 military historian. In his book strategy 1960, hart argues that the best approach to win is the indirect approach. His work influenced neville chamberlain and may have even accidentally influenced the german armys blitzkrieg tactic in wwii. Liddell hart, strategy 19 classics of strategy and diplomacy. Liddell hart and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Through a systematic examination of every major conflict throughout human history, liddell hart attempts to show that all major victories are achieved through use of what he terms the indirect approach, and conversely, that every loss is due to the errors of a direct approach. The most important book by one of the outstanding military authorities of our time. He served as an officer in the british army during the first world war where he witnessed the horrors of the trenches.
He saw that in most military campaigns dislocation of the enemys psychological and physical balance is prelude to victory. Soldier, realist, american by bh liddell hart is my personal favorite of the many military books that i have read. In strategy the longest way round is often the shortest way there a direct approach to the object exhausts the attacker and hardens the resistance by compression, whereas an indirect approach loosens the defenders hold by upsetting his balance. Liddell and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Liddell hart left studies at cambridge university when world war i broke out in 1914 and became an officer in the british army. Liddell hart believed the failure to act upon these principles which was the case for nearly.
The life of basil liddell hart, with the cooperation of liddell harts widow. A noted military analyst traces the course of world war ii in terms of german military personalities, the cleavages within the army under the versailles treaty and later under hitler. Sir basil henry liddell hart, commonly known as captain b. He saw that in most military campaigns dislocation of the enemys. Its been quite some time since i took a look at liddell hart, but i agree that his book is obsolete in a variety of ways. The strategy of the indirect approach and the counternarcotics campaign 5a. Contentsshow life and career born in paris, as the son of an english methodist minister, liddell. Liddell hart s jaunt through time is intended to support one basic thesis.
The book became widely read in both military and academic circles, and played an important role in repairing liddell harts image, which had. Liddell hart, basil henry, sir international encyclopedia. With his distinctive voice, he covers the most famous of all wars with seering insight and authorative knowledge of tactics and strategy. His penchant for tactical analysis and his eye for the ironies and accidents of war are best displayed in the description of the north african campaign against rommel. Liddell hart 18951970 was a military historian and is considered among the great military strategists of the twentieth century.
Bh liddell hart and the creation of a theory of war, 19191933. World war ii is a great deal to pack into a single volume, but liddell hart, a british military historian noted for his history of the first worm war, gives a quite even chronicle of the military course of events. He attributes the german armys abrupt stop at dunkirk to hitlers probritish leanings. Sir basil henry liddell hart 31 october 1895 29 january 1970, commonly known throughout most of his career as captain b.
I immediately read the role of the british army in liddell harts book. Performing organization names and addresses national war college,300 5th avenue,fort lesley j. First published in the year after his death in 1970, liddell hart s history of the second world war is a classic military tome from one of the best military strategists of his generation. Following world war ii, he was a proponent of the west german rearmament and the moral rehabilitation of the german wehrmacht. Adjust your end to your means clear sight and cool calculation should prevail.
While reading the book requires a little knowledge of historic domains, and quite a bit of knowledge about historic geography to be fully understandable, the basic lessons taken from each incident can be understood without. His many books include scipio africanus, lawrence of arabia, the rommel papers, and sherman all available from da capo press. His education at cambridge was interrupted by world war i, in. Hart died in 1970 but his books on military strategy and strategist remain popular among military historians. Basil henry liddell hart 18951970, who first adopted liddell hart as his surname in 1921, served as an infantry officer on the western front. First published in the year after his death in 1970, liddell harts history of the second world war is a classic military tome from one of the best military strategists of his generation. He saw that in most military campaigns dislocation of the enemys psychological and. Liddell hart 18951970 was many things, but above all, he was a military historian. Jul 17, 2014 first published in 1970, the year after his death, liddell hart s history of the second world war is a highly acclaimed account by one of the greatest military writers of the twentieth century. Liddellhart project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Alex danchev wrote the biography of liddell hart, alchemist of war. Dont go to war without it turned me onto a new and vital field of study. Liddell hart set out following world war i to address the causes of the wars high casualty rate. Liddell hart was an english soldier, military historian and leading interwar theorist.
His many books include scipio africanus, lawrence of arabia, the rommel papers, and sherman all available from da capo press perseus books group. Liddell hart elaborates on various historic campaigns in a very readable and consise fashion. Sir basil liddell hart british military historian britannica. Captain basil henry liddell hart 18951970 was one of the foremost military theorists of our time. This entry was posted in books and tagged bh liddell hart, history, psychology, wisdom, worth rereading on september 4, 2017 by blas. Performing organization names and addresses national war college,300 5th avenue,fort lesley j mcnair,washington,dc.