Thoughts on War
Thoughts on War
Cite
Abstract
In these provocative essays, military historian Phillip Meilinger explores timeless issues. Beginning with an iconoclastic look at the ideas of Carl von Clausewitz, Meilinger sees an unfortunate influence due to an emphasis on bloody battle, combined with a Euro-centric worldview. Moreover, Clausewitz’s dictum that war is an extension of policy actually says very little to guide modern world leaders. Other essays examine the nature of war in the twenty-first century, principles of war, the meaning of decisive victory, the importance of second front operations, the influence of time in battle, and a look at the first major amphibious and joint campaign of World War II in Norway. He also notes the crucial role played by service culture, and his controversial look at the American military tradition reveals that the US military has played a major role in politics throughout our history. An essay on unity of command in the Pacific during World War II reveals interservice rivalry and conflicting strategic views. Strategic bombing in World War II depended on new analytical tools, such as intelligence gathering. The United States Strategic Bombing Survey examined the results of those bombing campaigns in depth. The United States now engages in wars of choice and requires an international mandate to intervene to restore peace or destroy a terrorist group. We must therefore limit risk and cost, especially to the civilian populace. This leads to a new paradigm emphasizing the use of airpower, special operations forces, intelligence gathering and dissemination systems, and indigenous ground forces.
-
Front Matter
- Introduction
-
Part I Theories of War
Phillip S. Meilinger -
Part II War Through the Ages
Phillip S. Meilinger -
Part III American Military Experiences
Phillip S. Meilinger- 9 American Military Culture and Its Influence on Strategy
- 10 Soldiers and Politics: Exposing a Myth
- 11 Unity of Command in the Pacific during World War II
- 12 Analysis, Intelligence, and Targeting in Strategic Air Operations
-
13
Determining the Effects of the Allied Air Offensive
- 14 Summation: The Emergence of a Paradigm
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 5 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 7 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 1 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 1 |
September 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 5 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 3 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 1 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.