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The Allure of Battle

A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost

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The Allure of Battle

Written by: Cathal J. Nolan
Narrated by: Julian Elfer
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About this listen

History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive". Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt - all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought.

Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking", the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defenses.

Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars", beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but materiel. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it helps correct a distorted view of battle's role in war.

©2017 Cathal J. Nolan (P)2018 Tantor
Military Modern War Imperialism Interwar Period Royalty France Submarine King Ancient History Self-Determination
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What the critics say

"This is one of the most valuable military histories in years. A must-read for students of military history." (Kirkus, Starred Review)

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An enjoyable listen

Review is for audio book listened to on Audible: A interesting book that took a unique path of a historical review of the pull of decisive battle over probably more sound strategic concepts. I did not give five stars as occasionally the book spent a few sentences as the following: on the battles that took place on 1883, at x on 1885 then at x on 1893 and then again at 1896 in X. In a read book this makes less of a difference but on audible book it tended to drag a area of the book. If you have come this far in looking at books of this type you should definitely read/listen to it.

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