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Oct 12, 2004 | ISBN 9780375700460 Buy
Oct 28, 2003 | ISBN 9781400041930 Buy
Oct 28, 2003 | 552 Minutes Buy
Jul 07, 2003 | 909 Minutes Buy
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Oct 12, 2004 | ISBN 9780375700460
Oct 28, 2003 | ISBN 9781400041930
Oct 28, 2003 | ISBN 9780739304662
552 Minutes
Jul 07, 2003 | ISBN 9780736699556
909 Minutes
A masterly look at the value and limitations of intelligence in the conduct of war from the premier military historian of our time, John Keegan. Intelligence gathering is an immensely complicated and vulnerable endeavor. And it often fails. Until the invention of the telegraph and radio, information often traveled no faster than a horse could ride, yet intelligence helped defeat Napoleon. In the twentieth century, photo analysts didn’t recognize Germany’s V-2 rockets for what they were; on the other hand, intelligence helped lead to victory over the Japanese at Midway. In Intelligence in War, John Keegan illustrates that only when paired with force has military intelligence been an effective tool, as it may one day be in besting al-Qaeda.
In fiction, the spy is a glamorous figure whose secrets make or break peace, but, historically, has intelligence really been a vital step to military victories? In this breakthrough study, the preeminent war historian John Keegan goes to the heart of a series of important conflicts to develop a powerful argument about military intelligence. In his characteristically wry and perceptive prose, Keegan offers us nothing short of a new history of war through the prism of intelligence. He brings to life the split-second decisions that went into waging war before the benefit of aerial surveillance and electronic communications. The English admiral Horatio Nelson was hot on the heels of Napoleon’s fleet in the Mediterranean and never knew it, while Stonewall Jackson was able to compensate for the Confederacy’s disadvantage in firearms and manpower with detailed maps of the Appalachians. In the past century, espionage and decryption have changed the face of battle: the Japanese surprise attack at the Battle of the Midway was thwarted by an early warning. Timely information, however, is only the beginning of the surprising and disturbing aspects of decisions that are made in war, where brute force is often more critical.Intelligence in War is a thought-provoking work that ranks among John Keegan’s finest achievements.
John Keegan’s books include The Iraq War, Intelligence in War, The First World War, The Battle for History, The Face of Battle, War and Our World, The Masks of Command, Fields of Battle, and A History of Warfare. He was the defense editor of The… More about John Keegan
“Likely to jar the conventional wisdom. . . . Keegan is always a pleasure to read for his wit, insight and style.” –The New York Times Book Review“Bracing, meticulous case studies [by] our greatest modern military historian.” –Newsweek“Keegan is a . . . treasure. . . . His analysis is as sharp as ever, and it’s all written with his characteristic flair.” –The Christian Science Monitor“Thought-provoking. . . . Keegan’s book is a wise corrective, assessing just how useful intelligence has been in battle.” –The Dallas Morning News
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