James R. McDonough

A remarkable memoir of small-unit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in Vietnam.'"Using a lean style and a sense of pacing drawn from the tautest of novels, McDonough has produced a gripping account of his first command, a U.S. platoon taking part in the 'strategic hamlet' program. . . . Rather than present a potpourri of combat yarns. . . McDonough has focused a seasoned storyteller’s eye on the details, people, and incidents that best communicate a visceral feel of command under fire. . . . For the author’s honesty and literary craftsmanship, Platoon Leader seems destined to be read for a long time by second lieutenants trying to prepare for the future, veterans trying to remember the past, and civilians trying to understand what the profession of arms is all about.”– Army Times

“Brilliant, hardhitting description of modern war on the U.S. Army’s premier training ground. A must-read tactical primer for today’s warrior.”—John C. “Doc” Bahnsen, Brigadier General, USA (Ret.)At the turn of the century a small, humorous book on tactics was published. The Defense of Duffer’s Drift quickly became a bestseller and today is still widely read. The Defense of Hill 781 is a modem version of this classic—a tactical primer with ample funpoking, but with serious lessons to be learned.Lt. Col. A. Tack Always Finds himself in the California high desert, alone, disheveled, confused. A guide soon appears to inform him of his situation: He has died and is now in Purgatory (his humility in the Army was somewhat lacking) where he must atone for past sins. Purgatory is, aptly, the U.S. Army’s National Training Center (NTC), and Lt. Col. Always may earn his way out by completing a successful mission. Through a series of six missions, the reader plans and fights with Lt. Col. Always, making the split-second decisions that determine victory or defeat, life or death.Through successive difficulties, some important lessons are burned into the commander’s brain—lessons about tactics, about people, about what it takes to fight a winning battle. Like Duffer’s Drift this book is a valuable resource for all military tacticians. For the armchair general, it is a fascinating look at how the members of a military unit work together in combat.

As Napoleon continues his ruthless quest for glory, and Wellington vows to defeat Napoleon, their men prepare for the Battle of Waterloo

This monograph analyzes the 1982 war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over possession of the Falklands in regard to several of the foundations of military theory. It uses this recent campaign which combines air, land, and sea forces armed with modern technologies as a case study of the applicability of traditional military theory to modern warfare. The monograph first reviews the general political background leading up to the outbreak of hostilities on 2 April 1982, then summarizes the salient military events of the war. Next it offers analyses of how politics and military action were interrelated throughout the campaign, how tactics, operations, and strategy interacted during the course of the war, and where the centers of gravity were situated for the opposing forces. It concludes with an overview as to the applicability, of traditional military theory to this particular campaign. The monograph concludes that the war in the Falklands was a unique opportunity to contrast two widely divergent approaches to warfare, one which paid heed to military theory and the doctrinal implications that stem from it and one which ignored many of its foundations. Although both belligerents were affected by the interactions of war and politics, one side effectively integrated all of its arms while the other allowed disparate actions to dissipate its efforts. Throughout the campaign the ultimate victor recognized the center of gravity of its opponent and attacked it, while the loser either failed to recognize that of its enemy or elected not to attack it. The indications are that the warring nation that understands military theory and its implications has a decisive advantage over an enemy that does not, even when the latter may have the more advantageous material position.

pp.2 184.AEG, Full Leather binding, Silk Marker , silk end pages