The Evolution of Weapons and Warfare is not only a historical study of mankind's most time-honored enterprise--war--but an excellent way to understand the potentiality of modern weapons, techniques, and technologies, and to realistically forecast how they will be applied in future wars. In this absorbing chronicle of the art of war, Colonel Dupuy examines the relationship between weapons and strategy--on land, on sea, and in the air--and discusses the eighteen major advances in weapons lethality, from the Macedonian sarissa (the long pike used by the armies of Alexander the Great) to the atomic bomb. Dupuy emphasizes two major paradoxes: although weapons have become increasingly deadly, battle casualty rates have just as steadily declined; and despite tremendous technological changes in warfare, the fundamental principles of war have changed little. But this book not only deals with ideas and technological advances, it confronts the drama and horror of battle. Far more than a textbook summary, it is an engrossing account of the development and use of the most significant weapons human ingenuity has been able to devise, and an acute commentary on the essence of warfare.
Shows the integration of weapons and new technology into warfare
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
Before reading this book, I suggest one read Edwin Tunis's book "Weapons: A Pictorial History" which focuses on the development of weapons per se. Dupuy's book takes it a step further, focusing on the integration of new weapons into the art of warfare. It is a comprehensive study of the effect of new weapons and technology on the logistics, tactics, and strategy of warfare. This is a good book. It is well written, easy to read, and gives one a good background into its subject matter. This book was written in 1980, during the cold war, so his predictions of the future are inaccurate. I am going to read this book again. So I gave it five stars. Additionally, I doubt if Dupuy was consulted about the cover of this 1990 reprint and probably knew one tank from another.
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