The Prussian Army invented the systems of modern war, and Helmuth von Moltke was the first modern war planner. His accomplishment was to develop, bring to fruition and validate--in the three wars of German unification against Denmark (1864), Austria (1865), and France (1870-71)--the war processes invented during his lifetime. These processes have been used in all modern 20th-century wars because they respond to the size, space, time, and technology mandates of industrial mass warfare. This book describes and analyzes these developments as an aspect of Moltke's life as a professional soldier.

The Prussian Army invented the systems of modern war, and Helmuth von Moltke was the first modern war planner. His accomplishment was to develop, bring to fruition and validate--in the three wars of German unification against Denmark (1864), Austria (1865), and France (1870-71)--the war processes invented during his lifetime. These processes have been used in all modern 20th-century wars because they respond to the size, space, time, and technology mandates of industrial mass warfare. This book describes and analyzes these developments as an aspect of Moltke's life as a professional soldier.

The period 1866-1920 saw the rise and ruin of imperial Germany, and Hans Delbruck (1848-1929) reported on the events of those years from a uniquely privileged position. A professor of history at the University of Berlin, editor of the Prussian Annals-the most famous journal of political commentary of his day-and a delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, he also moved among political, cultural, and military elites. Delbruck pioneered the techniques of modern military history, studying tactics and technology as well as the social, political, and economic context of military operations. His...