The famous Confederate General Stonewall Jackson noted that "To move swiftly, strike vigorously, and secure all the fruits of the victory is the secret of successful war." This observation is at the very heart of the current discussion and experimentation on how the transformed joint services of the United States should employ force in the 21st century. The services are exploring concepts such as Effects Based Operations and Rapid Decisive Operations to move swiftly and strike vigorously to secure victory in the coming decades. At the same time the nation and its armed forces are developing...

As the United States enters a new century, its army confronts the difficult problems associated with transformation in an uncertain world. Moreover, the strategic environment makes it entirely unclear where, or when, or for what strategic purposes U.S. ground forces will find themselves committed to battle in coming decades.1 Yet, both the strategic environment as well as the harsh lessons of the past have a direct bearing on why the Army has begun the processes of transformation.2 The study of the past cannot lead to prediction as to the nature and conduct of war in the 21st century, but it...

In the course of the 20th century, no war looms as profoundly transformative or as destructive as World War II. Its global scope and human toil reveal the true face of modern, industrialised warfare. Now, for the first time, we have a comprehensive, single-volume account of how and why this global conflict evolved as it did. This book is a history of the Second World War that tells the full story of battle on land, on sea, and in the air. The authors analyse the operations and tactics that defined the conduct of the war in both the European and Pacific theatres. Moving between the war room...