A History of War in 100 Battles

By Richard Overy

Book Overview

Their very names--Gettysburg, Waterloo, Stalingrad--evoke images of great triumph and equally great suffering, moments when history seemed to hang in the balance. Considered in relation to each other, such battles--and others of less immediate renown--offer insight into the changing nature of armed combat, advances in technology, shifts in strategy and thought, as well as altered geopolitical landscapes. The most significant military engagements in history define the very nature of war.

In his newest book, Richard Overy plumbs over 3,000 years of history, from the Fall of Troy in 1200 BC to the Fall of Baghdad in 2003, to locate the 100 battles that he believes the most momentous. Arranged by themes such as leadership, innovation, deception, and courage under fire, Overy presents engaging essays on each battle that together provide a rich picture of how combat has changed through the ages, as well as highlighting what has remained consistent despite advances in technology.

The battles covered here offer a wide geographic sweep, from ancient Greece to China, Constantinople to Moscow, North to South America, providing a picture of the dominant empires across time and context for comparison between various military cultures. From familiar engagements like Thermopylae (480 BC), Verdun (1916), and the Tet Offensive (1968) to lesser-studied battles such as Zama (202 BC), Arsuf (1191), and Navarino Bay (1827), Overy presents the key actors, choices, and contingencies, focusing on those details--sometimes overlooked--that decided the battle. The American victory at the Battle of Midway, for example, was determined by only ten bombs. It was, as Wellington said of Waterloo, a "near run thing."

Rather than focusing on the question of victory or defeat, Overy examines what an engagement can tell us on a larger level about the history of warfare itself. New weapons and tactics can have a sudden impact on the outcome of a battle--but so too can leadership, or the effects of a clever deception, or raw courage. Overy offers a deft and visually captivating look at the engagements that have shaped the course of human history, and changed the face of warfare.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199390711
• ISBN13: 9780199390717
• Release Date: November 2014
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 3.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.9" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Mistakes In Accuracy of Data Abound in this Book

Was excited to get the book and more so to see one of the battles I am studying - Rorke's Drift. It is only given a couple of pages and much of the information/data is inaccurate based on many other books and sources. The book states that the battle began at 5pm and ended at 9pm, yet many sources place the beginning of the battle between 4-5pm and dissipating six hours later (about 9pm-10m) but not actually ending until the early dawn hours, with continued skirmishes. It also fails to mention that while the British did kill many Zulus with their rifle fire it was the up close and personal hand to hand combat using British bayonets that really made the difference since the Zulu warriors ignored the rifle barrages. Nor does it mention that the hospital roof was set on fire allowing the British defenders the ability to see the silhouettes of the attacking Zulus and making them easier targets. It mentions fighting to the last box of bullets, but not that Rorke's Drift was actually the supply depot for the larger British invasion forces and housed nearly 10,000 rounds of ammo. This book also claims 7 Victoria Crosses were awarded when in fact the number is 11 VC's. Some of these oversights can be dismissed as it is a "very" brief accounting, but others are shameful errors by the author. The book is written in 2014, with many other published sources done prior which could have and should have been more thoroughly researched, including Rorke's Drift 1879 by Ian Knight (Osprey Books). It makes me wonder what other wrong information is in the book and whether its even deserving to be used as a data source, let alone sit on my bookshelf. SKIP THIS ONE... many other fine battle history books out there.