Imponderable but Not Inevitable

Warfare in the 20th Century

Malcolm H. Murfett

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780313378829
• eBook ISBN: 9780313378836
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

This book fills an important gap in the literature of modern warfare by focusing on random elements in warfare often overlooked in both the planning and execution of military operations—factors that can turn certain success into devastating failure. By definition, the unforeseeable cannot be seen, but one way to bring more variables under consideration when planning a military action is to review those instances where the unforeseeable changed everything. For professionals and enthusiasts alike, Imponderable But Not Inevitable: Warfare in the 20th Century does just that, reviewing specific instances in 20th-century warfare when things did not go according to plan. Imponderable but Not Inevitable uses case studies to expose the "Inevitability Syndrome, " exploring the role of luck, fate, and randomness in influencing both victory and defeat. In essays drawn from World War II, Konfrontasi, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, a distinguished set of military experts looks at real scenarios of inexplicable losses, illustrating why nothing—nothing—should be taken for granted in war.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• 1. Casting Doubt on the Inevitability Syndrome
• 2. The Unknown and the Unknowable: The Loss of HMAS Sydney
• 3. The Madness of General George
• 4. What Do They Want, and How Can We Respond? Commonwealth Intelligence and Confrontation with Indonesia, 1963
• 5. Air Power Finds Its Ascendancy, at Last
• 6. Three of a Kind? Fisher, Rickover, and Gorshkov and the Management of Naval Change
• 7. Measuring Defeat: Imponderables of the American Experience in Vietnam
• 8. What’s Luck Got to Do with It? Random Elements That Affected the Naval Campaigns of 1939–1945
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Editor and Contributors