The Allure of Battle

A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost

By: Cathal J. Nolan

Narrated by: Julian Elfer

History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive". Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt - all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought.

Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking", the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defenses.

Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars", beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but materiel. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it helps correct a distorted view of battle's role in war.

©2017 Cathal J. Nolan (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This is one of the most valuable military histories in years. A must-read for students of military history." (Kirkus, Starred Review)

deep pockets & a long magazine.

well read, do holes in thought but well stated and credible. He will make you stop and engage in some rethinking

very good...

but I do not believe some of the conclusions the author came to. it's a detailed look at major recent wars and how they were won.

Good military history of early modern Europe

This should be required reading for any political or military leader to reconsider the wisdom of seeking a shirt, sharp clash. Wide ranging western history from classical Greece to Hiroshima but the strength of the book was from Thirty Years war through the German Wars of Unification. A pleasant surprise.

insightful.

battles are real attention grabbers and the ability of the author to step back and look at the context of battles throughout Western history is an approach I appreciated. the forest after all is more important than the spectacular trees.

Powerful and beautifully written

Fantastic overview of major conflicts, their roles in establishing our collective view of war, and how wars have been won and lost over the ages. Nolan makes a compelling case for understanding war for what it is (horrific, grinding, and endlessly complicated) and for avoiding romanticizing it through the veneration of generals and battle. Detailed, gripping, and surprisingly empathetic. Highly recommended.