Paddy Griffith fut un éminent historien militaire britannique, réputé pour ses analyses approfondies des stratégies et tactiques militaires à travers les siècles. Son œuvre se concentre sur la dissection méticuleuse des manœuvres de bataille et de l'art de la guerre, examinant souvent des moments cruciaux de l'histoire militaire. L'approche de Griffith se caractérise par sa précision et son désir de comprendre comment les chefs militaires de différentes époques ont relevé les défis du champ de bataille. Ses écrits offrent aux lecteurs un aperçu captivant de l'évolution de la science militaire et de son impact sur le cours de l'histoire.
Dunkirk, Toulon, Perpignan, Verdun and Brest stand out among the many historically significant sites created by Sebastien LePrestre de Vauban (1633-1707). This book examines the achievements of this pivotal figure in fortification history, exploring the sites and their subsequent significance.
Historians often depict British involvement in the Great War as a series of tragic failures, marked by heavy losses from machine guns, untested technology, and incompetent leadership. However, Paddy Griffith, a noted military historian, reevaluates this narrative by exploring the evolution of British infantry tactics throughout the war. He contends that while the army's strategies and technologies initially faltered during the war's early, chaotic phase, significant improvements were made over time. By the autumn of 1918, the British army had developed a level of battlefield skill and mobility that was rarely matched even in World War II. Griffith highlights the disparity between military theory and the harsh realities of combat, arguing that many battles were meticulously planned to leverage advanced tactics and minimize casualties, yet breakthroughs remained unattainable under the prevailing conditions. By late 1916, the British had become proficient in 'storm-troop tactics,' often outpacing the Germans in critical areas such as coordinated assaults, predicted artillery fire, trench raiding, and effective machine gun use. While British generals may not have been military visionaries, Griffith asserts they played a crucial role in shaping much of the modern art of warfare.
This groundbreaking, authoritative and best-selling study of the Vikings establishes the facts behind their rise to prominence, and cuts away the myths about their military and seafaring skills, reputation, and exploits.
Argues that, far from being the first 'modern' war, it was the last 'Napoleonic' war, and that none of the innovations of industrialized warfare had any significant effect on the outcome.
Bonaparte's Grande Armée, one of the most renowned battle-winning machines in history, evolved from a merging of the professional army of the Ancien Régime and the volunteers and conscripts of the Revolutionary levée en masse -- although the contribution of the former is often underestimated. A leading authority on the history of tactics draws here on original drill manuals and later writings to explain how the French infantry of 1792-1815 were organized for fire and movement on the battlefield. Illustrated with clear diagrams and relevant paintings and prints, and specially prepared colour plates, this text brings the tactical aspects of eight battles vividly to life
Osprey's study of desert tactics employed in North Africa during World War II (1939-1945). In 1940-43 North Africa saw the first major desert campaign by modern mechanized armies. The British, Italians, German Afrika Korps and US Army all addressed and learned from the special problems - human, logistical, mechanical and tactical - of the desert environment, most significantly a terrain empty of resources and offering little chance of concealment. Paddy Griffith traces the fast-learning development of armor, artillery and infantry tactics in this exceptional situation and illustrates it using references to the major engagements in the North African theater, which involved some of the greatest tacticians of World War II in one of the pivotal arenas.
This complementary volume to Sir Charles Oman's monumental study brings together new research by today's leading historians highlighting recent developments in Peninsular War scholarship. By examining modern interpretations, fresh evidence and new areas of research, this analysis of key aspects of the fighting in Spain and Portugal advances the debate on the struggle that marked the beginning of the end for Napoleonic Europe.
Wielka Armia Napoleona stanowiła jeden z najsłynniejszych mechanizmów do wygrywania bitew w historii. Ewoluowała, łącząc w sobie elementy wojsk Starego Porządku, rewolucyjnych ochotników i rekrutów z poboru masowego (udział ostatniego z tych elementów często był niedoceniany). Autor skupił się na rozwoju taktyki, wykorzystując zarówno dawne regulaminy wojskowe, jak i prace nowsze. Wszystko po to, by przybliżyć organizację piechoty francuskiej w latach 1792-1815, sposób prowadzenia walki ogniowej i manewry wykonywane na polu bitwy. Pracę wzbogacają czytelne schematy, obrazy i grafiki powiązane z tematem, a także specjalnie przygotowane kolorowe plansze. Razem z tekstem barwnie oddają aspekty taktyczne ośmiu kluczowych bitew epoki.
Wielka Armia Napoleona stanowiła jeden z najsłynniejszych mechanizmów do wygrywania bitew w historii. Ewoluowała, łącząc w sobie elementy wojsk Starego Porządku, rewolucyjnych ochotników i rekrutów z poboru masowego (udział ostatniego z tych elementów często był niedoceniany). Autor skupił się na rozwoju taktyki, wykorzystując zarówno dawne regulaminy wojskowe, jak i prace nowsze. Wszystko po to, by przybliżyć organizację piechoty francuskiej w latach 1792-1815, sposób prowadzenia walki ogniowej i manewry wykonywane na polu bitwy. Pracę wzbogacają czytelne schematy, obrazy i grafiki powiązane z tematem, a także specjalnie przygotowane kolorowe plansze. Razem z tekstem barwnie oddają aspekty taktyczne ośmiu kluczowych bitew epoki.