Manstein, Creveld, Adan & Von Senger und Etterlin

Last updated 1996

This next set of books are also very good and well worth reading.

Lost Victories by Erich von Manstein

Manstein is widely regarded as the single finest general the Germans had in the second world war (and as a consequence is one of the best generals since Napoleonic era). While it is true that Erwin Rommel was both a great general and more famous, Manstein compiled a remarkable record. He came up with the plan that allowed the Germans to defeat the French in 1940, his army captured the incredible fortification of Sevastopol in the middle of 1942. And then, he managed to convert the disaster at Stalingrad into something "manageable". He then went on to plan and stage operation Citadel, which was largely a failure. After that he was sacked by Hitler and he spent the remainder of the war in retirement (fortunately for those of us who were fighting the Germans).

Allow me to quote one passage that has remained with me ever since I read this book 10 years ago: "This was the hour that usually comes sooner or later in such a contest, when the outcome of the battle is on the razor's edge. It was the hour that must show whether the will of the attacker to exert himself to the very limit of physical endurance is stronger than that of the defender to go on resisting." Manstein is describing his army's efforts to conquer the Crimean peninsula: a frontal assault against superior forces who had nearly every advantage: a fortified position, command of the sea, the air, and tanks, while his army had not one tank. Incredibly, his army succeeded.

Obviously, Manstein was fighting on the wrong side so it is hard to muster great sympathy for his efforts. Still, it is a very readable book that describes much of the thought that goes behind that of an army commander, written by one of the best generals in history.

Supplying War by Martin van Creveld

This is one of the essential books to read if you really want to understand warfare. Creveld takes as his subject that most essential but "uninteresting" topic: logistics. Napoleon said "An army marches on its stomach" and he was quite right. The finest soldiers in the world without food, shelter, weapons, and ammunition are no more effective fighters than a group of boy scouts would be. While it is true that great logistics does not make a great army, it is also true that no army can be great without the logistics to back them up.

Creveld examines the logistics from a number of time periods, starting with the 30 years war (1620) and going through World War II. He spends an entire chapter of his book examining Rommel's African campaign (1941 to 1943) and he is not impressed with Rommel's handling of supplies. Rommel was a great general but he had weaknesses and the biggest of these related to his handling of supplies. Monty wasn't Rommel's equal in tactics but he had a much better handle on logistics and it allowed him to beat Rommel.

All in all, a great book and well worth reading and reflection.

On the Banks of the Suez by Bren Adan

Bren Adan was the commander of the "Adan" Israeli armored division during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. His division operated in the Sinai and crossed over the Suez canal, cutting off a large part of the Egyptian army. This book is a day by day, sometime hour by hour account of this brief but intense war. Until the Gulf War of 1991, the '73 war was the most important modern war. It was fought by advanced armies, well equipped and well trained. The lessons learned in this war were put to good use by the U. S. military and this book was a part of the learning process.

As a division commander, Adan gives the reader a good look at the division commander's role and responsibilities. A division is the most "fun" command a soldier ever gets, it is a self-contained unit, able to move and fight on its own. Brigade commanders must fight without knowing the "big picture" and without control over important combat elements, while the Corps or Army commanders must deal with the war from a very detached and theoretical perspective. However, the division commander gets both worlds, the tactical combat of his small units and the large scale responsibilities of making sure his division is in the right place at the right time.

It helps that Bren Adan has a fascinating story to tell because unlike other Arab-Israeli wars, the 73 war was a tough battle and the Egyptians fought very well. I doubt any good war memoirs will come out of the Gulf War because we so completely outclassed the Iraqi army. I'm glad that we so completely overmatched the Iraqi army, but it doesn't make for interesting reading.

Neither Fear Nor Hope by Frido von Senger und Etterlin

This book has a fascinating 60 pages on the author's experience as the commander of the 17th Panzer division during the battle of Stalingrad and afterwords (about the same time that Manstein was involved but at a divisional level). Frido also spends a fair bit of time describing his work in Italy. He was in command of the defense of Monte Cassino, among other things.

The most interesting thing about this memoir was that Frido was one of the good Germans, semi-secretly opposed to Hitler and the Nazi party. As a member of the German aristocracy, he had some contempt for the Nazi functionaries he came in contact with, yet still he worked for them and Hitler. He talks about this in his book and it is worth reading his thoughts. Personally I wish I had the chance to meet Herr Senger, he comes across as a very decent and thoughtful man. As a note, his son later rose to a very high rank in the West German Army (and died around 1992?).

Go on to the next page of books about tactics.