Williamson Murray (1941–2023)

Pages 1-142, 262-335, and 374-483 were assigned readings for WWII in Europe Case Study in S&W at the NWC. This served as my core text and primary reference material for my paper on Allied Strategy. This quote from the preface was central to helping me formulate my argument, "the greatest advantage the Allies enjoyed over the Axis was the capacity to make strategic decisions that balanced ends against means" (pg x).

From the syllabus: Murray and Millett’s narrative history of the Second World War focuses on the operational level of war. The selections assigned cover the entire war in Europe from its inception in September 1939 until the surrender of Germany in May 1945.… (més)

Desde que terminó la segunda guerra mundial se han publicado innumerables estudios sobre los más diversos aspectos del conflicto. Lo que se echaba en falta era una visión global que sintetizase estas investigaciones, y esa ha sido la tarea a la que han dedicado décadas de trabajo los profesores Murray y Millett, dos de los máximos especialistas mundiales en el campo de la historia militar. El resultado es una soberbia visión de conjunto que servirá de obra de referencia para los estudiosos, pero que ha sido concebida, ante todo, pensando en el lector medio, que encontrará en estas páginas el apasionante relato de una de las mayores tragedias de la historia de la humanidad. No en vano ha dicho el general Vessey, que presidió el Joint Chiefs of Staff de los Estados unidos: «Me propongo decir a mis nietos que si quieren entender la segunda guerra mundial y la generación que combatió en ella, deben leer este libro».… (més)

Almost as soon as airplanes were invented, military strategists realized their potential. As early as the First World War planes served as scouts, fighters, and bombers--and by World War II all the advanced states had large military air forces dedicated to bombardment. Starting with the less-than-perfect aircraft that flew over Europe in 1915, which caused countless deaths, see how technology developed between the wars; the early campaigns of WWII; air battles on the Eastern front; the defeat of the Luftwaffe; and sky combat in the Pacific.… (més)

“Moment of Battle” is a tour de force of military history. Covering 2500 years of history, it singles out 20 major battles that the authors consider to have most significantly changed the world. It offers a useful corrective to a bizarre and naïve perspective voiced by US defense analysts in the 1990s, that the US military was about to create capabilities that would leave it unchallenged for the forseeable future. After two lost wars, a crippled economy, and a failing infrastructure, such a view can be seen as yet the latest example of the hubris of many a previous empire.

Each of the 20 battles is examined in terms of its historical backdrop, the goals of the warring parties, the military tactics, the factors that determined the outcome, and the lasting significance. For many of the battles, the placement and movement of troops are illustrated with diagrams that (despite their simplicity) usefully supplement the text.

The book begins with “Marathon”, the astonishing victory of Athens against the might of the Persian Empire, a battle with great consequence for the historical legacy of democratic traditions and ancient Greek thought. Next comes “Gaugamela”, key to Alexander the Great’s establishment of empire, which in turn set the stage for the later spread of Christianity among Greek- influenced Jews. Another early chapter focuses on the Roman Empire’s failure to conquer the Germanic tribes, which prefigured the East- West divide of Europe that contributed in the 20th century to two world wars. Yet another momentous battle is that of Yarmuk (630 CE), in which the followers of Mohammed established an Arab – Islamic civilization that dominates northern Africa and Arab territories.

Likewise there is Francis Drake’s destruction of the Spanish Armada (1588), without which the English would likely have never been able to colonize North America. Yet another explored episode (represented by three battles) by the authors is the Annus Mirabilis (the “year of miracles”) of 1759, in which the British established supremacy over Canada and made inroads towards success in the West Indies and in India. A lasting consequence is that English is the dominant global language when it comes to trade and intellectual exchange, not to mention the lasting legacy of a democratic (and secular) India. Other battles explored are taken from the American Revolution, Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, the US Civil War, the first World War, World War II (represented in three battles). The choice of several of the battles reflects the authors’ American (US) perspective and particular expertise. Thus, there are no battles in South America, Africa, or Asia (outside of World War II).

Naturally, one can quarrel with particular choices of battles. For my part, I was surprised at the inclusion of Dien Bien Phu, which signaled the withdrawal of the French from Indochina. However, far more momentous, one would think, was the US debacle in Southeast Asia, the last attempt by Western powers to dominate in east Asia. However, understandably, neither the Tet Offensive nor the fall of Saigon constitutes a momentous battle in the sense that this book explores. An even more peculiar choice is the 2003 US attack on Baghdad, a battle arguably of no lasting significance in light of everything that has happened since. In an interview on Book TV, author James Lacey explained that they included the attack on Baghdad because they wanted some recent military action; he further argued that we can never predict what might turn out to be significant in the future. (The latter point undermines, rather than justifies, the authors’ choice to include it).

Lacey and Murray make no secret of their strong opinions on issues of controversy. In fact, they clearly enjoy presenting themselves as iconoclasts against the views of professional historians and other military analysts. Thus, in opposition to other historian’s views, they make statements like “nothing could be further from the truth” (p. 230 and once again on p. 265), and “the experts could not have been more wrong” (p 266). In a particular show of contempt, they assert “Only academics who have spent their entire lives sequestered in school and with scant knowledge of the real world could gin up such nonsense” (p 85). A prospective reader should be prepared to take such tendentious statements in stride.

I recommend this book for aficionados of military history – they will find much here to think about and most likely, much to argue over. This book also is ideal for readers who enjoy the “What Ifs” of counterfactual history – the key episodes which, had they come out differently, would have led to a very different sort of world today.… (més)