Military History Podcast

Carl Von Clausewitz was a military philosopher during the time of Napoleon.  His most famous contribution is the book, On War, which outlines nine principles of war that are used in officer schools for many Western armies including the United States Army.  They are: Mass"Get there first with the most"Example: Mass-based armies of Russia (ex. infantry) and the US (ex. M4 Sherman Tanks) during WWII led to general victory ObjectiveChoose an objective and stick with itExample: Coalition troops maintained the objective in Operation Desert Sabre and didn't try to do too much by entering Iraq, which we now know would have caused major problems. OffensiveSeize the InitiativeExample: General McClellan's Army of the Potomac in the American Civil War failed to seize the initiative ManeuverMove to more advantageous positionsExample: Hannibal's Army at the Battle of Cannae maneuvered around the larger Roman Army and defeated it Unity of CommandPlace your entire force under the command of a single entityExam