Land Battle Research Articles

The battle for mount Pastrik: A preliminary study

On 26 May 1999 the Kosovo Liberation Army launched Operation ‘Arrow’, a ground offensive across Mount Pastrik against Yugoslav army units defending the city of Prizren. NATO used the opportunity to attack the Yugoslav army vehicles, artillery, and troops during the largest land battle of the conflict in Kosovo. This study reconstructs major features of the battle on the ground and questions the efficacy of what became NATO's close air support effort to prevent the defeat of the operation. While the offensive failed to meet its operational objectives, it was an important factor in President Milosevic's decision to withdraw from the province.

The Balkan Wars 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War by Richard C. s> Hall Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars by Christopher Merill (review)

REVIEWS 759 impregnable, was almost universally ignored. Instead, most observers Japanese, Russian and fromthe widerworld attributedJapanese victoryto superior 'spirit'.It confirmed theoristsin their pet ideas of the superiorityof active, offensive warfare. The war at sea was equally misunderstood. The importance of mines, despite the loss of several ships, and the way that blockade duty tied up resourceswere not widely appreciated. As Mackenzie tells it, it was not understood that the major land battles were not decisive; that economic and logistical pressureswere crucial or, in Japan's case, that the surprise,PearlHarbour-style,opening assaultwas not a complete success. Overall, the war confirmed existing assumptions about the priority of large navies, offensive armies and the crucial role of morale. While Mackenzie is, by and large, correct, he does not do justice to those who drew the right conclusions. To name only the most famous on the Russian side, Durnovo assumed in his February I914 memorandum to the Tsar that war with Germany would test every aspect of Russian society, industryand infrastructure and would not be won or lost through 'spirit'. The othermajorpiece of socialanalysis,byAdrianJones, isa characteristically sweeping, pugnacious and, at the end of the day, unconvincing argument that the war created a seismic shiftin the outlook of the Russian intelligentsia by showing that the Japanese way to progress was the new wave not the Russian one for which they were striving.Japan was the trump card of the 'young' Asian nations, not Russia. The remaining articles are devoted to literaryportrayalsand show interestinginterrelationsbetween the two sides. In particular,paceJones, the Russian intelligentsiahad a pro-Japanesestreak throughout the war, holding Japan up as a symbol of how the 'backward' nation could progress were it not hampered by a decaying autocracy that some compared to the Turkish state. On the Japanese side socialist internationalistscalled for solidaritybetween the Russian andJapanese peoples while on the right the government was denounced for not pursuingthe war to total victory. Overall, the volume is a well-researched, well-presented and welcome addition to the history of the Russo-Japanesewar in particularand is a fine contributionto the culturalhistoryof warfarein general. Department ofHistogy CHRISTOPHER READ University of Warwick Hall, RichardC. TheBalkanWarsi9I2-IqI3. Prelude to theFirst WorldWar. Warfare and History. Routledge, London and New York, 2000. xvi + I76 Pp. Maps. Notes. Bibliography.Index. I5.j99(paperback). Merill, Christopher.OnlytheNailsRemain: Scenesfrom theBalkanWars. Rowman & Littlefield,Lanham, MD, Boulder, CO, New Yorkand Oxford, 1999. xx + 40I pp. Maps. Glossary.Bibliography.Index. $27.95. IN TheBalkan WarsI912-I9I3 Richard C. Hall, Professor of History at Minnesota State University, gives us a sound battlefields-and-negotiations study of the two wars that saw a Balkancoalition remove Ottoman rule from 760 SEER, 79, 4, 200 I almost all its remaining European dominions, and then break up in a fight over the spoils. Striking contrasts seem to characterize these wars: Western-trainedgenerals , and medieval inspiration or war cries (such as na nozh.'); disciplined attacks and panicked retreats;pioneering use of ships and aeroplanes, and fortresssieges; staged triumphant entries, and down-to-earth reactions (such as that of the Bulgarian officer who says, 'Let's divide the damn thing' [Macedonia, p. I08]); acquisition of strategic or economic locations, and capture of symbols;cooperation among allies, and fear that they would grab each other'sprizes ... In the end, there remained a defeated Turkey turning to nationalism and the Central Powers,and a vindictive Bulgaria,moving away from Russia and towardsAustria-Hungary.Serbiawas the clear winner. Its victoriesbestowed on it prestige among the Southern Slavs generally, whereas the shortcomings of King Nicholas's leadership of Montenegro boded ill for the continued existence of his kingdom. With much advice to the protagonists about how they should have conducted war and diplomacy, the author is led to subtitle the BalkanWars 'Preludeto the FirstWorldWar'.His galloping imagination sees thereafteran era of European conflictlasting('withsome gaps')until the end of the century (p. 141), and destined to go on until the 'adoption of a post-nationalist perspective by the Balkan peoples' (p. x). Such zooming is presumably intended to give 'relevance' to an otherwiseseriousif unexciting monograph. With less prolepsisone could also, more historicallythough less clamorously, see the BalkanWarsas the end of an era, going back...

The Russo-Japanese War in Cultural Perspective, 1904-05 by David s> Wells Sandra Wilson (review)

758 SEER, 79, 4, 200I the cases of ArtfurGorgey being a traitor,the Holy Crown being a gift of the Pope, and so on; and especially in light of the debates occasioned by Gyula Szekffi'sI9I4 book on the exiled PrinceRakoczi, by FerencEckhart'scriticism of the old view of Hungarian legal history in the 193os, and by the I96os debate on nation, nationalismandpatriotisminitiatedby ErikMolnar. Pter's volume bringstogetheressayson a broad range of importanttopics, investigatedwith a mix of detachment and empathy that so often distinguishes historiographical achievement of great significance. In spite of the present reviewer'sdisagreementwith the author's'symbolicmap' of Central/Eastern Europe in view of the constitutional history unfolding from his account, this book is surelyno exception. It is to be wished thatsome of the most important studiesin it, which have only been publishedin Hungarian or in publications of limited availability,are made accessiblefor an English-readingpublic. Central European University LAsZL6 KONTLER Budapest Wells, David, and Wilson, Sandra (eds). TheRusso-Japanese Warin Cultural Perspective, 1904-05. Macmillan, Basingstoke,and StMartin'sPress,New York, I 999. Xii + 213 pp. Notes. Bibliography.Index. C42.50. ONE war can hide another. The Russo-JapaneseWarhas been overshadowed by the Great War that came a decade later. Nevertheless, the earlier, more limited struggle had very complex ramifications, not least, as this volume remindsus, in providingmaterialfor (usuallywrong) conclusionsto be drawn about the nature of warfare at that time. The main focus of this excellent collection of articles,however, is not on the militaryhistoryof the war but on how it was perceived. It is especially to be welcomed because specialists in aspectsof bothJapanese and Russian cultureare included. Three of the eight contributionslook at theJapanese context, three at Russiawhile the othertwo take in both sides. Most of the items are about the literatureof war while two contributorsexamine the impact of the war on military analysts and on the Russian intelligentsia. In their introduction SandraWilson and David Wellstakea look at RussoJapanese contacts prior to the war. In particularthe authors show how each country built up its linguistic and culturalknowledge of the other. In Russia, conventional fears of 'the Yellow Peril' were interspersed by intermittent vogues for Japanese culture. In Japan, Turgenev, Goncharov, Dostoevskii and Tolstoi became well-knownand influential.They also sketchthe growing conflict over Manchuria in the i 8gos and provide a usefulaccount of the war itself and of the peace, not overlooking the fact, mentioned again in more detail in Sandra Wilson's later contribution, that, contraryto popular belief, the immense cost of the war and the terriblecasualtiesmade it impossiblefor Japan to contemplate prolonging the struggleeven though, in militaryterms, it was the more successful. One of the most interesting contributions, by S. P. Mackenzie, traces the 'lessons' learned from the war by military analysts.The obvious lesson, that heavy weaponry was the key and well-constructed defences were virtually REVIEWS 759 impregnable, was almost universally ignored. Instead, most observers Japanese, Russian and fromthe widerworld attributedJapanese victoryto superior 'spirit'.It confirmed theoristsin their pet ideas of the superiorityof active, offensive warfare. The war at sea was equally misunderstood. The importance of mines, despite the loss of several ships, and the way that blockade duty tied up resourceswere not widely appreciated. As Mackenzie tells it, it was not understood that the major land battles were not decisive; that economic and logistical pressureswere crucial or, in Japan's case, that the surprise,PearlHarbour-style,opening assaultwas not a complete success. Overall, the war confirmed existing assumptions about the priority of large navies, offensive armies and the crucial role of morale. While Mackenzie is, by and large, correct, he does not do justice to those who drew the right conclusions. To name only the most famous on the Russian side, Durnovo assumed in his February I914 memorandum to the Tsar that war with Germany would test every aspect of Russian society, industryand infrastructure and would not be won or lost through 'spirit'. The othermajorpiece of socialanalysis,byAdrianJones, isa characteristically sweeping, pugnacious and, at the end of the day, unconvincing argument that the war created a seismic shiftin the outlook of the Russian intelligentsia by showing that the Japanese way to progress was the new wave not the Russian one...

Adapting the Swedish Armed Forces Medical Services to Meet New Challenges

The land battle today is different from that of 20 years ago. It now occurs over vast areas, the fluid battlefield. Tanks have undergone important changes (cross-country capability, improved armor, and more lethal weapons). The combat units contain armored personnel carriers, providing protection for the soldier. The weapon effects on armored vehicle personnel are well studied and include ballistic, blast, thermal, and toxic injury. However, casualty statistics for armored units are not extensively reported. The public acceptance of casualties, especially in peacekeeping operations, today is much lower than in the past. A study by the Swedish Armed Forces has identified the need for a new organizational structure. Casualties will be picked up on the battlefield by armored medical evacuation vehicles and transported directly to the battalion aid station. The training level of all medical personnel must be increased, using battlefield-related trauma courses and making better use of existing resources in the form of qualified medical practitioners.

Shaping the land battle through remote sensing and satellite‐ Imagery

Shaping the land battle through remote sensing and satellite‐ Imagery

Sizing initial stockpiles in a conventional military retrograde movement

The importance of stockpiles in waging and supporting war has long been recognized by the military. However, despite this recognition, very few theoretical attempts have been undertaken to incorporate stockpile considerations in land combat models. This paper describes a multicriteria optimization model to estimate the minimum stockpile required to sustain fighting a conventional mobile delaying land battle. By studying the post-optimality analysis, valuable insights on the relationships between the key governing parameters can be established.

Desert Storm: A Forgotten War

Illustrations Preface Introduction Why Did Iraq Invade Kuwait? The Path to War Was War Inevitable? The Balance of Forces Day One and the Battle for the Air Military Operations: Day 2 to 38 Political Reactions: Day 2 to 38 The Land Battle: 100 Hours Analysis of the Coalition Victory Glossary Selected Bibliography Index

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: Combat Degradation and Criteria for Defeat

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: Combat Degradation and Criteria for Defeat

Fleet Operations in the First Genoese-Venetian War, 1264-1266

"Fleet Operations in the First Genoese-Venetian War, 1264-1266." By the middle of the thirteenth century the maritime city-states of Italy, especially Venice and Genoa, dominated the Mediterranean Sea. Economic interest, civic pride, and expansionist belligerence soon ignited a series of wars that. lasted for a century and a half. Warfare at sea in the Middle Ages has not attracted as much attention as land warfare. While the appreciation of the art of generalship on land has increased, the tendency to dismiss naval combat as merely "land battles on water" has unfortunately continued. This article examines two campaigns in the First Venetian-Genoese War to evaluate the strategic and leadership qualities displayed by the foremost maritime states of the age. The campaigns chosen for analysis demonstrate a very high level of operational sophistication in their conception, planning, and execution.

Lines of Resistance: The O’Kelly Brothers in the Sudan

LINES OF RESISTANCE: THE O’KELLY BROTHERS IN THE SUDAN NIAMH O’SULLIVAN in its eagerness to divest the historical record of mythic and fictive elements , recent scholarship too often ignores how reality itself could outstrip the tales of intrigue that passed for Irish history. One such episode involves the clandestine world of the Fenian movement, as that underground extended beyond Ireland to achieve global dimensions of conspiracy in the 1880s. In 1884, the eyes of the English-speaking world turned toward the Sudan, where Mohammed Ahmad ibn ’Abdullah, known as the Mahdi,1 was leading a rebellion against British-backed Egyptian forces. The British involvement in this conflict led to the infamous killing of General Charles Gordon in Khartoum the following year. And the Irish brothers Aloysius and James J. O’Kelly were among the chief dramatis personae in the melodrama surrounding these dramatic events. From their secret London address in 1884, James J. O’Kelly—the exsoldier , Fenian, world-renowned journalist, and member of Parliament— and his brother Aloysius O’Kelly—the painter and “Special Artist”—were drawn to the news of the phenomenal victories of the Mahdi: James to work as war correspondent for the Daily News and Aloysius to illustrate the increasingly alarming events in the Sudan for the Pictorial World. Their presence in the Nubian Desert also reveals previously uncharted depths to the relationship between Irish cultural and political nationalists and French socialists that developed during Aloysius O’Kelly’s 1870s sojourn at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Employed by the Illustrated London News (ILN) in Ireland, Aloysius O’Kelly, unlike his colleagues, rarely condescended to illustrate local events, anecdotal subjects, or any war—other than the Land War in Ireland for the ILN and the War of the Mahdi in the Sudan for the LINES OF RESISTANCE: THE O’KELLY BROTHERS IN THE SUDAN 131 1 The Mahdi, or Guided One, is in Islamic theology “chosen by God at the end of time to fill the earth with justice and equity.” Pictorial World.2 Conferred with the highly coveted title of Special Artist by the ILN, O’Kelly applied himself sparingly to causes rather than events. The pertinence of his attention in the Sudan, therefore, merits investigation. THE WAR ARTISTS Having cut their teeth in the Crimea, the illustrated newspapers organized teams of artists who increasingly specialized in different aspects of foreign work—naval or land battles, travel illustrations, or the coverage of explorations . But the War Artists were the most prized of these specialists. They had their bags packed and were ready to go at a moment’s notice, working in dangerous situations—frequently under direct attack. Some traveled in carts that they had fitted out as “studios”; most journeyed armed. Mason Jackson notes that the special artist has to encounter the perils of earth, air, fire and water. Now he is up in a balloon, now down in a coal-mine; now shooting tigers in India, now deer-stalking in the Highlands . . . Now he is at the bombardment of Alexandria, and now facing the savage warriors of the Soudan . . .3 In contrast to the bland diet of pictures of local interest, the vigorous illustrations of the Specials brought the excitement of war into Victorian drawing-rooms. The “foreignness” of assignments was important to the standing of newspapers priding themselves both on the speed with which they could dispatch their Special Artists to the more intractable and exotic trouble-spots, and the corresponding speed with which the Specials could generate material and dispatch it back to London. Large bonuses were paid to artists whose presence was pertinent, whose execution was rapid, and whose command of communications was effective. These professional war artists tended to attach themselves to the British Army, which granted them credentials to watch battles, survey the battlefield , and live under its protection. The artists quickly learned that favorable depictions of military gallantry and bravery gained them privileges as well as access to senior officers and army intelligence. The more clubbable the Special, the better he fared. Melton Prior’s oleaginous autobiography describes how he smarmed British officers with offers of Irish stew and champagne in return for the...

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: Lanchester's Equations, Mini-Battle Formation and the Acquisition of Targets

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: Lanchester's Equations, Mini-Battle Formation and the Acquisition of Targets

The greening of Africa: breaking through in the battle for land and food

The greening of Africa: breaking through in the battle for land and food

Aerial Interdiction: Air Power and the Land Battle in Three American Wars.

Aerial Interdiction: Air Power and the Land Battle in Three American Wars.

The Spanish‐American war: Land battles in Cuba, 1895–1898

The Spanish‐American war: Land battles in Cuba, 1895–1898

Military surprise and the environment

Surprise is a phenomenon that can have startling effects on individuals, politics, commerce and science. The focus, however, is on military surprise, which is differentiated from military shock. The types, causes and categories of military surprise are also shown, in the context of the land battle, where surprise occurs in a majority of tactical actions, progressively more so at the operational level and, at the strategic level, nine out of ten wars start with surprise. It acts as a force multipler, increases the probability of success, and reduces the surpriser's casualties. Battlefield surprise is usually caused by the combatants, but can be generated by terrain and weather factors, including,inter alia, difficult terrain, direction, gradient, avalanches, earthquakes, dust, heat haze, fire, water, flooding, ice, mud, the seashore, mist, snow, wind, the sun, and weather forecasting. Analysis of 120 historical battles where environmental factors led to surprise found that in a majority of cases those factors were manmade, and many of the reminder were in any event planned for and exploited by military commanders. Antidotes to military surprise are briefly considered.

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: The Lanchester Frame of Reference and Some Key Issues the Tactical at Level

Modelling the Mobile Land Battle: The Lanchester Frame of Reference and Some Key Issues the Tactical at Level

Women in combat: The British and American experience in the gulf war 1991

A wealth of reports, articles, books, and academic material has been and will be written about the Gulf War 1991 A key question military planners will increasingly have to address concerns the status of service‐women Current British govern‐ment policy is to give sexual equality a far higher profile in the Armed Forces. It is in the Army where service personnel are most intimately exposed to danger and destruction that, because of the nature of a land battle, the novel issue of combatant servicewomen is most acute.

Dimensions of Modern Warfare

A reanalysis, with exploratory factor analysis using a varimax rotation, of data from 326 land battles from 321 BC to 1905 AD (published in 1980 by D. K. Simonton) yielded five orthogonal factors.

The future: Armoured warfare

Colonel Daukes discusses the role of armoured forces in the Land Battle of the future. He argues that die changed situation in Europe has necessitated a swing in emphasis away from linear concepts and towards the use of conventional forces, approaching a more fluid operational doctrine. He predicts that armoured forces will be increasingly integrated with other arms and recognises that they will eventually form a part of multinational formations.

The Greening of Africa: breaking through in the battle for land and food by Paul Harrison London, Paladin Grafton Books, 1987, reprinted 1990. Pp. 380. £4.99 paperback.

The Greening of Africa: breaking through in the battle for land and food by Paul Harrison London, Paladin Grafton Books, 1987, reprinted 1990. Pp. 380. £4.99 paperback.