RAN Reading List
General Military History
Battle, A History of Combat and Culture
by John A. Lynn
published by Westview Press, Boulder Colorado, 2003
Battle compares the discourses on war with the reality of war, in a kaleidoscopic journey through time from the classical Greeks to the terrorism of the 21st century. In rejecting the concept of a 'Western way of war', Lynn examines the philosophical discourses that influence how wars were both perceived and fought across the globe. He compares ancient Chinese and Indian texts on warfare that emphasise stratagems and exhausting an enemy rather than fighting toe-to-toe in battle, with the Roman practice that espouses battle averse campaigning typified by manoeuvre, stratagem and siege. Earlier in their histories the Chinese and Indian sources suggest battles were highly conventional and ritualised, with similar characteristics found in Greek polis warfare. Western warfare also reflects its temporal cultural setting, with chivalry in the Medieval arena, linear warfare during the Enlightenment, and the Romantic visions of decisive battle during the 19th century. Lynn sees Clausewitz as a man of his times, a time of 'military Romanticism' and hence he suggests that the ideas in On War are neither timeless nor universally insightful. Race and military culture in the 1941-45 Pacific War raises a number of important issues including the escalation of violence leading to the use of atomic weapons against Japan, as well as evidence of hatred by both United States and Japanese forces. The level of race hatred by Australians during the Pacific War remains largely uninvestigated, and it suggests itself as a rewarding area for future research. Lynn's discussion of the Egyptian victory crossing the Suez Canal at the beginning of the 1973 October War offers evidence that doctrine and culture must coincide to be effective. The decision to fight a battle of attrition against the Israelis offers a cautionary tale to those who might believe in manoeuvre warfare as a panacea. Battle concludes with a plea for greater understanding of terrorism and a cultural redefinition that will reshape the current discourse on war. Lynn observes that 'proper action begins with proper ideas; the discourse becomes parent to action'.
