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Carrying the War to the Enemy
American Operational Art to 1945
Published by: University of Oklahoma Press
Imprint: University of Oklahoma Press
360 Pages | 6 x 9 | 15 b&w illus., 8 maps, 16 figu
$24.95
Michael R. Matheny believes previous studies have not appreciated the evolution of U.S. military thinking at the operational level. Although they may rightly point to the U.S. Army's failure to modernize or develop a sophisticated combined arms doctrine during the interwar years, they focus too much on technology or tactical doctrine. In his revealing account, Matheny shows that it was at the operational level, particularly in mounting joint and combined operations, that senior American commanders excelled—and laid a foundation for their country's victory in World War II.
Matheny draws on archival materials from military educational institutions, planning documents, and operational records of World War II campaigns. Examining in detail the development of American operational art as land, sea, and air power matured in the twentieth century, he shows that, contrary to conventional wisdom, U.S. war colleges educated and trained commanders during the interwar years specifically for the operational art they employed in World War II.
After 1945, in the face of nuclear warfare, the American military largely abandoned operational art. But since the Vietnam War, U.S. commanders have found operational art increasingly important as they pursue modern global and expeditionary warfare requiring coordination among multiple service branches and the forces of allied countries.
Michael R. Matheny retired after 30 years with the U.S. Army to earn a Ph.D. in military history and join the faculty of the Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations at the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Matheny fills a vacuum in military historiography with this book, while reminding us that great victories are not won by accident.”—Military History