The Tao of Deception: Unorthodox Warfare in Historic and Modern China Review

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The Tao of Deception: Unorthodox Warfare in Historic and Modern China Review"The Tao of Deception" looks into the history of Chinese military strategy. Basically, each chapter covers a period of Chinese history or a reinterpretation of previous theory through the events of the period discussed. Of course everyone is familiar with Sun Tzu and this book covers his basic thoughts as well. What I appreciated about this book was that it also cover much more obscure (to Westerners anyway) military thinkers as well, which gives a much more complete overview of Chinese military thought than just looking at the theories of Sun Tzu alone.
The particular strength of this book is that it is not just a book of theory. It provides many historical expamples of battles in which the generals executed the strategies discussed. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of this book.
The final chapter introduces how a modern Chinese military could apply these tactics and strategies in a conflict with America. I won't spoil any of the surprising possibilities, but it would be a good idea for American military planners to take a careful look at this book.
Overall it is a great read. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five stars is that there are no maps to go along with the historical battles, so if you're not familiar with the battles mentioned, then it will be much harder to follow them. I found the discussion on the battles of the Three Kingdoms period to be fascinating because I am already familiar with those battles and can visualize them easily. However, when battles of other periods were discussed, I found it to be more difficult to visualize. If you're not bothered by the lack of maps, go ahead and get this. Also, I would recommend this if you will be doing business in China.The Tao of Deception: Unorthodox Warfare in Historic and Modern China OverviewThe history of China is a history of warfare. Wars have caused dynasties to collapse, fractured the thin façade of national unity, and brought decades of alien occupation. But throughout Chinese history, its warfare has been guided by principles different from those that governed Europe. Chinese strategists followed the concept, first articulated by Sun-tzu in The Art of War, of qi (ch'i), or unorthodox, warfare. The concept of qi involves creating tactical imbalances in order to achieve victory against even vastly superior forces. Ralph D. Sawyer, translator of The Art of War and one of America's preeminent experts on Chinese military tactics, here offers a comprehensive guide to the ancient practice of unorthodox warfare. He describes, among many other tactics, how Chinese generals have used false rumors to exploit opposing generals' distrust of their subordinates; dressed thousands of women as soldiers to create the illusion of an elite attack force; and sent word of a false surrender to lure enemy troops away from a vital escape route. The Tao of Deception is the book that military tacticians and military historians will turn to as the definitive guide to a new, yet ancient, way of thinking about strategy.

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Operation Broken Reed: Truman's Secret North Korean Spy Mission That Averted World War III Review

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Operation Broken Reed: Truman's Secret North Korean Spy Mission That Averted World War III ReviewFour-five years back I read a terrific book, "The Secrets of Inchon: The Untold Story of the Most Daring Covert Mission of the Korean War," by Eugene Franklin Clark. I blogged about it Sept. 15 of last year. It is the first-person account of a secret, commando-like mission at Inchon that helped turn the tide of the war in favor of the U.N. side. Clark at the time was a Navy lieutenant who at 39 was "getting a little old for the commando game." The book is the record of his two-week adventure--a hair-raising reconnaissance strikes, night raids, firefights, a blazing naval battle between Chinese sailing junks--among the islands and mudlfats of the communist-held Seoul-Inchon harbor area. Clark wrote it in the 1950s, intending it not for publication but as a keepsake for his wife and children and as a personal memorial to the Korean men and women who fought and in many cases died to help him accomplish his mission. The manuscript lay in a safe deposit box for decades and only came to light because historian and novelist Thomas Fleming happened to come across it in doing research for an article about Clark's exploits.
Now I have found another such book, "Operation Broken Reed: Truman's Secret North Korean Spy Mission That Averted World War III" (Carroll & Graf), similar to it in secretiveness and amazing events. Written (extremely well) by its central character, Lt. Col. Arthur L. Boyd (Ret.), and published in October 2007, it is the story of Boyd's participation as a 20-something Army Signal Corps lieutenant in a super-secret mission in North Korea in January 1952. Written as a compelling narrative rather than as a journal-like chronicle, there is so much about it that I like. The astonishing mission of course, but beyond that Boyd manages to give some flavor of the times and an understanding of his personal circumstances (married with a family). It has tension and a palpable sense of danger, and even touches of humor.
Operation Broken Reed had been authorized at the highest of high levels--President Harry Truman. Only he and his closest advisers, and the bare minimum of lower echelon people needed to get it prepared and in operation, knew of it. The little intelligence on the enemy that Truman had been getting was all but worthless. So a 10-man team of Army Rangers, Navy frogmen, Air Force officers and CIA operatives was landed by submarine into North Korea to collect intelligence on enemy capabilities and intentions to help Truman decide whether to escalate the war or work for a truce. They were accompanied by Nationalist Chinese from Formosa/Taiwan posing as Communist Chinese who supposedly had captured the team from a downed American airplane and were escorting them to captivity.
Boyd was selected for the mission because he was a highly qualified Morse code radio operator, was trained and experienced in cryptography, and had a top-secret security clearance. He was to transmit information the team gathered to aircraft over the Sea of Japan. Discovered and ambushed, seven of the team were killed, leaving Boyd alive with two grievously wounded men whom he believes may have died later. In a desperate flight, the wounded reached their rendezvous point and were rescued by an Air Force helicopter that had been called in by a Royal Navy warship that spotted their distress light signal.
Here's the rub: There are no records, transcripts, or other evidence of the operation. Everyone on the mission went under an assumed name (Boyd was "Sergeant Michael Lavern Baker, U.S. Air Force, B-29 radio operator"). Boyd is the only known survivor. He was sworn to secrecy until 1998. Troubled all his life by memories of the brave comrades killed, he decided to write the book to honor their memories.
That is the story Boyd tells. Some readers will consider it to be literally incredible--that is, untrue, incapable of credibility--because of the lack of any corroborating evidence. This is understandable. All I can say is that, as a person with more than a passing interest in and knowledge of the Korean War, I find it to be at the very least highly plausible. I find it to be at the very least highly plausible. Abundant circumstantial evidence held by Boyd and historical evidence enumerated within the book's afterword by Jay T. Young, a former CIA senior military analyst, give great credence to the mission's authenticity. Boyd, now 81, has made a plea for anyone having knowledge or evidence of the mission to come forward and make it publicly known.Operation Broken Reed: Truman's Secret North Korean Spy Mission That Averted World War III Overview

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Battle for Europe: How the Duke of Marlborough Masterminded the Defeat of the French at Blenheim Review

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Battle for Europe: How the Duke of Marlborough Masterminded the Defeat of the French at Blenheim ReviewI had noticed this book while picking through works on the War of Spanish Succession here on amazon and I placed it on my Christmas list. I was surprised to open it and began reading it on Christmas day and couldn't put it down. I finished it the next day after reading through the night.
Spencer pens an amazing book that is said to concern the 1704 Battle of Blenheim in Bavaria. Instead, the book deals with a period of history of approximately 1670-1705, the time in world history where empires were rising and falling and what could be termed as the "calm between the storms" of the Reformation and Enlightenment. Spencer weaves and intricate and flowing tale of the great clash of arms between the marshalls of Louis XIV and the Duke of Marlborough, backing the narrative of the war and the battle with political intrigues, explanations of 18th century warfare, and a look at the three major characters of the book, the Duke, Louis XIV, and Prince Eugene of Savoy.
All in all, this book is an excellent first work from Spencer and I fervently await subsequent books.Battle for Europe: How the Duke of Marlborough Masterminded the Defeat of the French at Blenheim OverviewA compelling history of the bloody battle that ended Louis XIV's dream of European domination and changed the course of history
"Had it not been for Blenheim, all Europe might at this day suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and those of the Romans in durability."-Sir Edward Creasy, The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World
In 1704, the armies of the French king Louis XIV, undefeated for two generations, were poised to extend the French frontiers to the Rhine and install a French prince on the Spanish throne.But as French forces marched toward Vienna, allied armies under the command of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugène of Savoy set out to oppose them. The two forces met at Blenheim, in Bavaria, and the French were utterly defeated, ending France's dream of European domination. Based on original sources, this page-turning narrative brings the battle to life, effortlessly moving from the deliberations of kings to the travails of the common foot soldier.
"Thoughtful, interesting, and well-written. . . . Spencer recovers an approach and authorial voice associated with Winston Churchill, whom indeed he quotes effectively and appropriately. . . . From the excellent scene-setting of the Prologue to the effective battle descriptions, which ably draw on the memoirs of the participants, Charles Spencer successfully combines narrative with analysis."-The Sunday Telegraph
"A remarkable debut . . . not to be missed."-Evening Standard
"Charles Spencer explores the decisive battle of Blenheim, the campaign that broke Louis XIV's domination of Europe and established the enduring reputation of the British redcoat . . . in this compelling, page-turning narrative . . . of a battle that changed the destiny of Europe."-Soldier

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Fighting Techniques of the Colonial Era: 1776--1914 Equipment, Combat Skills and Tactics Review

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Fighting Techniques of the Colonial Era: 1776--1914 Equipment, Combat Skills and Tactics ReviewThis book was not quite what I had expected. I thought it would spend more time on the American Revolution, but it did not. On second look, I found that the book was well written and covered the period found in the title in a good way. The book broadened my scope of knowledge about this time period and I am very satisfied with my purchase.Fighting Techniques of the Colonial Era: 1776--1914 Equipment, Combat Skills and Tactics OverviewAn essential guide for military buffs and a comprehensive re - source for a transitional period in military history, Fighting Techniques of the Colonial Age shows in detail the methods by which European armies gained and lost ascendancy on the battlefields of the colonial era.

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