B. H. Liddell Hart: Theorist for the 21st Century
Abstract
This monograph traces the early writings of B. H. LiddelI Hart to establish a basis for evaluating his continuing relevance as a theorist of war. Particular attention is given to that dimension of war now called the operational level. The paper examines Liddell Hart's theoretical, historical, and reform-oriented essays through 1933 with a primary emphasis on theory. The first section of the monograph addresses Liddell Hart's efforts to discover a more economical method of infantry attack, a tactical solution to the trench stalemate of the Western Front of World War I. These efforts led ultimately to the "Man-in-the-DarK" Theory of War and the "Expanding Torrent" System of Infantry Attack. The former was a conceptual description of combat based on the idea of two men fighting in a dark room. The latter was a system designed to collapse a defensive zone by the cumulative effect of multiple combats by units platoon-sized and larger. During this period, Liddell Hart drew conclusions that were to remain with him throughout his life. The first was the idea that all combat can be broken down into two components, guarding and hitting. The second was the idea that the fundamental law of war is the law of economy of force. In 1922, Liddell Hart began his speculations about what was to be known as mechanized warfare. This was joined in 1924 with inquiry into the nature of war itself. These two streams of thought, formed by ideas drawn from historical research and the observations of a working journalist, merged into what has become known as the theory of the indirect approach. The second and third sections of the monograph trace the evolution of these ideas and examine the epistemology of Liddell Hart's theories. The study concludes that Liddell Hart's writings are internally coherent and generally consistent with experience, notwithstanding some very superficial reading of Clausewitz, and sometimes of history.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 20, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA596718
Entities
People
- Richard M. Swain
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College