Innovator Or Imitator: Napoleon's Operational Concepts And The Legacies Of Bourcet And Guibert

Nonfiction, History, Spain & Portugal, France, Military
Cover of the book Innovator Or Imitator: Napoleon's Operational Concepts And The Legacies Of Bourcet And Guibert by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson, Wagram Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lt.-Col James N. Wasson ISBN: 9781782895879
Publisher: Wagram Press Publication: August 15, 2014
Imprint: Wagram Press Language: English
Author: Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
ISBN: 9781782895879
Publisher: Wagram Press
Publication: August 15, 2014
Imprint: Wagram Press
Language: English

In 1805, a new style of operational warfare burst upon the fields of Europe as Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Army swept from the Rhine to the Danube surrounding the Austrian army at Ulm and initiating a revolution in military affairs (RMA) whose effects are still felt today. The question remains whether this new style of warfare was merely a natural outgrowth of the work of 18th century military thinkers, whose theories were imitated by a dynamic leader, or did Napoleon bring something new to warfare, a true innovation in the conduct of operational warfare? This is the central question that this monograph will attempt to answer.
David Chandler maintains that “Napoleon contributed little new.” As we struggle today with the implications of a possible RMA, it is important that we fully understand the forces that caused former RMA’s to occur. For the historian, it is also important that we get our interpretations of past events as correct as possible. Was this a RMA that would have happened with any energetic leader who strictly followed the teachings of Bourcet and Guibert, as a sort of TTP put together by theorists, or did Napoleon take their theories, and meld them with his own ideas to create a new form of warfare and initiate a RMA? Does a true RMA require more than just theories and doctrine, does it require an inquiring mind on the part of the practitioner as well? These questions give relevance to the research question of this monograph.
The monograph concludes that Napoleon did not imitate the two thinkers, and that the RMA initiated by him was more than just an implementation of techniques proposed by theorists. The RMA in 1805 required an imaginative practitioner who could grasp the salient features of theory and put them to use in new ways. To initiate the RMA innovation by the war fighter was required, not mere imitation.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1805, a new style of operational warfare burst upon the fields of Europe as Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Army swept from the Rhine to the Danube surrounding the Austrian army at Ulm and initiating a revolution in military affairs (RMA) whose effects are still felt today. The question remains whether this new style of warfare was merely a natural outgrowth of the work of 18th century military thinkers, whose theories were imitated by a dynamic leader, or did Napoleon bring something new to warfare, a true innovation in the conduct of operational warfare? This is the central question that this monograph will attempt to answer.
David Chandler maintains that “Napoleon contributed little new.” As we struggle today with the implications of a possible RMA, it is important that we fully understand the forces that caused former RMA’s to occur. For the historian, it is also important that we get our interpretations of past events as correct as possible. Was this a RMA that would have happened with any energetic leader who strictly followed the teachings of Bourcet and Guibert, as a sort of TTP put together by theorists, or did Napoleon take their theories, and meld them with his own ideas to create a new form of warfare and initiate a RMA? Does a true RMA require more than just theories and doctrine, does it require an inquiring mind on the part of the practitioner as well? These questions give relevance to the research question of this monograph.
The monograph concludes that Napoleon did not imitate the two thinkers, and that the RMA initiated by him was more than just an implementation of techniques proposed by theorists. The RMA in 1805 required an imaginative practitioner who could grasp the salient features of theory and put them to use in new ways. To initiate the RMA innovation by the war fighter was required, not mere imitation.

More books from Wagram Press

Cover of the book Cavalry in the Waterloo Campaign by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Napoleon's invasion of Russia [Illustrated Edition] by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Reminiscences Of My Military Life From 1795 To 1818 by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Celer et Audax — A Sketch of the Services of the 5th Battalion, 60th Regiment (Rifles) by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Annals Of The Peninsular Campaigns, From 1808 to 1814—Vol. II by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book The Life of John Jervis – Admiral Lord St Vincent by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Napoleon and his Marshals - Vol I by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Light Cavalry Outposts by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Battlefield Integration: Wellington's Use Of Portuguese And Spanish Forces During The 1812 Salamanca Campaign by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Life of Field-Marshal His Grace the Duke of Wellington Vol. I by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Bonaparte In Egypt [Illustrated Edition] by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book History of the War in the Peninsula, under Napoleon - Vol. I by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book History Of The Consulate And The Empire Of France Under Napoleon Vol. VI [Illustrated Edition] by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book A Narrative of Events in the South of France by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
Cover of the book Letters from the Peninsula, 1808-1812, by Lieut.-Gen. Sir William Warre by Lt.-Col James N. Wasson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy