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From: afarkas@phoenix.princeton.edu (Andrew Farkas)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Military Books for beginners
Summary: Liddell-Hart did not influence German Generals
Message-ID: <1991May24.030438.9213@amd.com>
Date: 23 May 91 12:41:18 GMT
References: <1991Apr23.053719.23595@amd.com> <1991May18.051207.11395@amd.com> <1991May23.055320.14751@amd.com>
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From: afarkas@phoenix.princeton.edu (Andrew Farkas)


>>	[Much of the German Blitzkrieg was inspired by Liddell-Hart's
>>	 writings.  After WW II (1948) he interviewed numerous captured
>>	 German Generals as to how things looked from their side of the
>>	 hill, in a book called "The German Generals Talk." ... -CDR]
>

    Beg to differ CDR.  John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago
has put this claim to rest (with a stake through the heart).  This is a
scholarly book, with excellent documentation from Liddell-Hart's papers.
In brief, Mearsheimer shows, "although it is not widely known, he [LH]
abandoned his theory in the mid-1930s and adopted the opposite argument
that even with tanks it was extremely unlikely that an attacker would
succeed on the battle field."  Don't take my word, though interested
parties should see:  John J. Mearsheimer, _Liddell-Hart and the Weight
of History_ (Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1988).  U42 .M38
1988.

   As to the captured generals, the interviews come off as self serving.
In exchange for supplying him with letters that he influenced their
thinking, LH used his influence with British politicos to get the
generals off the hook for war crimes.  Ditto for later Israeli soldiers:
they told (wrote) LH that he was brilliant, he got them acceptance.

Andrew Farkas
Princeton University
AFarkas@PUCC.Princeton.EDU (internet)
AFarkas@PUCC (bitnet)