基本説明
Vaubun under Siege is the first systematic comparison of the theory of Vaubanian siegecraft with its reality. Based on a comprehensive inventory of sieges in the War of the Spanish Succession, it describes how both French and Allied military officers rejected this efficiency paradigm and embraced insead vigorous brute force tactics. This early modern cult of the offensive has influenced the Western way of war ever since.
Full Description
Winner of the 2009 Distinguished Book Award of the Society for Military History
Vauban under Siege is the first systematic comparison of the theory of Vaubanian siegecraft with its reality. It places Vauban's siege accomplishments back into their broader context, highlighting his continuation of the quest for ever-greater efficiency pursued by a century of military engineers. Based on a comprehensive inventory of sieges in the War of the Spanish Succession, it describes how both French and Allied military officers rejected this efficiency paradigm and embraced instead vigorous brute force tactics. Ignoring their over-worked and under-compensated engineers at key points, generals chose to save precious campaign time by sacrificing their soldiers' lives in siege after siege. This early modern cult of the offensive has influenced the Western way of war ever since.
Contents
Acknowledgements .. ix
List of Maps, Figures and Tables .. xi
Notes .. xiii
Chapter One: Introduction .. 1
Chapter Two: The Perfect Siege of Ath 1697 .. 21
Chapter Three: Efficiency and the Perfect Siege .. 46
Chapter Four: The Transitional War of the Spanish Succession .. 92
Chapter Five: Implementing the Paradigm Siege .. 123
Chapter Six: Contesting the Paradigm Siege .. 173
Chapter Seven: Vigor: An Alternative Paradigm .. 215
Chapter Eight: Succeeding with Vigor .. 253
Chapter Nine: The Vigorous Future .. 309
Appendices:
Appendix A: Allied Campaign Lengths in Flanders .. 325
Appendix B: Siege Dataset Methodology .. 326
Appendix C: Siege Lengths Dataset .. 340
Appendix D: Non-Siege Positional Tactics .. 348
Appendix E: Length Estimates, Selected Sieges .. 361
Appendix F: Siege Artillery .. 367
Bibliography .. 371
Index .. 383
