Intelligence in War - John Keegan  


Another one down. Only forty some left. 

Keegan's Intelligence in War (when I bought it, the bookseller said "Is there any?" nyuck nyuck) has got some ripping yarns inside. When I tried to read Keegan's First World War, I got bogged down in the trenches and deserted. My short attention span liked the case studies Keegan presents on the use of information and lack of it in several military operations. Several episodes stand out - Nelson taking off from Alexandria the day before Napoleon's fleet arrives, the German cruiser Emden generating havoc with honor in the Indian Ocean, and the unlikely turn of events that resulted in Midway. Unfortunately, what makes a good story doesn't always lead to a cohesive theme. Keegan's point - intelligence is just a factor in a battle, and rarely an important one - isn't honed to a fine enough point. He briefly mentions Cold War espionage in the mess of the last chapter, and tries to correlate British colonial rule to the War on Terror. I see the new edition has "Al Queda" mentioned in the subtitle (my paperback has OBL's mugshot lined up Hitler and Napolen on the cover), but he makes a weak case that his thesis can be transferred from the traditional battlefield to fighting international terrorism. He also mentions his belief that Saddam had WMDs but was really good at hiding them, since he hid the scud launchers (just like the Germans his the V-2 launchers in WW2). I'm sorry, but I believe there is a difference between the ensconcing the manufacture of bio- or chemo weapons and a truck that totes a missle around.
Despite the great stories, the last chapter is really a mess. (And it comes right after the truly curious chapter on the Falklands. Closer than I was led to believe at the time.)

I dipped into the Boyd book last night. So far, it is starting like most biographies start (funeral of the hero introduction, followed by family history first chapter.) 

Posted: Wed - February 23, 2005 at 06:10 PM           |

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