Quest for Decisive Victory

Robert M. Citino is professor of history at Eastern Michigan University and, during 2008-2009, holds the Charles Boal Ewing Chair of Military History at West Point. His books include Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm, The German Way of War, and Death of the Wehrmacht (see page 41).

In this work a master scholar addresses a controversial subject in an unconventional time frame. Instead of accepting World War I as a watershed in modern warfare, Citino makes a strong case for the continuity of military thought and action from the turn of the century to 1940.... Well reasoned and well presented, Citino's arguments cannot be dismissed. - Journal of Military History ""A fascinating and challenging book that should be welcomed and applauded by twentieth-century military historians."" - War in History ""In this important book, Citino examines warfare from the Boer War to the Nazis' defeat of France in 1940 through the crucial prism of 'operational art' - essentially, the task of turning battlefield tactical success into sustained, decisive victory. This volume succeeds at many levels: it is an erudite summary of some of history's most complex military campaigns, and, more importantly, it ties together these operations in a coherent way that illustrates why warfare evolved as it did and explains how these events have often been incompletely understood. Specialists will be engaged by Citino's treatment, especially his rather curt evaluation of Russia's role in the development of operational art, but this volume will also be of great use for the nonspecialist seeking a coherent interpretation of this period. Highly recommended for all readers and all collections."" - Choice