Fee Download The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor
Reviewing the e-book The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor by on the internet could be also done effortlessly every where you are. It seems that waiting the bus on the shelter, waiting the checklist for line up, or various other places feasible. This The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor can accompany you because time. It will not make you feel bored. Besides, this way will additionally enhance your life high quality.
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor
Fee Download The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor
Checking out a book The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor is kind of easy activity to do every time you desire. Even reading every single time you want, this activity will not disturb your various other activities; lots of people commonly read the publications The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor when they are having the extra time. What regarding you? What do you do when having the extra time? Do not you spend for pointless points? This is why you should obtain guide The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor and also aim to have reading practice. Reviewing this publication The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor will certainly not make you pointless. It will certainly offer a lot more perks.
When some people taking a look at you while reviewing The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor, you could really feel so honored. However, rather than other individuals feels you must instil in on your own that you are reading The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor not due to that factors. Reading this The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor will certainly give you greater than people appreciate. It will certainly guide to know greater than individuals staring at you. Already, there are several resources to understanding, checking out a publication The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor still becomes the front runner as a fantastic way.
Why should be reading The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor Again, it will rely on exactly how you feel and also think about it. It is certainly that one of the perk to take when reading this The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor; you can take much more lessons straight. Even you have not undertaken it in your life; you could gain the experience by checking out The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor And also now, we will certainly introduce you with the online publication The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor in this website.
What type of publication The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor you will favor to? Now, you will not take the published publication. It is your time to get soft data book The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor instead the published records. You can enjoy this soft documents The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor in at any time you expect. Even it remains in expected area as the various other do, you can review the book The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor in your device. Or if you desire more, you could keep reading your computer system or laptop computer to get full display leading. Juts discover it here by downloading and install the soft file The Generals' War : The Inside Story Of The Conflict In The Gulf, By Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor in link page.
Michael R. Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor provide a definitive, behind-the-scenes account and anaylsis of the planning and execution of the Gulf War. While one war was being waged against Iraq, another was being fought among the generals themselves. "The Generals' War" offers unvarnished portraits of the top military commanders, challenges the performances of Powell, Schwarzkopf, and their generals, and provides disturbing information about the power struggles within the American high command. Using previously undisclosed military documents, "The Generals' War" goes beyond what happened to explain why and how, exploding myths that have crept into other accounts of the war.
- Sales Rank: #542137 in Books
- Published on: 1995-11-09
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.25" h x 1.38" w x 6.00" l, 1.55 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 576 pages
From Publishers Weekly
Drawing on interviews with senior officials and newly declassified documents, Gordon and Trainor provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Gulf War's generalship. The dominant figure, then-chairman of the joint chiefs General Colin Powell, is spotlighted as a politico-military maestro overseeing the dawn of a new era in military technology. In their review of the short, violent, one-sided war, the authors uncover the problems of cooperation among coalition forces and reveal details of interservice tensions, as well as difficulties within the U.S. branches themselves. This meticulous reconstruction of American leadership in Desert Shield/Desert Storm presents the conflict as a laboratory for testing new weapons and doctrine and the services' capacity for cooperation in the field. It also serves as an object lesson in the failure of deterrence and the problem of war termination, with a discussion of President Bush's premature cease-fire order. Gordon is chief New York Times Pentagon correspondent; Trainor is military columnist for the Times. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
If the Vietnam War was conducted by politicians in Washington, the war for Kuwait was, according to New York Times correspondent Gordon and retired general Trainor, our "generals' war." The authors astutely conclude that President Bush understood what his predecessors never did. Neither Johnson nor Nixon, nor for that matter National Security Council adviser Henry Kissinger, allowed the military to wage a winning war. The lesson was well learned by the savvy Gen. Colin Powell, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who directed his subordinates to lash out against the Iraqis with everything we had save for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Kuwait was not Vietnam, however, and the unmotivated Iraqis were not the Vietcong. Aggrandized as "the world's fourth largest military," the enemy fizzled away within hours when confronted with the world's premier military force. Thus, it came as no surprise that Washington won the battle, but with Saddam Hussein still in power four years after hostilities ended, has it won the war? This cogent analysis provides several disturbing answers worthy of our attention. Recommended for informed lay readers and specialists.
Joseph A. Kechichian, Rand Corp., Santa Monica, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
This inside view of the battle between high U.S. command officers in the conflict with Iraq is a fascinating and sustained analysis of the friction that takes place in real warfare. Writer Gordon teams with retired Marine general Bernard Trainor to record the struggles of the generals of the combined services in their endeavor to plan and execute the massive 500,000-troop movement that achieved the short and stunning victory over Iraqi forces. An important question is posed: Why didn't the generals press on to dismantle the Republican Guard of Saddam Hussein, and what were the consequences of their decision against such an act? The Air Force strategy called for constant precision bombing in the heart of Baghdad. Over 30 days of bombing weakened but did not finish off the enemy. The land attack, whose success was clearly foreshadowed, was concluded too soon and allowed Hussein to keep the Republican Guard intact. The authors believe that the cautious philosophy of General Colin Powell and the eagerness of General Norman Schwarzkopf to get out with an Army victory, combined with the decision of President Bush and his advisers, led to the unfortunate staying power of Saddam Hussein. The final conclusion is undeniable--the gate had not been closed in Iraq, and this book explains why. Eugene Sullivan
Most helpful customer reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Well-documented, slightly biased history of Gulf War
By A Customer
The authors provide interesting, behind-the-scenes accounts of the political and military players in this war, based on many interviews. What unfolds is far different from what was said publicly at the time.
Occasionally, the New York Times reporter's and the retired Marine's apparent biases show through, detracting from an otherwise very good book. They seem to blame President Reagan's administration for not buying mine-clearing equipment for the Marines and the Navy, but then blame the Air Force--and not the administration--for using its money to buy items other than the latest survival radios for its aircrews. They also inaccurately claim that the Air Force developed a new doctrine for this war where they would be in charge of all theater airpower (a doctrinal concept developed by them during the North African campaign in World War II) and that the Strategic Air Command had controlled the B-52s deployed to Southeast Asia during the Viet Nam War (they actually were operationally controlled by the Theater), as well as a few other inaccurate items regarding the Air Force. It became rather apparent that all Services that were not Marines (and to a lesser extent, Navy) were denigrated. An example is their claim that the Air Force required that friendly aircraft obtain two means to verify an unknown aircraft's identification before firing on it in order to hold down the Navy's 'kill' rate (since the Navy had not invested in the systems to install two separate means of identification on each of their aircraft, they needed to contact the AWACS to obtain the second means). The Viet Nam War demonstrated this requirement and for whatever reason, the Navy had not addressed it in the interim--which the authors evidently refused to say.
After summarizing what the politicians and military should do differently next time (after acknowledging that the media's outcry that the military had created killing zones north of Kuwait City partially caused the premature ending of the war), they also conveniently omitted a recommendation on what the media should do differently.
Although the items cited above and a few similar ones throughout the book are distracting and cast some doubt on the entire book, their documented sources were sufficient (approximately one per page) to make them generally believable.
I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to know what occurred behind the scenes, with a caution that it should be read critically and not be used as the reader's only source.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful.
A detailed and hard-hitting account of the Gulf War
By Michael J. Mazza
In "The Generals' War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf," Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor have crafted a fascinating work of military history. As the title indicates, the book places a heavy emphasis on the actions of the senior military officers involved in the planning and execution of the U.S.-led coalition's 1991 war against Iraq. In the preface, the authors note that this conflict "is without precedent in the annals of warfare. It was the dawn of a new era" (page x).
In their acknowledgements section, the authors discuss in detail the research that went into the writing of this book. They note that they interviewed administration officials, diplomats, allied military officers, and intelligence experts; they observe further that some "talked on the record; others on a not-for-attribution basis." They also drew on written responses that former president George Bush provided to their questions. Their research is meticulously documented in a lengthy set of endnotes (pages 479-520), thus enhancing the book's credibility. The text is further enhanced by thirteen detailed and clearly drawn maps that illuminate many aspects of the war: the Iraqi air defense system, coalition force deployment and movement, locations of oil fields, and more. Also included are photographs of many of the senior leaders involved in the war.
The book is full of fascinating details about many aspects of the war. The authors discuss the participation of various coalition forces in the campaign, as well as the diplomatic activities involving the USSR, Egypt, and other nations. Also discussed are friendly fire incidents and Iraqi POWs. I was particularly interested in the many details about the military hardware used by both coalition and Iraqi forces; the authors cover aircraft, naval vessels, sea and land mines, mine-clearing gear, tanks, and more. There are some really noteworthy battle scenes; particularly vivid is a description of a tank battle between U.S. and Iraqi forces--"an impressive tableau of destruction."
Gordon and Trainor are pointedly critical of many aspects of the conduct of the war. They discuss examples of rivalry and poor coordination between the different branches of the U.S. military, and also criticize the French and the Saudis. But the strongest and most sustained criticism is directed at General Norman Schwarzkopf. The authors assess both his command style and planning of the war and ultimately fault him for failing to achieve true joint warfare. The book places a heavy emphasis on the battle of Khafji; the authors discuss this engagement in detail and criticize both Schwarzkopf and General Colin Powell for failing to grasp its lessons.
Gordon and Trainor note that the Persian Gulf War was "a laboratory for the American military's new weapons and fighting doctrines." This well-written book vividly shows how hardware, tactics, diplomatic concerns, and personalities came together in the fighting of this war. This is a valuable addition to the military history of the late 20th century.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
A Good Companion Piece to "Crusade"
By A Customer
This is the third book that I, a veteran of Desert Shield and Storm, have read about the Gulf War. I agree with the previous reviewers' comments that the book is judgmental (sometimes on peripheral issues). However, "judgmental" is not always a dirty word. The bottom line is that we failed to destroy the Republican Guard. Failing to do so made Saddam's survival much less problematic (see "Out of the Ashes" by the Cockburns for a good account of Hussein's astonishing resilience.
I also thought the argument about the battle of Khafji was intriguing. I didn't think it at the time, but our victory there should have told us we would roll over the Iraqis and that VII Corps' plans for a long campaign were unrealistic.
But as they say...
the saddest words of tongue or pen, are the words 'it might have been.'
See all 30 customer reviews...
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor PDF
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor EPub
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor Doc
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor iBooks
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor rtf
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor Mobipocket
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor Kindle
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor PDF
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor PDF
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor PDF
The Generals' War : The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf, by Michael R. Gordon, General Bernard E. Trainor PDF
