In the tradition of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Leebaert tells the stories of small forces that have triumphed over vastly larger ones and changed the course of history -- from the Trojan Horse to Al Qaeda. Maps and charts.

Originally published: New York : Little Brown, 2006. Pacific Command Reading List

Who dares wins: Special operations, special forces, special targets -- Even Troy must fall: Hidden ways, from the wooden horse to the rise of Macedon ca. 1200 to ca. 400 B.C. -- Birth of world power: Longer reach, from Alexander to the barbarian invasions of Rome, ca. 356 B.C. to fifth century A.D. -- Terrible few: Cracks in the edifice, from the fall of Rome to the fading of the feudal order, 476-1300 -- Great wheel turns: When nothing else works in a time of gunpowder, learning, and engineering, 1300-1500 -- War of the worlds: When only a few could go, Aztecs and Incas meet the Conquistadors, 1500-1600 -- No peace beyond the line: Naval special warfare, pirates, buccaneers, and the imperialists they preyed on, 1522-1689 -- Hazard of the new fortunes: Specialization and enterprise, Europe from the westward discovery to the zenith of the sun king, 1492-1701 -- Old world and the new: Point of the lance in Europe, India, and North America, 1700-1775 -- To try men's souls: Continent to make and few to do it, the American Revolution and its enemies, 1775-1807 -- Fate of glory: Special operations in the biggest war yet, the French Revolution and its aftermaths, 1789-1830 -- New frontiers: Where special talents apply, National revolt and global ambition, 1830-1861 -- Strange fulfillments: Newer tasks for the daring few as steam and machinery transform the struggle, 1861-1902 -- From spark to flame: Alternative means, Kitty Hawk to the end of all wars, 1903-1918 -- Sinister twilight: Dangerous young men, the unreal peace, 1919-1939 -- So far, the main event: Anything goes, the stakes of totalitarian conquest, 1939-1945 -- Dawn like thunder: Here to stay, new strengths, new dangers, 1945-1961 -- Invasion from the future: From both sides now, 1961-2010.