For centuries, the world has witnessed the development and use of increasingly complex and powerful military systems and technologies. In the process, the "art of war" has truly become the art of combined arms warfare, in which infantry, artillery, air support, intelligence, and other key elements are all coordinated for maximum effect. Nowhere has this trend been more visible than in the history of twentieth-century warfare. Originally published as an essential "in-house" study for U.S. Army officers during the 1980s, this much revised and expanded edition remains the most complete study available on the subject. Rewritten with a much wider readership in mind, it both retains its enormous practical utility for military professionals and provides a valuable and appealing introduction for scholars and general readers. Jonathan House, author of the original work, brings the story of combined arms up to the present, covering among other things Desert Storm, the war in Chechnya, and the rise of "smart weapons" and related technologies. He traces the evolution of tactics, weapons, and organization in five major militaries-American, British, German, Russian, and French-over 100 years of warfare. Revealing both continuities and contrasts within and between these fighting forces, he also provides illuminating glimpses of Israeli and Japanese contributions to combined arms doctrine. Expanding his insightful analysis of the world wars and the wars in Korea and Vietnam, House also offers much new material focused on the post-Vietnam period. Throughout, he analyzes such issues as command-and-control, problems of highly centralized organizations, the development of special operations forces, advances in weapons technology-including ballistic and anti-ballistic missile systems-the trade-offs involved in using "heavy" versus "light" armed forces, and the enduring obstacles to effective cooperation between air and land forces. His strong critique of the "air superiority" propaganda that came out of the Gulf War is sure to spark some heated debates. Rigorously comparative, House's study addresses significant questions about how nations prepare for war, learn or don't learn its harsh lessons, and adapt to changing times and technologies. Unique in the annals of the literature on warfare, it will be the standard work on this subject for a long time to come.

Rev. ed. of: Toward combined arms warfare / Jonathan M. House. 1985. Rev. ed. of: Towards combined arms warfare / Jonathan M. House. 1985. Includes maps of: Battle of Cambrai, 20-30 November 1917; Second Battle of Armageddon, 19-24 September 1918; Maginot Line and the 1940 Campaign; Khalkin-Gol, 20-31 August 1939; Sidi Barrani, December 1940; Prokhorovka Action, Battle of Kursk, July 1943; Sidi Bou Zid-Kasserine Pass, February 1943; Battle of Ormoc Valley, November-December 1944; Imphal-Kohima, March-April 1944; Operation Lam Son 719, February-March 1971; 7th Israeli Armored Brigade at Abu Agheila, 1956; 1973 War - Sinai; 1973 War - Golan Heights; Soviet Search and Destroy Operation, Xadighar Canyon, 1986; Battle of Goose Green, 1982; Battle of 73 Easting, 1991.

Preface -- Symbols and terms -- Introduction / Part I. The triumph of firepower, 1871-1939. The Mexican Punitive Expedition, 1916 -- Prologue to 1914 -- World War I -- The Interwar Period -- Conclusion / Part II. Total war, 1939-1945. The defense of St. Vith, 1944 -- The Axis advance, 1939-1942 -- Allied response and armored clashes -- The complexity of modern warfare, 1943-1945 -- Conclusion / Part III. Hot wars and cold, 1945-1999. Task Force Smith, 1950 -- "Limited" warfare, 1945-1973 -- Combined arms, 1973-1990 -- War in the 1990s -- Conclusion / Appendix: terms and acronyms.