7 classics on warfare?

[Jody Holeton]

Dear all,


I just read Soulend's reply to my Ashida Kim post (God blessem! Can I still say that?).



Is it 7 "Chinese" classics or did I miss something on this forum?

I'm thinking

The Prince

anything by Von Claustewitz

The Art of War

what else?

The Book of 5 Rings?
The Hagekure?

What else?

[Soulend]

Hi Jody. I was referring in that post to the seven Chinese classics, arguably written between 500 B.C. and 700 A.D. :

1. The T'ai Kung's six secret teachings
2. Methods of the Ssu-Ma
3. Art of War
4. Wu-Tzu
5. Wei Liao-Tzu
6. Three strategies of Huang Shih-Kung
7. Questions and replies between T'and T'ai-Tsung and Li Wei-Kung

But there are a lot of really good 'modern' treatises as well. To your list, off the top of my head, I would add Rommels 'Attacks', Mao Tse-tung's ' On Guerilla Warfare', 'The Art of Maneuver : Maneuver-Warfare Theory and Airland Battle' by Robert Leonhard, 'Panzer Battles' by MajGen Von Mellinthin, and 'The River War: An Account of the Re-Conquest of the Soudan' by Winston Churchill.

[knotwell]

Paul K. Davis' "100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present"

The paperback version is affordable.

[Soulend]

How come this thread was posted in the NHB&G? Expecting some really heated discussion on the tactics of Montgomery vs. what Von Clausewitz espoused Jody?

[Jody Holeton]

Dear Soulend,


I like to keep my bases covered

ANything else you would recommend that I read? Nowadays I have alot of free time....

[Soulend]

"Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age"
by Peter Paret (a series of essays) is good, as is "Napoleon on the Art of War" by Jay Luvaas. One I'm really looking forward to reading is "Japanese Art of War: Understanding the Culture of Strategy" by Thomas Cleary..don't have this one yet.

[AmerROSS]

Go to Belisarius.com and read the works of the late Col. John Boyd. From ancient (Sun Tzu), to classical (Clausewitz) to contemporary (Boyd), many believe the evolution of moral conflict develops. My research inadvertently developed in this fashion over the years. Read Boyd's critique on Clausewitz (Patterns of Conflict, Boyd on Clausewitz, Essence of Moral Conflict, Moral Conflict Expanded, Modified Moral Conflict - just do a search for moral conflict at belisarius), and read the document contrasting Sun Tzu with Clausewitz and Boyd entitled:

"The Swift, Elusive Sword"

Regards,
Scott Sonnon
RMAX Performance Solutions