What We Can Learn From World War II (VDH's Second World Wars)

freebeacon.com ^ | Matthew Continetti

[RoosterRedux]

While visiting Hillsdale College this week, I was unexpectedly bequeathed a gift. When I arrived at the house where I am staying I discovered on the buffet table in the kitchen a small collection of books on military history, grand strategy, and World War II. Among them was the bound galley of Victor Davis Hanson's The Second World Wars, published Tuesday by Basic Books. Having heard advance praise for the book, I picked up the hefty galley. I have not put it down since.

*snip*

Victor Davis Hanson's history is thematic. The war is dissected into its constituent parts, allowing the historian to examine at length aspects of the conflict that would be given short shrift in a narrative account. What is remarkable is that despite the absence of a traditional storyline the reader's attention never flags. Indeed, I have learned more in a few days with this dog-eared galley than I have in a lifetime of interest in World War II.

*snip*

Another pertinent theme of this book is the grandeur and fragility of deterrence. "Throughout history," Hanson writes, "conflict had always broken out between enemies when the appearance of deterrence—the material and spiritual likelihood of using greater military power successfully against an aggressive enemy—vanished." We often think of deterrence in quantitative terms, as a function of how many missiles we have, how many troops in uniform, how many carriers or submarines or Global Hawks, how many artillery batteries are deployed across the DMZ. But note that Hanson places equal weight on the invisible aspects of deterrence, on a nation's fighting spirit.

[x1stcav]

>But note that Hanson places equal weight on the invisible aspects of deterrence, on a nation’s fighting spirit.<

We, as a country, are so screwed.

[RoosterRedux]

That’s exactly what I thought when I read that statement.

[odawg]

Don’t confuse the fighting spirit of George W Bush’s “governing class” with the fighting spirit of the general population.

[2banana]

We should have let the Germans keep France?

[Badboo]

60-70% of the young are now ineligible to meet basic admission requirements of the Armed Forces. Too fat, too stupid, too criminal, too much dope and drugs, too many convictions.

There is no fighting spirit if the flesh can’t perform.

We can’t win a major engagement with boots on the ground. Our only hope is tech superiority, and that doesn’t work in all cases.

[Ancesthntr]

The basic formula for determining a nation’s power is as follows:

Power = Capabilities x Will

If “Will” = 0, or is a very low number, all of the capabilities in the world are just about useless.

IMHO, a nation’s will depends upon its people both knowing and appreciating its history, culture and system of government. If you don’t know why you want to defend your nation, you simply won’t. Looking at the numbers of young people who simply don’t give a damn, and the ignorance underlying that attitude, it is obvious that the Fabians have scored a major victory. Whether that victory is permanent or not is up to us to decide - societies HAVE renewed themselves in the past, and it is not impossible for us to do the same.

[bitt]

vdh ping

[matthew fuller]

Thanks for the ping!