Why the Axis Lost: An Analysis of Strategic Errors

by John Arquilla

Overview

The factors leading to the defeat of the Axis Powers in World War II have been debated for decades. One prevalent view is that overwhelming Allied superiority in materials and manpower doomed the Axis. Another holds that key strategic and tactical blunders lost the war--from Hitler halting his panzers outside Dunkirk, allowing more than 300,000 trapped Allied soldiers to escape, to Admiral Yamamoto falling into the trap set by the U.S. Navy at Midway.

Providing a fresh perspective on the war, this study challenges both views and offers an alternative explanation: the Germans, Japanese and Italians made poor design choices in ships, planes, tanks and information security--before and during the war--that forced them to fight with weapons and systems that were too soon outmatched by the Allies. The unprecedented arms race of World War II posed a fundamental "design challenge" the Axis powers sometimes met but never mastered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476639529
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	02/27/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	223
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Arquilla is a distinguished professor of defense analysis at the United States Naval Postgraduate School, located in Monterey, California. He is the author of several books and many articles on a range of topics in military affairs, and has served as adviser to senior leaders in conflicts ranging from Desert Storm to the Kosovo War, as well as in several post-9/11 actions.
John Arquilla is a distinguished professor of defense analysis at the United States Naval Postgraduate School, located in Monterey, California. He is the author of several books and many articles on a range of topics in military affairs, and has served as adviser to senior leaders in conflicts ranging from Desert Storm to the Kosovo War, as well as in several post-9/11 actions.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viii
Foreword by Victor Davis Hanson
Preface
 1. Paths to Victory (or Defeat)
 2. From Versailles to the Vistula
 3. Rising Tide, Early Reverses
 4. At the Flood
 5. Turning Points
 6. The Brink of Catastrophe
 7. Last Chances
 8. Cataclysm
 9. Why the Axis Lost
10. How World War II Still Guides Strategic Design
Chapter Notes
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Arquilla presents an interesting perspective on the war, its progress, and its outcome by emphasizing design. ...recommended”—Choice

From the Publisher