Found in 3 comments on Hacker News
hangonhn · 2014-08-21
· Original
thread
If you're interested in topics like this, check out Paul Kennedy's "Engineers of Victory". It basically talks about how the road to victory in WWII were a number of operational and technological challenges that needed to be solved.
http://www.amazon.com/Engineers-Victory-Problem-Solvers-Turn...
andrewem · 2014-07-21
· Original
thread
I just read a book [1] which argues that while the Americans didn't worry too much about getting the most they could out of their manpower on D-Day - because they had several million more troops waiting to go - the British were conscious of their limited manpower and so optimized their landing in a number of ways, such as longer aerial bombing and specialized tanks for breaking through obstacles on the beach.
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Engineers-Victory-Problem-Solvers-Turn...
1. Boyd ( http://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Fighter-Pilot-Who-Changed-ebook/d... ) - Came up with the EM theory that gave the air force the analytical framework to analyze dog fighting maneuvers and aircraft. Known for authoring the OODA loop and leading the infamous Fighter Mafia that gave us the F-16 and F/A-18
2. Warfight ( http://www.amazon.com/Warfighting-M-Gray-ebook/dp/B00DPTK4ZE... ) Boyd' OODA ideas distilled into a book
3. The American Way of War ( http://www.amazon.com/The-American-Way-War-University/dp/B00... )
4. Engineers of Victory ( http://www.amazon.com/Engineers-Victory-Problem-Solvers-Turn... ) - a decent account of how middle level officers solve problems that allowed strategies to be realized
5. Makers of Modern Strategy ( http://www.amazon.com/Makers-Modern-Strategy-Machiavelli-Nuc... )
6. The German Army ( http://www.amazon.com/German-Army-1933-1945-Matthew-Cooper/d... ) - A great account of the rise and fall of the German army, including its innovations caused by the constraints imposed on it and its fall
7. Panzer Battles ( http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Battles-Major-General-von-Melle... ) - a great account how the various battles fought by the German army and where they excelled and where their shortcomings are and vice versa for their enemies.
8. The Second World War( http://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-Antony-Beevor-ebook/d... ) - Great "summary" of the Second World War, including the civilian dimension.
9. Panzer Leader ( http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Leader-Heinz-Guderian/dp/030681... ) - a history of the development and deployment of the German panzer armies by the father of tank warfare himself.
10. Six Days of War ( http://www.amazon.com/Days-June-Making-Modern-Middle/dp/B004... )
11. The Yom Kippur War ( http://www.amazon.com/Yom-Kippur-War-Encounter-Transformed-e... ) - an account of the Yom Kippur War and how the Israelis were blind to the innovations of the Egyptian army that upended its defense strategy based on tanks and aircraft and also how a near victory for the Egyptians allowed them to negotiate a peace with Israel.