"To some extent Captain Liddell Hart's tactical theories are separable from his strategic ones, and here his prophecies have been all too well justified by events. No military writer in our time has done more to enlighten public opinion. But his justified war with the Blimps has perhaps overcoloured his judgment... Disgusted by the spectacle of Passchendaele, Captain Liddell Hart seems to have ended by believing that wars can be won on the defensive or without fighting—and even, indeed, that a war is better half-won than won outright. That holds good only when your enemy thinks likewise, a state of affairs which disappeared when Europe ceased to be ruled by an aristocracy."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
People from ParisSoldiersNon-fiction authors from the United KingdomHistorians from the United Kingdom
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
George Orwell, review of B. H. Liddell Hart's The British Way in Warfare in New Statesman and Nation (21 November 1942), quoted in George Orwell, The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell. Volume II: My Country Right or Left, 1940–1943, eds. Sonia Orwell and Ian Angus (1968), pp. 248-249
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/B._H._Liddell_Hart
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
B. H. Liddell Hart
Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart (31 October 1895 – 29 January 1970), commonly known throughout most of his career as Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, was a British soldier, military historian and military theorist. He wrote a series of military histories that proved influential among strategists. He argued that frontal assault was a strategy that was bound to fail at great cost in lives as happened in the First World War. He instead recommended the "indirect approach" and reliance on fast-moving armoure
13 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by B. H. Liddell Hart →
Related Quotes
"I have been reading Europe in Arms by Liddell Hart. If you have not already done so, you might find it interesting to…"
"If one weighs his [Carl von Clausewitz] influence and his emphasis, one might describe him historically as the Mahdi …"
"Clausewitz's principle of force without limit and without calculation of cost fits, and is only fit for, a hate-madde…"
"At present one clear factor in the problem is that the offensive is as much at an advantage in the air as it is at a …"
"Unless our field force could arrive on the scene during this opening phase—and it is difficult to see how it could, s…"
"The new risks to such a force under modern military conditions have also to be weighed. The risks that were incurred …"
"Blitzkrieg is, of course, a German word meaning 'lightning war'. The ironic thing is that it was in many ways a Briti…"
"The good news for Liddell Hart was that his work was hugely influential. The bad news was that it was hugely influent…"
"It was principally the books and articles of the Englishmen, Fuller, Liddell Hart and Martel, that excited my interes…"
"I immediately read the "Role of the British Army" in Liddell Hart's book. I am impressed by his general theories."