Research Catalog
The myth of America's military power
- Title
- The myth of America's military power / by John J. Chodes.
- Author
- Chodes, John J.
- Publication
- Boston : Branden Press, [©1972]
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book/Text | Use in library | UA23.C54 | Off-site |
Details
- Description
- 224 pages; 23 cm
- Summary
- "America has lost her first war. This book explains how America's defeat in Vietnam is an inevitable consequence of the delusions of grandeur that developed out of our experiences in World War II. It shows how the military establishment's obsessive belief in "machine war" and the exaggerated claims of victory throughout the European campaigns of the Second World War helped generate the momentum which led to the Vietnam invasion. The author analyzes the three cornerstones of the machine war vision -- airpower, armored mobility and firepower -- to show the absurdity of modern warfare and to demonstrate that they not only did not help America in World War II, but, in fact, often contributed to the enemy's ability to carry on his war effort. The book also attempts to dispel many of the myths associated with the Vietnamese war, such as the false notion that the enemy is a guerrilla force. This section shows that it was the enemy's superior strength, not some obscure political, economic or social reason, that led to America's withdrawal. The final section shows that the American vision of "modern machine war" is nothing more than a parody of consumerism ("This year's gadget must be better than last year's") turned loose on the battlefield with exorbitantly expensive machines dominating the war zone with self-destructive effect. Even atomic war -- the most hallowed of military dogmas -- is exposed as the fraud that it is, citing the bombing of Hiroshima as a case in point."--Jacket flap.
- Subject
- Genre/Form
- Festschriften
- Festschriften.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Contents
- Part I The myth of machine war -- The origin of the myths -- The North African Campaign -- The Italian Campaign -- The European war as a whole -- The myth of bombing -- The myth of armor -- The myth of firepower -- Part II Now Vietnam -- Why we are there -- It isn't guerrilla war -- The Americans attack -- The Americans retreat -- America on the ropes - Striking at the weak link -- Part III Again the machines fall -- Airpower and military consumerism -- Newer does not mean better -- The myth of atomic war -- Conclusion.
- ISBN
- 0828313563
- 9780828313568
- LCCN
- 72077211
- OCLC
- ocm00600324
- 600324
- SCSB-189461
- Owning Institutions
- Princeton University Library