Research Catalog

Misguided weapons : technological failure and surprise on the battlefield

Title
Misguided weapons : technological failure and surprise on the battlefield / Azriel Lorber.
Author
Lorber, Azriel, 1935-
Publication
Washington, D.C. : Brassey's, ©2002.

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Details

Description
xvi, 293 pages; 24 cm
Summary
Technological failure results when one side in a conflict does not fully grasp the potential impact of known, or even familiar, weapons in the enemy's hands. In most cases, such failure resulted from higher officials' ignorance or their total misunderstanding of the importance and relevance of such technology and science, as well as their application to warfare. Technological failure is also the root cause of technological surprise. While operational surprise on the battlefield poses grave problems, technological surprise is far more serious, because, as Azriel Lorber explains, it often leads to disasters on the battlefield and is more difficult to recover from. In too many cases, technological failure and surprise stem from all-too-human characteristics, such as self-satisfaction, disdain for the adversary, obtuseness, and conservatism. Because these traits show no evidence of disappearing, political decision-makers and military commanders should be aware that technological failure and technological surprise could happen at any time.
Subject
  • War
  • Technology
  • Military weapons
  • Surprise (Military science)
  • Military art and science > History
  • Military history, Modern
  • Armed Conflicts
  • Technology
  • martial arms
  • Military art and science
  • Waffe
  • Mechanisches Versagen
  • Schlacht
  • Technik
  • Versagen
  • Geschichte
Genre/Form
History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-279) and index.
Contents
Prologue: Early Technological Failure: The Battle of Crecy -- 1. Predicting the Outcome of Conflicts -- 2. The Roots of Technological Failure -- 3. Misunderstanding the Battlefield Environment -- 4. Misunderstanding Available Technology -- 5. Bad Management, Worse Leadership, and NIH -- 6. Preconceived Ideas, Overconfidence, and Arrogance -- 7. Political and Ideological Meddling -- 8. Technological Developments and Science Fiction -- 9. Technological Surprise and Technological Failure.
ISBN
  • 157488395X
  • 9781574883954
LCCN
2002007381
OCLC
  • ocm49799556
  • 49799556
  • SCSB-1697342
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library