The Way of the Commander to Win

Author: Alexander
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-01-01
Features: Bevin Alexander analyzes the mindset that distinguishes a truly brilliant general from an average one: surprise, foresight, the charisma of a leader, and psychological warfare capabilities. The famous Chinese strategist Sun Tzu wrote 2,000 years ago, "War is the way of deception." The Art of Commanding Victory shows us how leaders in different eras have understood this guidance and why it remains true today. Throughout history, brilliant generals have done what their enemies did not expect. They did not launch direct, predictable attacks but instead tricked often predictable armies, surrounded them, outsmarted them, and defeated them. This book collects the most famous battles of the greatest generals in human history, including Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, "Stonewall" Jackson, Sherman, Rommel, Mao Zedong, and others. In their respective historical periods, they demonstrated the strategic and tactical genius crucial to victory. Ironically, this quality is not inherent to military organizers, as it is often the case that conventional, narrow-minded soldiers surpass their more thoughtful and cunning peers in promotion. When the latter gains control, the results can be astonishing.