Attrition: Forecasting Battle Casualties and Equipment Losses in Modern War

by Trevor N. Dupuy

This book is compilation of historical data with emphasis on World Wars I and II, and the Arab-Israeli Wars. It is the finest and most complete work on potential losses in battle. The equation for forecasting casualties was applied to the facts available on Operation "Just Cause" in Panama and was accurate to within 1% to 10% of known personnel losses on both sides. A 10-day operation in Kuwait was forecast with stunning results. The work is an absolute must for all strategists, analysts, planners, wargamers, and general readers of military works. "A contribution of outstanding value" -- General Andrew Goodpaster, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.

Genres: Military Fiction

Paperback

First published November 1, 1990

About the author

Trevor Dupuy attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1938. During World War II he commanded a U.S. Army artillery battalion, a Chinese artillery group, and an artillery detachment from the British 36th Infantry Division. He was always proud of the fact that he had more combat time in Burma than any other American, and received decorations for service or valour from the U.S., British, and Chinese governments. After the war Dupuy served in the United States Department of Defense Operations Division[1] from 1945 to 1947, and as military assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army from 1947 to 1948. He was a member of the original Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) staff in Paris under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Matthew Ridgway from 1950 to 1952.

It is as a military historian and a theorist that Trevor Dupuy would make a lasting mark on the world. He is perhaps best known for his massive book The Encyclopedia Of Military History (co-written, like many of his books, with his father R. Ernest Dupuy). Starting from the beginning of history and going up the present day the book tries to cover all the major (and minor) military conflicts in world history. Usually each entry (arranged chronologically and by region) gives little more than the names of the commanders and (often) very rough estimates for the size of the forces involved in the campaigns. Dupuy was not afraid of expressing an opinion and he classified some of his subjects as Great Captains (such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Frederick II of Prussia and Napoleon). Like most Western reference works it spends far more time dealing with wars in Europe and the United States than the rest of the world, but it does at least try to cover the entire world. The Encyclopedia Of Military History has been revised (and updated) several times, most recently in 1993. It can be found in the reference section of most American libraries.

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a War Gamer I found this book very interesting with lots of great data for Modern Campaigns as will as campaigns set between 1700 to present.