Deception in War

by Jon Latimer

A riveting account of deceit and cunning documents the many instances of deception in war, from the Trojan Horse and Pharoah Ramses II's campaign against the Hittites to the Gulf War, and details how technology has evolved and increased the range and subtlety of what is possible, from bogus radio traffic to false smells.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, Military History, Nonfiction, Espionage

Hardcover

First published November 12, 2001

About the author

Educated at Christleton County High School in Chester, Jon Latimer studied for a geography degree at University College, Swansea but switched course to graduate in oceanography. He worked as an oceanographer until becoming a full-time writer in 1997.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great discussion of a side of warfare that is sometimes overlooked in the popular media and imagination, but one that has determined the fates of empires. Highly recommended for anyone interested in military history.

[Joker]

"Im kosztowniejsze i bardziej intensywne stają się działania wojenne, tym cenniejsze są udane podstępy wojenne". Trudno nie zgodzić się z tym stwierdzeniem. Na 336 stornach poznajemy techniki podstępu używane od starożytności po dzisiejsze czasy. Na poziomie taktycznym, strategicznym, dodatkowo autor pokusił się o podział dla wojsk lądowych, marynarki wojennej oraz lotnictwa. Do minusów należy dodać chaotyczność i przeskakiwanie od tematu do tematu.

[Richard Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on all things deception in war. If you want to know about deception strategies used in previous war, this book is what you are looking for. I used this for my dissertation on the 23rd Special Troops (Ghost Army).

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked the breadth and depth covered in this book.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... I was probably in over my head on this one, as I struggled quite a bit. While the book is a broad analysis of the military bluff up to the present day, there's a considerable amount of material here on WWII, which was my main interest. However, the deceptions include material going all the way back to the Hittites. I haven't the background in military history or tactics necessary to really appreciate a lot of this, but at least the book made me think about how much warfare is based on concealment and misdirection. There's so much material here that I found it almost hard to take in. Then again, it's the kind of book I could come back to after further reading and probably get a lot more out of.

[Inknscroll]

This book, also, was recommended in the "Bookmarks" magazine's issues of either: (Nov/ Dec 2007) or (Jan/ Feb 2008).