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Forging the Thunderbolt
Features a detailed look at the career of Gen. Adna Romanza Chaffee, the "Father of the Armored Force." Careful study of the battles fought during and between the wars for the armored forces' very survival. Photos of the men and machines that made the American Armored Corps a legend.
- GenresMilitary History
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 28, 2024
Tanks are such an integral part of my understanding of warfare, limited as it is, mostly from entertainment. The History Channel played a big part in that with their classic constant WWII programming back in the day showing Allied armor columns working their way through cities. This book really opened my eyes into how revolutionary armor was and how much a paradigm shift like that is resisted.
Just think - for thousands of years humanity used horseback riding as a fast attack force, developing strategies around its application. The was evolution - the horseback archer, stirrups, heavy mounted knights, dragoons, that kind of thing - but the horse and man astride remained constant. After the pace of battle slowed to a glacial trench crawl, a meat grinder, the future of warfare seemed defensive as machine guns and gas mowed down any approaching force. The appearance of British tanks at the end of WWI proved a harbinger, but one that took longer to arrive than I thought.
The book centers around a man named Adna Chaffee Jr, a man with the foresight to see where tanks would lead. He met with massive resistance - established cavalry wanted to keep its position, and established bureaucracy slowed any change. He fought, and despite early setbacks, showed persistence and planning and process. He wasn't a maverick playing by his own rules, and while he chafed against the bureaucracy and slow response to his insight, he worked within the processes of the Army.
The timing of the book really staggered me too - for some reason I always felt like armor was a natural evolution, but the USA, and the world (minus Nazi Germany!) dragged their feet on the development of tactics for this new fighting force. It took the German Blitzlkrieg through Poland and their swift conquest of France for the Allies to realize the shock force of tanks and armor as a whole.
The pace of the book shifts once WWII hits, really picking up. The Pacific theater also isn't featured much, but my understanding of that part of the war was its more naval and air nature, rather than ground. This is an excellent bit of military history, written right after it happened. Highly recommended.
Just think - for thousands of years humanity used horseback riding as a fast attack force, developing strategies around its application. The was evolution - the horseback archer, stirrups, heavy mounted knights, dragoons, that kind of thing - but the horse and man astride remained constant. After the pace of battle slowed to a glacial trench crawl, a meat grinder, the future of warfare seemed defensive as machine guns and gas mowed down any approaching force. The appearance of British tanks at the end of WWI proved a harbinger, but one that took longer to arrive than I thought.
The book centers around a man named Adna Chaffee Jr, a man with the foresight to see where tanks would lead. He met with massive resistance - established cavalry wanted to keep its position, and established bureaucracy slowed any change. He fought, and despite early setbacks, showed persistence and planning and process. He wasn't a maverick playing by his own rules, and while he chafed against the bureaucracy and slow response to his insight, he worked within the processes of the Army.
The timing of the book really staggered me too - for some reason I always felt like armor was a natural evolution, but the USA, and the world (minus Nazi Germany!) dragged their feet on the development of tactics for this new fighting force. It took the German Blitzlkrieg through Poland and their swift conquest of France for the Allies to realize the shock force of tanks and armor as a whole.
The pace of the book shifts once WWII hits, really picking up. The Pacific theater also isn't featured much, but my understanding of that part of the war was its more naval and air nature, rather than ground. This is an excellent bit of military history, written right after it happened. Highly recommended.
September 12, 2016
I read through this to get some information for a research project on separate tank battalions in World War Two. It is a very interesting book, and a very quick read. The endnotes and bibliography leave something to be desired, but the book's content is pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews