Stratagem: Deception and Surprise in War

by Barton Whaley

Out-of-print and out of the hands of military professionals for years, Artech House answers the demand, making the sought-after, classic work, Stratagem: Deception and Surprise in War, available once again. This timeless and widely cited volume offers professionals a model and template for studying and analyzing deception operations. Readers get an historical analysis of deception and surprise, over 100 real-world case studies, and a set of methods that underlie and pervade the entire book. This unique resource takes a broad and deep look at surprise operations, presenting intriguing questions and hypotheses about the possible causes of surprise, including deception. Thoroughly referenced and supported with clear data tables, the case studies concentrate on goals, planning, expectations, security, leaks, warnings, intelligence assessments, and final results. The book concludes with analytical lists of battles from 1914 to 1968, systematically laid out in columns for cross-tabulation.

Genres: Military Fiction, War, Nonfiction

562 pages, Hardcover

First published January 31, 2007

Reviews

[Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone interested in the history of deception, tricks, and surprise attacks in battle and war will like this book.
It's a comprehensive description of strategems ( deception and tricks,) used in various battles over the millenia. The examples span the history of warfare in the 20th century.
The first part of the book is a treatise on tricks and strategems in theory.
The second part of the book is a review of the use of strategems in a wide selection of battles.
An excellent book for any military strategist, tactican, or person with a deep interest in the subject.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still reading but I am strongly interested in the military's use of deception.

Great read for military professionals who may participate or have a job dealing with deception tactics used by both the US and foreign entities.

[Iskandar Muhammad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for all military planners interested in the art of deception. Hundreds of case studies to back up the author's research. However, there are some shortcomings. First, given that the original content was written in 1969, some of Whaley's data are now outdated. Second, there are now counter arguments on the fallacy of deception that discredits some of Whaley's arguments. Three, while Whaley draws on a vast body of evidence, his methodology lacks robustness in many areas (which he also acknowledges).

Overall, still an excellent book that is highly recommended to understand the art of military deception.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dense and tricky read, focused on military tactics and the way in which deception can be wielded at industrial scale. Full of fascinating stories an examples, it's a highly theoretical book which reminded me quite a bit of Psychology of Intelligence Analysis - it really reads as a practitioners guide and as such can be a bit impenetrable given that the audience seems to really be those who would truly be wielding deception in battle.

[Gerrit G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The appendix with the cases is tiresome to work through, and for me it has not been terribly useful.