Decisive Battles by Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley

Decisive Battles by Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley

This is an engaging and authoritative account of the battles that changed the face of history. What makes a battle decisive? Jonathon Riley draws on his personal experience as a soldier and historian to explore the definitive battles of the modern era from Yorktown in 1781 to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Each battle included is a turning point, the outcome of which has changed the face of history. The battles at Ligny, Quatre Bras and Waterloo in 1815 concluded more than twenty years of war with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France and instituted alliances that dominated Europe until 1860. The Ardennes in 1944 was decisive because Hitler threw away the last army he had which could have stalled the Allied advance into Germany. The war ended less than five months later. Dien Bien Phu confirmed the collapse of French colonial power in Indo-China, and paved the way for US involvement in Vietnam to stem the tide of Communist expansion. Since Operation Desert Storm no battle can be said to have been decisively concluded and the closing chapter looks to 21st century emergencies where opponents abandon conventional conflict.

This is a well written book by an expert in his fieldFew British Army officers have as much practical experience of conflict as Jonathon Riley. He draws on these personal experiences, his wide knowledge of military history and his sharp intellect to great effect. I commend this book to both the serious student of the military art and also to the general reader. -- General Sir Richard Dannatt
‘This work is incisive in both why the battles are decisive and in the description of them with excellent accompanying maps.' -- The Bulletin for the Military Historical Society

Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley joined the British Army in 1973 and has served peacetime tours of duty in the US, Germany, Kenya and Cyprus. He taught at Sandhurst from 1984-86. He has a number of published works including several military histories and three studies of command including Napoleon and the World War 1813. He was made a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in the New Year's Honours 2008.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781847252500
ISBN 10	1847252508
Title	Decisive Battles
Author	Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley
Condition	Unavailable
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2010-06-11
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable