The Hinges of Battle: How Chance and Incompetence Have Changed the Face of History

by ErikDurschmied (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2002

  $5.75

  Some battles were decided by genius, but more were decided by a quirk of fate that tipped the scales. The thrust of a spear, the blink of an eye, a single phrase or misinterpreted command is all it takes. Battles have shaped the course of history and decided the fate of mankind. From a brutal Attila the Hun who was defeated on the Catalaunian Fienls, to an overbearing French artillery colonel at Dien Bien Phu; from the stout walls of Constaninople to a skimpy wall at Rourke's Drift; from the sun of Austerlitz to the snows of Stalingrad, it was always an incident that decided the outcome of battle. This work takes a look at the many turning points of famous conflicts, especially at the minor incidents that decided the outcome, otherwise known as the hinge of battle.

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.19

  There is no shortage of stories when it comes to battles. Some were decided by genius, but many more by a quirk of fate, when that thin balance which separates success from disaster lay in a minor decision or a trivial incident that tipped the scales. The thrust of a spear, the blink of an eye, a single phrase or a misinterpreted command is all it takes. A moment of courage or cowardice, energy or weariness, resolution or indecision. Battles have shaped the course of history and decided the fate of mankind. From a brutal Attila the Hun who went down to defeat on the Catalaunian Fields, to an overbearing French artillery colonel at Dien Bien Phu; from the stout walls of Constantinople to a skimpy mealie-bag wall at Rorke's Drift; from the sun of Austerlitz to the snows of Stalingrad, it was always an incident that decided the outcome of battle.

• New

  Paperback
  2002

  $14.55

  There is no shortage of stories when it comes to battles. Some were decided by genius, but many more by a quirk of fate, when that thin balance which separates success from disaster lay in a minor decision or a trivial incident that tipped the scales. The thrust of a spear, the blink of an eye, a single phrase or a misinterpreted command is all it takes. A moment of courage or cowardice, energy or weariness, resolution or indecision. Battles have shaped the course of history and decided the fate of mankind. From a brutal Attila the Hun who went down to defeat on the Catalaunian Fields, to an overbearing French artillery colonel at Dien Bien Phu; from the stout walls of Constantinople to a skimpy mealie-bag wall at Rorke's Drift; from the sun of Austerlitz to the snows of Stalingrad, it was always an incident that decided the outcome of battle.