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From: amdcad!bnr-fos!.uucp!hwt@watmath.waterloo.edu (Henry Troup)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Learning in War
Message-ID: <9864@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 3 Oct 89 13:05:58 GMT
References: <27388@amdcad.AMD.COM> <27442@amdcad.AMD.COM>
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From: amdcad!bnr-fos!.uucp!hwt@watmath.waterloo.edu (Henry Troup)

In article <27442@amdcad.AMD.COM> adrian%cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK (Adrian Hurt) writes:
>
>That's an example of what I mean. The Germans formulated a whole new theory
>of war (blitzkrieg). The French (and everyone else, for that matter) couldn't
>make up defence plans against blitzkrieg until someone had shown them what it
>was. 

Well, actually Basil Liddell-Hart invented blitzkrieg - or at least modern
mobile warfare.  Also, a careful observation of the Spanish Civil War would
have given a lot of information about WWII tactics - ahead of time.  But
no one did listen/see until their noses were rubbed in it.
 
So add me to the party that says armies don't learn until forced to it.  I
believe it was to do with the age of the generals, and the wars that they
fought in.

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