Now that I’ve read Clausewitz and Jomini, I suppose it’s only fair to compare them. I think it boils down to this: Clausewitz attempted to gain timeless, fundamental insights with some success. Jomini thought in more practical, concrete terms. This (along with Clausewitz’s early death) probably accounts for the popularity of Jomini’s views in the 19th century, and Clausewitz’s 20th century resurgence.
Month: April 2019
Having read Clausewitz, the natural thing to do is to read Antoine-Henri Jomini. So what does he say?
![200px-Gleyre_Antoine_Henri_Jomini[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sfoil.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/200px-gleyre_antoine_henri_jomini1.jpg?resize=200%2C249&ssl=1)
I read the 1862 translation of The Art of War (1838), which includes some later-written appendices and afterthoughts.
On the whole, Jomini concerns himself with the practical side of military operations, even delving down to the lowest tactical level. He considers politics (and morality) only loosely connected to the question with which he concerns himself: how best to move, sustain, and employ military forces most effectively. Despite his reputation as a highly prescriptive theorist, he is too wise to claim that following his dicta will guarantee victory even in favorable circumstances, although he writes in a very forthright and confident manner when expressing his ideas.
Jomini has two basic principles: identify and concentrate on a “decisive point”, and ensure that one’s line of communications be kept open to the “base” from which the army issues. His major corollary: the use of interior lines allows an army to outperform its opponent in accomplishing these tasks.
It will soon be summer time and I haven’t written anything here in a while. So, let’s start off with some refreshments: orgeat syrup. Orgeat syrup is, basically, sugar syrup flavored with almonds. It generally imparts a more “refreshing” taste with nutty undertones when used in place of simple syrup in a given drink.
Commercial preparations are available, but rare. So if this sounds interesting, you’ll probably want to brew your own — and fortunately you’re reading this.
I started writing this in January and sort of got stuck on it, along with some other things going on. I’m writing here to sort my thoughts out about something, so it may not be the most coherent.
City-fortresses don’t really exist anymore. If they did, what might they look like? Why would anyone want one?
Bottom Line
Fortifying the city as-is will require billions of dollars, a reserve system, and would probably create a tradeoff between mass resettlement and maintaining accustomed levels of economic activity. Two historically novel problems are the volume of traffic required for commerce and the threat of stand-off attack. The fortress would have no strategic depth to mitigate the effects of air and missile attacks, which are much easier to carry out on the margin than even in the mid-20th century.