The Changing Face of Battle: From Teutoburger Wald to Desert Storm

Brian Perrett combines a keen mind and 20 years of military experience in the British Army to give the reader an historical and analytical tour of how battle has changed in the last two millennia. With a summary introduction of warfare in antiquity, Perrett then begins the happy task of taking the reader from Teutoburger Wald (AD 9) to the ground battles to liberate Kuwait, February 24-28, 1991. In all, he covers 11 periods of military history and critically examines over 30 battles."The Changing Face of Battle" is well organized, the discussion of battles supported by excellent maps, graphics and pictures. Perrett provides a good index and detailed bibliography.Perrett has a crisp style of writing and has a quantitative bent that lends solid credibility to his analysis. But his discussions of different battles have the qualitative feel of someone who has been there, or somewhere like it.Most of the battles Perrett examines are ground combat actions, although there are a number of naval actions included (e.g., Spanish Armada, Trafalgar, Jutland, Midway). And, many of the battles explained are ones in which Britons fought.This is a work that is worth adding to the military historian's reference shelf, and which is also a good read. It is a view of Western warfare (Asian battles and wars are not included) and how battle has changed in terms of the many factors that influence it.I enjoyed "The Changing Face of Battle," and recommend it to others.