On Clausewitz on War

CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ ON WAR Edited and Translated by MICHAEL HOWARD and PETER PARET Introductory Essays by PETER PARET, MICHAEL HOWARD, and BERNARD BRODIE; with a Commentary by BERNARD BRODIE Index by ROSALIE WEST PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ PREPARED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE CENTER OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PRINCETON UNIVERSITY A LIST OF OTHER CENTER PUBLICATIONS APPEARS AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ ON WAR Edited and Translated by MICHAEL HOWARD and PETER PARET Introductory Essays by PETER PARET, MICHAEL HOWARD, and BERNARD BRODIE; with a Commentary by BERNARD BRODIE Index by ROSALIE WEST PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, Chichester, West Sussex Copyright O 1976 by Princeton University Press Index copyright O 1984 by Princeton University Press All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Clausewitz, Carl von, 1780-183 1. On war. Translation of: Vom Kriege. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Military art and science. 2. War. I. Howard, Michael Eliot, 1922- 11. Paret, Peter. 111. Title. U102.C65 1984 355 84-3401 ISBN 0-691-05657-9 ISBN 0-691-01854-5 (pbk.) First Princeton Paperback printing, 1989 Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources Printed in the United States of America pbk. ISBN-10: 0-691-01854-5 (pbk.) CONTENTS Editors' Note xi Note for the 1984 Edition xii Introductorv Essays The Genesis of On War PETER PARET The Influence of Clausewitz MICHAEL HOWARD The Continuing Relevance of On War BERNARD BRODIE On War Author's Preface Author's Comment Preface MARIE VON CLAUSEWITZ Two Notes by the Author BOOK ONE On the Nature of War I What is War? 2 Purpose and Means in War 3 On Military Genius 4 On Danger in War 5 On Physical Effort in War 6 Intelligence in War 7 Friction in War 8 Concluding Observations on Book One CONTENTS BOOK TWO On the Theory of War I Classifications of the Art of War 2 On the Theory of War 3 Art of War or Science of War 4 Method and Routine 5 Critical Analysis 6 On Historical Examples BOOK THREE On Strategy in General Strategy Elements of Strategy Moral Factors The Principal Moral Elements Military Virtues of the Army Boldness Perseverance Superiority of Numbers Surprise Cunning Concentration of Forces in Space Unification of Forces in.Time The Strategic Reserve Economy of Force The Geometrical Factor The Suspension of Action in War The Character of Contemporary Warfare Tension and Rest CONTENTS BOOK FOUR The Engagenlent I Introduction 2 The Nature of Battle Today 3 The Engagement in General 4 The Engagement in General-Continued 5 The Significance of the Engagement Duration of the Engagement Decision of the Engagement Mutual Agreement to Fight The Battle: Its Decision The Battle-Continued: The Effects of Victory The Battle-Continued: The Use of Battle Strategic Means of Exploiting V~C~ON Retreat after a Lost Battle Night Operations BOOK FIVE Military Forces 1 General Survey 3 The Army, the Theater of Operations, the Campaign 3 Relative Strength 4 Relationship between the Branches of the Service 5 The Army's Order of Battle 6 General Disposition of the Army 7 Advance Guard and Outposts 8 Operational Use of Advanced Corps 9 Camps 10 Marches vii CONTENTS 1 1 Marches-Continued 12 Marches-Concluded 13 Billets 14 Maintenance and Supplv 15 Base of Operations 16 Lines of Communication 17 Terrain 18 The Command of Heights BOOK SIX Defense Attack and Defense The Relationship between Attack and Defense in Tactics The Relationship between Attack and Defense in Strategy Convergence of Attack and Divergence of Defense The Character of Strategic Defense Scope of the Means of Defense Interaction between Attack and Defense Types of Resistance The Defensive Battle Fortresses I I Fortresses-Continued 12 Defensive Positions I 3 Fortified Positions and Entrenched Camps 14 Flank Positions 15 Defensive Mountain Warfare 16 Defensive Mountain Warfare-Continued 17 Defensive Mountain Warfare-Concluded 18 Defense of Rivers and Streams 19 Defense of Rivers and Streams-Continued CONTENTS A. Defense of Swamps B. Inundations Defense of Forests The Cordon The Key to the Country Operations on a Flank Retreat to the Interior of the Country The People in Amls Defense of a Theater of Operations Defense of a Theater of Operations-Continued Defense of a Theater of Operations-Continued: Phased Resistance Defense of a Theater of Operations-Concluded: Where a Decision Is Not the Objective BOOK SEVEN The Attack Attack in Relation to Defense The Nature of Strategic Attack The Object of the Strategic Attack The Diminishing Force of the Attack The Culminating Point of the Attack Destruction of the Enemy's Forces The Offensive Battle River Crossings Attack on Defensive Positions Attack on Entrenched Camps Attack on a Mountainous Area Attack on Cordons Maneuver Attacks on Swamps, Flooded Areas, and Forests CONTENTS i 5 Attack on a Theater of War: Seeking a Decision 545 16 Attack on a Theater of War: Not Seeking a Decision 548 17 Attack on Fortresses 55l 18 Attack on Convoys 19 Attack on an Enemy Armv in Billets 5 57 20 Diversions 56~ 21 Invasion 565 22 The Culminating Point of Victory 566 BOOK EIGHT War Plans 1 Introduction 5 77 2 Absolute War and Real War 5 79 3 A. Interdependence of the Elements of War 582 B. Scale of the Military Objective and of the Effort To Be Made 585 4 Closer Definition of the Military Objective: The Defeat of the Enemy 5 Closer Definition of the Military Objective-Continued: Limited Aims 60 1 6 A. The Effect of the Political Aim on the Military Objective 603 B. War Is an Instrument of Policy 60 5 7 The Limited Aim: Offensive War 8 The Limited Aim: Defensive War 9 The Plan of a War designed to Lead to the Total Defeat of the Enemv A Commentary A Guide to the Reading of On War BERNARD l3RODIE Index ROSALIE WEST The reader may wonder why another English translation of Vom Kriege is needed when two already exist. The first, made by Colonel J. J. Graham in 1874, was republished in London in 1909. The second, by Professor 0. J. Matthijs Jolles, appeared in New York in 1943. But Graham's translation, apart from its dated style, contains a large num- ber of inaccuracies and obscurities; and while Jolles' translation is more precise, both his version and Graham's were based on German texts that contained significant alterations from the first edition published in 1832. The growing interest in Clausewitz's theoretical, political and historical writings in recent years suggested that the time had come for an entirely new translation. We have based our work on the first edition of 1832, supplemented by the annotated German text published by Profes- sor Werner Hahlweg in 1952, except where obscurities in the original edition-which Clausewitz himself never reviewed-made it seem advis- able to accept later emendations. In all but one respect we have followed the original arrangement of the text. The first edition printed four notes by Clausewitz on his theo- ries, dating from various periods between 1816 and 1830, as introduc- tions to On War itself-a practice adopted by most subsequent German and foreign editions. We have abandoned the haphazard arrangement in which these have always appeared, and instead print them in the order in which we believe the notes to have been written. Read consecutively they help to indicate how On War took shape in Clausewitz's mind, and suggest how it might have further developed had he lived to complete it. We have also included Marie von Clausewitz's Preface to the first edition of Clausewitz's posthumous works, which adds information on the genesis of On War, and on the manner in which the manuscript was prepared for publication. A brief note she inserted at the beginning of the third volume of Clausewitz's Works, immediately preceding Book Seven of On War, has been deleted since its primary concern is not with On War but with other historical and theoretical writings. We have attempted to present Clausewitz's ideas as accurately as pos- sible, while remaining as close to his style and vocabulary as modern En- glish usage would permit. But we have not hesitated to translate the same term in different ways if the context seemed to demand it. For instance, we have translated Moral and moralische Kraft variously as "morale," EDITORS' NOTE "moral," and "ps~~chological."Clausewitz himself was far from consis- tent in his terminology, as might be expected of a writer who was less concerned with establishing a formal system or doctrine than with achieving understanding and clarity of expression. At times he writes Geisteskrafte, Seelenkrafte, even Psychologie instead of moralische Kraft or moralische Grossen, and a similar flexibility characterizes his use of such terms as "means," "purpose," "engagement," "battle," etc. As he writes in Book Five, Chapter Seven: "Strict adherence to terms would clearly result in little more than pedantic distinctions." The task of translation was initially undertaken by Mr. Angus Malcolm, formerly of the British Foreign Office, who to the deep regret of his many friends died while he was still engaged on the project. He had however already done much valuable preliminary work, for which we are greatly in his debt. \Ye should like to thank Mrs.

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