Battling the Elements: Weather and Terrain in the Conduct of War

So wrote Sun Tzu in his classic treatise The Art of War. This stimulating book takes Sun Tzu's advice and examines what many others on military history ignore: the effect the environment (physical terrain, weather, vegetation, etc.) has on battle. Each chapter focuses on a different environmental problem, and reveals the various ways in which it can influence a battle's outcome. A section on storms, for instance, shows how the elements randomize success: in the 12th century, a typhoon ruined Kublai Khan's attempted invasion of Japan, yet relatively calm seas helped assure the Allied victory on D-day hundreds of years later. Another chapter compares and contrasts the dense forests of the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War with the intractable jungles of Vietnam. One lesson this book teaches is that bad weather usually favors defenders: the Germans used fog and precipitation to their advantage during the Battle of the Bulge, as did the Viet Cong during the siege of Khe Sanh. The authors draw a few predictable conclusions--planning, logistics, leadership, and tactics are all critical, they say--but on the whole they provide a fascinating look at how wind, clouds, waves, rain, snow, mud, sand, heat, hills, mountains, and islands (to name a few factors) affect war. --John J. Miller

Product Description

Throughout history, from Kublai Khan's attempted invasions of Japan to Rommel's desert warfare, military operations have succeeded or failed on the ability of commanders to incorporate environmental conditions into their tactics. In Battling the Elements, geographer Harold A. Winters and former U.S. Army officers Gerald E. Galloway Jr., William J. Reynolds, and David W. Rhyne, examine the connections between major battles in world history and their geographic components, revealing what role factors such as weather, climate, terrain, soil, and vegetation have played in combat. Each chapter offers a detailed and engaging explanation of a specific environmental factor and then looks at several battles that highlight its effects on military operations. As this cogent analysis of geography and war makes clear, those who know more about the shape, nature, and variability of battleground conditions will always have a better understanding of the nature of combat and at least one significant advantage over a less knowledgeable enemy.

The words, "...couldn't put it down ...", may be overworked but how often can they be applied to what is, basically, a text book?

The book is divided into 12 chapters, each based on an element of physical geography (terrain, weather, climate, sea coasts, etc.) Each chapter gives a very general background on the geographic element (all very much in non-geographer language) and then gives the chronology of two or three battles showing how the physical feature shaped the battle's outcome. The range of battles go from Kubla Khan's 1274 attack on Japan to Khe Sanh, Viet Nam in 1968. They stretch the globe from Iwo Jima in the Pacific to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. It is a delightful combination of geography and military strategy.

As I am writing this, the world is discussing the possible intervention of ground troops in Kosovo. I hope the generals making the decisions have a sound geographic background. (Maybe Amazon.Com will send the Pentagon a few copies of this outstandingly readable work.)


Fascinating Case Studies   February 15, 2001
A. Ross (Washington, DC)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

As one might surmise from the title, the twelve chapters and twenty-five case studies in this books all examine the role and importance of weather and terrain in warfare. Most of the chapters are fairly straightforward in what they cover: storms, wet, fog and clouds, seasonal change, forest and jungle, river crossings, peninsulas and coasts, islands, heat and humidity and the desert. These are somewhat less operate independently of each other and occasionally overlap. Each chapter begins with an overview on the science (ie. geography or meteorology) of the chapter's topic, for example, how and why fog forms, before proceeding into two case studies drawn from military history. The non-scientifically inclined can skip these introductory sections to the chapters and not miss anything. Two more broad chapters cover "terrains and corridors" and how "glaciers shape the land." and are really don't work as well as the other ten. These two subjects are broad and more or less self-evident, making them noticeably weaker than the rest of the book. The case studies are largely drawn from modern Western military history. Eleven of the case studies are from World War II, three from World War I, three from the U.S. Civil War, and three from Vietnam, one from Korea, one from the Sinai/Suez War, one from the Napoleonic era, one from the Mongol invasions of Japan, and one on invading Russia that spans several episodes. The overall lessons are fairly predictable: military planning and logistics must account for weather and terrain, both on a strategic and tactical level. One would expect the explosion in computer weather modeling and terrain mapping in recent years would alleviate many of the problems described in the book, and it would have been nice to have a chapter at the end discussing this. Still, it makes for a fascinating mix of military history and geography. The maps and diagrams are top-notch and the design of the book makes it a pleasure to read.


Good Textbook   May 30, 2007
Thomas M. Magee
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is a great textbook. It should be required reading for any serious student of military history or any military officer at the rank of Major or above. The authors do a great job of mixing the science of geography and historical example to illustrate their point. First in each chapter on a certain geographical element the authors do a good job educating the reader on the scientific description of that type of geography or event like the weather. Then they use select historical examples to show how the type of geography impacted on the military event.

The authors do show through their example in weather the hidden hand of God. It is amazing how on certain events the weather parted just in time for one side to accomplish their goal. The example the author used was Dunkirk. The weather parted at the critical couple of days against the norm patterns for that time of the year to allow for the British to evacuate their personnel from France.

The book is documented extremely well. However I don't think the average reader will enjoy the book. The degree of detail will exceed what the average person would enjoy. However I know of nothing better that shows how terrain does influence a battle.


Decent, thought provoking   January 1, 2002
Each chapter focuses on a different environmental problem, and reveals the various ways in which it can influence a battle's outcome. A section on storms, for instance, shows how the elements randomize success: in the 12th century, a typhoon ruined Kublai Khan's attempted invasion of Japan, yet relatively calm seas helped assure the Allied victory on D-day hundreds of years later. Another chapter compares and contrasts the dense forests of the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War with the intractable jungles of Vietnam. One lesson this book teaches is that bad weather usually favors defenders: the Germans used fog and precipitation to their advantage during the Battle of the Bulge, as did the Viet Cong during the siege of Khe Sanh. The authors draw a few predictable conclusions--planning, logistics, leadership, and tactics are all critical, they say--but on the whole they provide a fascinating look at how wind, clouds, waves, rain, snow, mud, sand, heat, hills, mountains, and islands (to name a few factors) affect war.