Preparing for the Last War: Difference between revisions

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* The reason for the notion's popularity was [[World War I]], when Napoleonic style of warfare died because machineguns made an open massed advance suicidal, and artillery made field fortification necessary, so everyone had to adapt quickly.
* The reason for the notion's popularity was [[World War I]], when Napoleonic style of warfare died because machineguns made an open massed advance suicidal, and artillery made field fortification necessary, so everyone had to adapt quickly.
** …and then [[World War II]] came, and those who expected another [[World War I]] were introduced to the concepts of mobile warfare and air war.
** …and then [[World War II]] came, and those who expected another [[World War I]] were introduced to the concepts of mobile warfare and air war.
***There were quite a few complications, because sometimes [[Rock Beats Laser|Rock could beat laser]] for various reasons. For instance toward the end of 1942 carriers were all sunk or in for repairs and so surface naval battles returned. Except they were usually at night (because airplanes came out by day), and cruisers were the primary capital ship (because there were only so many battleships and those were gas guzzlers. And there never were any more Jutlands with dozens of battleships-but there was only one Jutland even in [[World War I]].
***There were quite a few complications, because sometimes [[Rock Beats Laser|Rock could beat laser]] for various reasons. For instance toward the end of 1942 carriers were all sunk or in for repairs and so surface naval battles returned. Except they were usually at night (because airplanes came out by day), and cruisers were the primary capital ship (because there were only so many battleships and those were gas guzzlers). And there never were any more Jutlands with dozens of battleships-but there was only one Jutland even in [[World War I]].
***Also every specialty with the guild-feuding that marked [[World War 2]] had their own idea of what preparing for the next war would be. Even if they did intend to do such preparations. This could sometimes lead to unfortunate things like all the most glamorous specialties draining the infantry which no one wanted to get into for [[Cannon Fodder|obvious reasons.]]
***Also every specialty with the guild-feuding that marked [[World War 2]] had their own idea of what preparing for the next war would be. Even if they did intend to do such preparations. This could sometimes lead to unfortunate things like all the most glamorous specialties draining the infantry which no one wanted to get into for [[Cannon Fodder|obvious reasons.]]
** …except those who paid attention to [[Red October]] and wars in which the Soviet Union was entangled, including the [[Spanish Civil War]]: most high-ranked Red Army commanders participated in both last big wars, obviously considered ''their'' last and victorious big war, "the way to do it right", and hopelessly mired WWI abhorrent — and taught others this way.<!--No idea what this last bit was meant to say, can someone clarify?--> Which in turn led to promoting [[Attack! Attack! Attack!|a very aggressive style]] that worked in highly mobile warfare, but was ill-prepared for adequate defence whenever "good offence" was not the best response.
** …except those who paid attention to [[Red October]] and wars in which the Soviet Union was entangled, including the [[Spanish Civil War]]: most high-ranked Red Army commanders participated in both last big wars, obviously considered ''their'' last and victorious big war, "the way to do it right", and hopelessly mired WWI abhorrent — and taught others this way.<!--No idea what this last bit was meant to say, can someone clarify?--> Which in turn led to promoting [[Attack! Attack! Attack!|a very aggressive style]] that worked in highly mobile warfare, but was ill-prepared for adequate defence whenever "good offence" was not the best response.
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