Changing Orders: The Evolution of the World's Armies, 1945 to the Present

This is an extremely important book on a period of military history that is often overlooked in the modern era. Tsouras has looked at the development of the world's main armies from the end of WW2 to the conclusion of the Cold War. He has broken this examination down into ten year blocks (with the exception of the last), starting with 1945. This has allowed him to show the concurrent developments between the nations and it is particularly effective to see how opposing nations matched up. This is not a straight list of changing battle orders though. Tsouras also looks closely at changes in weapons and doctrine. Where nations came to blows, he also looks at key battles and evaluates the success and failures of the combatants. There is a host of fascinating information. This extends from diagrams showing the structure of divisions, the fluctuating size of armies and strategic imperatives. An interesting social element is also included. The populations of countries often have particular and even unique attitudes to their militaries. While the British regimental system has left a favourable legacy in the UK for instance, the post-war German army has had to cope with a much more complicated domestic situation. There are a host of interesting quotes and assessments that reveal these nuances. Highly recommended book on the hard military history of the Cold War period. Title: Changing Orders: The Evolution of the World's Armies, 1945 to the Present Author Name: Tsouras, Peter G Location Published: Arms & Armour Press: 1994 Binding: hardcover Book Condition: Excellent Pages: 368 Categories: Cold War Conflicts 1946-1991 Seller ID: 1135