I Read Books: The Mask Of Command

The Mask Of Command

John Keegan takes a look at the evolution of the nature of command in warfare. He begins by looking at what’s known as primitive warfare, in which groups gather and fight, usually at range, the whole being mediated by elders from both sides.

Following on he looks at the command styles of four historical figures, each exemplifying differing paradigms. First Alexander the Great, a heroic commander who leads from the front, and then three others with contrasting methods – the Duke of Wellington, Ulysses Grant and Adolf Hitler.

Working through their techniques, strengths and weaknesses he comes to the slightly old-fashioned conclusion that men will fight for leaders who share their hardships, but if they don’t then eventually something will give. (Hitler’s chateau-general style of command was deliberately obfuscated by propaganda emphasising his soldiering in WW1, as well as the use of telephone and radio to allow closer communication with the front). In another conclusion he also suggests that in a nuclear age, with the entire state at risk, command might want to look at primitive styles, with elders standing by to keep things under control.

I over-simplify and where this book excels is in drawing out details and weaving them into a clear argument, perhaps most clearly in the Hitler chapter where Keegan keeps his condemnation to the facts (with the occasional dry swipe). It’s good at digging into how and what the actual business of command got done, especially in battle when the pressure and stakes were highest.

Read This: For Keegan’s theory of leadership and generalship
Don’t Read This: What with the Gulf War, the end of the Cold War and following events it could do with some revision