SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR ^ | 1910 | Translated by LIONEL GILES

[Alpha One]

SUN TZU ON THE ART OF WAR

THE OLDEST MILITARY TREATISE IN THE WORLD

Translated from the Chinese with Introduction and Critical Notes

BY LIONEL GILES, M.A.

Assistant in the Department of Oriental Printed Books and MSS. in the British Museum
First Published in 1910

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To my brother Captain Valentine Giles, R.G. in the hope that a work 2400 years old may yet contain lessons worth consideration by the soldier of today this translation is affectionately dedicated.

This publication is based on an Etext version provided by the Project Gutenberg. Dr. Giles's commentaries are inluded for the benefit of those who are not familiar with the Ancient Chinese History (500 BC).

Etext Annotations	Preface to the Project Gutenburg Etext Introduction The Text of Sun Tzu Appreciations of Sun Tzu Bibliography Footnotes
Art of War	Chapter I. Laying Plans Chapter II. Waging War Chapter III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM Chapter IV. TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS Chapter V. ENERGY Chapter VI. WEAK POINTS AND STRONG Chapter VII. MANEUVERING Chapter VIII. VARIATION IN TACTICS Chapter IX. THE ARMY ON THE MARCH Chapter X. TERRAIN Chapter XI. THE NINE SITUATIONS Chapter XII. THE ATTACK BY FIRE Chapter XIII. THE USE OF SPIES

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[Lizard_King]

I would say that at least as integral to Roman "strategy" was basically a willingness to continue attritional warfare indefinitely. Hence Hannibal, despite technical and tactical superiority, was doomed to failure in the long run because mercenary armies will always lose attritional wars (it also didn't hurt that Hannibal never understood the difference between strategy and tactics, that all his brilliance at the latter would be worthless if he could not organize it into a decisive strategy). Hence the assorted barbarians, accustomed to short incursions, distribution of spoils, and withdrawal, could rarely withstand protracted campaigns, even when it was their own turf they were defending.

Aggressiveness is an interesting part of Roman history; it seems there was rarely a moment where continual expansion was not desired by their leadership.

[Lizard_King]

"FYI Sun Tzu is a primary text at the Army War College and West Point."

and the only text other than your rules and regulations and the bible that you are allowed in Marine Corps OCS...

[Atlas Sneezed]

Just a joke, and only about the interior decorating technique, not the military stragy principles.

[martian_22]

BTTT!

[wardaddy]

I agree...not the customary orifices...lol

My interests in the good old days of traveling the globe aside from girls, adventure, and money (in that order) never were too much into that salacious stuff. I loved women the world over but they could always leave their pets at home.

My partner did indeed have a brief liasion with a stripper snake dancer in Zurich's old town....he wasn't much on snakes so it was quite brief.

I do regret that I never perused the obvious bounties in the old East Bloc nations like Czech and Hungary in particular. Were I a young scoundrel now, that's where I'd head for sport....and Croatia and Lithuiania and Russia ....a veritable nirvanaland for young lad these days from what I glean. Alas...we're only in our 20s once....sigh.

Not to worry..mid 40s with Mrs Wardaddy sure ain't chopped liver...lol

Regards to both ya'll

[Travis McGee]

Youth is wasted on the young. Now the best I can do is write tall tales.

[KiaKaha]

I am curious how you can place the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana in the "1900"? It does not give you much credibility really.

[Malichi]

Col. John R. Boyd brought the art of war into the 21st century. He was truly a genius.

[Lizard_King]

+Similarly, Hilter did NOT follow Sun Tzu and tried to fight on TWO FRONTS at one time, the Western Front and Eastern Front. And the Allied opened up yet a THIRD FRONT, the Southern front to teach the arrogant NAZIs a lesson or two+

If you'll recall, the whole purpose of German strategy from the first world war's Schlieffen plan (and long before that) was to avoid having such a war on two fronts. The error Hitler made was failing to take out Moscow directly and rather swerving towards Baku for the oil; the subsequent stalling gave the allies much needed breathing space (albeit at an unbelievable cost to the Soviets, which I am hard pressed to be torn up about).

If you think the "Southern Front", as you refer to it, was anything other than yet another futile manifestation of the British search for a "soft underbelly" rather than a direct strike, I would say that there is quite a bit of disagreement with your contention. It was a drain of manpower, rapidly stalled despite the best efforts of the Italians to collapse as soon as possible. If you mean North Africa, that was yet another call of questionable value.

Sun Tzu may have expounded on all this, but what you refer to in your post is less the domain of military philosophy and more that of military common sense. All the books in the world cannot teach that to a commander. I would also say that the British had much larger problems than the splitting of their army, although that was certainly a factor.

[I got the rope]

Did this guy get fragged? Because he sure does look like fragging material from here.

[I got the rope]

The British had lots of machine-guns and modern weapons when they fought a famous battle against the half-naked primitive Zulus Warriors, armed only with spears and wooden clubs in South Africa, in the early 1900s.

I'm not so sure about machine guns, but didn't someone figure out that the rifle the Brits were using was faulty and jammed after a few rounds. Good point on dividing forces.

[Poohbah]

Did this guy get fragged? Because he sure does look like fragging material from here.

You mind telling me why a mathematician should get fragged?

[HighRoadToChina]

Thank for providing this. ;-)

[4CJ]

Very good reading.

It is an art, isn't it? Think about how it is being used against US, as a nation and for our beliefs.

;o)

[Ff--150]

Gonna study up this art later. Getting x42's wife back in the Oral, I mean Oval, Office is so real. Gotta know their plans...?

[nutmeg]

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