Study Guide for Battle Analysis

Overview:

1. General: The U.S. Army Command and General Staff College developed the battle analysis methodology to help its students structure their studies of battles and campaigns. The format can be easily applied by any military professional seeking insight from historical battles and campaigns to help deepen his/her understanding of warfare and the profession of arms. In this course we will use it as a structure for the final paper.

a. The battle analysis methodology is a process for systematic study of a battle or campaign.

b. This process takes the form of a checklist that ensures completeness in examining the critical aspects of the chosen subject.

c. This is a modification and simplified format adapted from CGSC.

2. Format: The checklist is divided into four steps, each of which builds on the previous one(s) to provide a logical order for the study.

a. The three steps are:

(1) Review the Setting (Set the Stage).

(2) Describe the Action.

(3) Assess the Significance of the Action.

b. In the first step, you put the battle or campaign in its overall context to the war and explain why it is important, particularly for the study of maneuver warfare. In the second, you provide a succinct description of the maneuver, battle, or campaign. In the last step, which is the most important, you analyze the information to derive “lessons learned.”

3. Purpose: The battle analysis methodology is a guide to help ensure that important aspects of the study of a historical battle or campaign are not forgotten. It is not a rigid checklist that must be followed to the letter. You do not have to use every part of it in your study, but all of the elements of battle analysis should be considered. Do not let the flow of your study be disrupted by the format’s order.

Annotated Basic Battle Analysis Methodology:

0. DEFINE THE SUBJECT/EVALUATE THE SOURCES : Just like a military operation, a successful study of military history requires a clear, obtainable objective. The battle analysis format begins with the definition of the study.

a. Define the Battle to be Analyzed. This will become your introduction

(1) Where did it take place?

(2) Who were principle adversaries?

(3) When did the battle occur?

b. Determine the research sources: Once you have chosen a subject, decide what sources you will need to make a systematic and balanced study. Books and articles will make up the majority of your sources, but other media—such as video, audio, and electronic ones—can also contribute to the study.

(1) Books: Look for a variety of sources to get a balanced account of the battle. Memoirs, biographies, operational histories, and institutional histories should all be consulted for information on your subject. Do not overlook general histories, which can help provide the strategic setting.

(2) Articles: Articles from professional military publications and historical journals can be excellent sources of information.

(3) Other: Documentaries containing film footage of actual events or interviews with people who took part in a battle can add to your understanding of the events. Transcribed oral history interviews with battle participants may also be available. In addition, check the Internet for electronic documents on more recent military operations.

c. Evaluate the research sources: Finding good sources to support your study is not easy, despite the large volume of published material. As you gather the research material, evaluate each in terms of its content and bias.

(1) Content: Determine what information the source can give you. Is it relevant to your subject? Will it help you complete your study?

(2) Bias: Decide to what extent the author is subjective or objective in his/her work. Is there a clear bias? If so, what is it? Does the bias make a difference in your use of the work?

1. REVIEW THE SETTING (Set the Stage ): This is the first part of your paper (hence the word “modified”). This portion of the battle analysis format establishes the setting for the study. You must have a good understanding of the strategic, operational, and tactical situations before you can analyze the battle. If the causes of the war and the opponents are well known, there is little reason to go into great detail. You should focus on the operational or tactical levels of the topic.

a. Strategic/Operational Overview:

(1) Identify the war this Battle is fought in to include the time frame and locations.

(2) Identify the war aims of the principle adversaries.

(3) Identify and briefly describe the campaign this battle was part of, if any. What were the events that lead to this battle being fought at this location with these units?

b. Compare the principle antagonists (Operational/Tactical): In many ways, this is the heart of the study—analyzing the opposing forces. Describe and analyze the forces involved in the following terms:

(a) Size and composition. What were the principal combat and supporting units involved in the operation? What were their numerical strengths in terms of troops and key weapon systems? How were they organized?

(b) Technology. What were the battlefield technologies, such as tanks, small arms, close support aircraft, etc., of the opposing forces? Did one side have a technological advantage over the other?

(c) Doctrine and training. What was the tactical doctrine of the opposing forces, and how did they use it? What was the level of training in the opposing forces? Were some troops experienced veterans, some not, and some in between?

(d) Leadership. Who were the leaders, and how effective had they been in past actions? How were they trained, and what was their level of experience?

d. State the mission and describe the initial disposition of the opposing forces: What were the objectives? What plans were developed to achieve the objectives? Were there other options—such as attacking, defending, or withdrawing—open to the two sides? Were those options feasible? What were the locations of the units of the opposing forces? How were the units deployed tactically?

2. DESCRIBE THE ACTION: This part of battle analysis—describing the battle itself—is what most people consider to be real military history. By following the format, you will study the battle chronologically. Do not let this approach disrupt your study of the battle. If you need to skip a phase in order to examine a combat functional area—such as maneuver, logistics, etc.—because it is more important to your overall objective, then do so.

a. Describe the opening moves of the battle: Examine the initial actions by the opposing forces. Did one side gain an advantage over the other in the opening phase of the battle?

b. Detail the major phases/key events: Establish a chronology for the battle while examining the actions after the opening moves. Look for key events or decisions that turned the battle toward one side or the other.

c. State the outcome: Who won the battle? Did either side achieve its objectives? Did the battle provide an advantage to the winning side, and what was it? Did the battle have any long term effects, and what were they?

3. ASSESS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ACTION: This is the most important step of the battle analysis process. With this step, you are turning “combat information” in the form of the historical facts of the battle into finished analysis rendered as “lessons learned.”

a. Relate causes to effects: In trying to distill “lessons” from the study of any battle, it is important to look at why something happened. To do so you will look at the outcome and what caused it. Look for those essential elements of the victory or defeat.

b. Establish military “lessons learned”: Lessons from the past that are still relevant today are the end product of the battle analysis process. The insights, or “constants of war,” gained from the study should transcend time, place, and doctrine. You can use one of the following fundamentals (or another) for focusing analysis of military operations to help find these “constants.” These fundamentals are defined in U.S. Army Field Manual 3-0, Operations and elsewhere. Below is a partial list of some of the theory, concepts, and doctrine that may help you analyze the battle or campaign and lessons learned. SEE ANNEX A FOR MORE DETAILS.

(1) Principles of War.

(2) Threads of Continuity

(3) Warfighting Functions

(4) Tenet of Army Operations

(5) Elements of Combat Power

(6) Elements of Operational Design

(7) Marine Corps Warfighting Functions

(8) Characteristics of Offensive Operations

(9) Forms of maneuver

(10) Tenets of Air and Space Power

(11) Sea Doctrine

(12) Theory and concepts from the course readings

(13) You can quote them, but no bonus points for Sun Tzu or Clausewitz

Suggested Format for Modified Battle Analysis Paper

1. INTRODUCTION

2. REVIEW THE SETTING (SET THE STAGE):

a. Strategic/Operational Overview

b. Compare the principle antagonists (Operational/Tactical).

(1) size and composition.

(2) technology.

(3) doctrine and training.

(4) leadership.

c. State the mission and describe initial disposition of the opposing forces.

3. DESCRIBE THE ACTION:

a. Describe the opening moves of the battle.

b. Detail the major phases/key events.

c. State the outcome.

4. ASSESS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ACTION:

a. Relate causes to effects.

b. Establish military “lessons learned.”

c. Provide your analysis in terms of the principles, tenets, and doctrine you surveyed in the first paper and/or as outlined above.

5. CONCLUSION

ANNEX A

This Annex provides a menu of doctrine, theory, tenets, and concepts to choose from when analyzing a battle. Consider the most important that apply to your battle and explain how they influenced the outcome of the battle. The definitions are generally word for word from the references cited under FOR MORE DETAILS in each section.

The Principles of War:

OBJECTIVE: Direct every military operation toward a clearly defined, decisive,

and attainable objective.

OFFENSIVE: Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.

MASS: Concentrate the effects of combat power at the decisive place and

time.

ECONOMY OF FORCE: Allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts.

MANEUVER: Place the enemy in a disadvantageous position through the flexible

application of combat power.

UNITY OF COMMAND: For every objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander.

SECURITY: Never permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage.

SURPRISE: Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is

unprepared.

SIMPLICITY: Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to

ensure thorough understanding.