Dying to Learn: Wartime Lessons from the Western Front

In Dying to Learn, Michael Hunzeker develops a novel theory to explain how wartime militaries learn, focusing on the Western Front during the First World War. He identifies three organizational variables that determine how fighting militaries generate new ideas, distinguish good ones from bad ones, and implement the best of them: the degree to which leadership delegates authority on the battlefield, how effectively the organization retains control over soldier and officer training, and whether or not the military possesses an independent doctrinal assessment mechanism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In his groundbreaking book "Dying to Learn," Michael Hunzeker presents a novel theory that delves into the intricate process of how wartime militaries acquire and adapt to new strategies and tactics. Focusing on the Western Front, where three great-power armies grappled with a stalemate throughout the First World War, Hunzeker examines the British, French, and German armies' pursuit of identical solutions, including assault tactics, combined arms, and elastic defense in depth. By the war's end, only the German army had successfully developed and implemented a set of revolutionary offensive, defensive, and combined arms doctrines that, in hindsight, proved to be the most effective way to fight.

Hunzeker identifies three key organizational variables that play a pivotal role in the generation, evaluation, and implementation of new ideas within fighting militaries. These factors are:

Delegation of Authority on the Battlefield: The degree to which military leadership delegates decision-making authority to frontline soldiers and officers.

Control over Soldier and Officer Training: The effectiveness of an organization in maintaining control over the training and development of its personnel.

Independent Doctrinal Assessment Mechanism: The presence of an independent body or mechanism responsible for conducting doctrinal assessments and making recommendations for improvement.

Through a meticulous examination of the British, French, and German experiences in the First World War, "Dying to Learn" offers a comprehensive model that demonstrates how a steadfast emphasis on analysis, command, and training can equip modern militaries to thrive in the era of high-intensity warfare and rapid technological change. By adopting these principles, military organizations can enhance their adaptability, responsiveness, and effectiveness in the face of evolving challenges and threats.

Weight: 28g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501758454