Elements of Naval Warfare; A Treatise Prepared for Use as a Text-Book at the U.s. Naval Academy Download

Elements of Naval Warfare; A Treatise Prepared for Use as a Text-Book at the U.s. Naval Academy

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1909. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... opinion is that it is not of such value that enduring mobility and fighting power should be sacrificed to obtain it. Superior Speed When Its Possessor Seeks Battle. If a commander has confidence in the fighting efficiency of his force, the speed at which it can move will not take the first place in his estimation. If he has superior speed and is seeking battle he must either come upon the enemy before he can run away, or catch him in his flight. Even had he double the speed of the intending fugitive it would be of little assistance unless the fugitive fails to receive sufficiently early intelligence of his opponent's movements. If the fugitive's scouting plan and his other means of obtaining information are so poor that he can be taken unawares, these defects will be the deciding factor. If he can only start running away just before his opponent gets within range of him, the latter's superiority of speed should permit the fighting of an action, in which it will be superiority of power and not of speed that will be the most important. It could not have been the opponent's speed superiority that made the fugitive flee; because flight in the circumstances would be the very thing that would give him the least chance of escape. The flight would be due to a consciousness of inferior fighting power, and to a hope on his part that although he was not strong enough to try the fortune of battle he might save at least some of his force by running away. Moreover, his flight would leave the opponent in command of the area to dominate which he had been willing to incur the supreme risk of battle. Superior Speed and Correction of Errors. The assumption is frequently made that superior speed will permit the correetion of errors in strategy or in tactics. This would make it the ...

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