The Bradley and How It Got That Way

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The Bradley and How It Got That Way Technology, Institutions, and the Problem of Mechanized Infantry in the United States Army

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Blair W. Haworth, Jr.

ISBN: 0-313-30974-4

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-30974-8

DOI:

224 pages

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 11/30/1999

List Price: $110.95 (UK Sterling Price: £76.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

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Series Title: Contributions in Military Studies

Description: The mechanized infantry is one of the least-studied components of the U.S. Army's combat arms, and its most visable piece of equipment, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, is one of the military's most controversial pieces of equipment. This study traces the idea of mechanized infantry from its roots in the early armored operations of World War I, through its fruition in World War II, to its drastic transformation in response to the threat of a nuclear, biological, and chemical battlefield. The U.S. Army's doctrinal migration from the idea of specialized armored infantry to that of more generalized mechanized infantry led to problematic consequences in training and equipping the force. Haworth explores the origins, conduct, and outcome of the Bradley controversy, along with its implications for Army institutional cultures, force designs, and doctrines.

Challenging traditional partisan views of the Bradley program, Haworth goes to the roots of the issue. The author details the mechanized infantry's problematic status in the Army's traditional division of roles and missions between its Infantry and Armored branches. While new conditions demand new equipment, old institutions and current commitments inevitably complicate matters; thus, traditional infantry considerations have driven the Bradley's requirements. The raw capability of the vehicle and the fortitude and ingenuity of its users have to some extent compensated for the conflicting pressures in its design. However, the reluctance of the Army to see mechanized infantry as a specialty has led to the problem the vehicle has faced, as this book clearly shows.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Infantry and Tanks: Early Armored Warfare and the Origins of the Mechanized Infantry Idea, 1916-1939
U.S. Armored Infantry in World War II
Infantry with Tanks: From Armored Infantry to Mechanized Infantry, 1945-1965
The NATO Center and Early Infantry Fighting Vehicle Development, 1960-1964
The Warsaw Pact Threat and U.S. Fighting Vehicle Development, 1967-1975
Armored Cavalry: Problems of Doctrine and Equipment, 1940-1975
From MICV to Bradley Fighting Vehicle, 1975-1983
Adoption and Adaptation: The Bradley in Service, 1983-1988
Armored Cavalry: Problems of Doctrine and Equipment, 1976-1989
The Army Defends the Bradley
Adaptation and Application: The Bradley in Service, 1988-
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

About the Author: W. BLAIR HAWORTH, JR. is a contracting historian and defense analyst specializing in military history and the history of technology./e He has previously participated in projects for the U.S. Congress's Office of Technology Assessment, the U.S. Department of Defense Cold War Project, and the American Maritime History Project, among others.

LCC Class: 356


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