Second Fronts
Second Fronts
Success, Failure, and Implications
War colleges often discuss what are termed “peripheral operations.” Unfortunately, it is a poor term because it connotes secondary military operations using expendable or auxiliary forces. Yet, some of these campaigns were major actions employing large numbers of troops and which had major strategic effects. Indeed, such maneuvers were often termed “the British Way of War.” “Second front operations” is a far more useful term to describe assaults occurring outside the main theater using major forces. This chapter discusses four such campaigns—two were successful and two were not. The intent is to address why such operations were launched, and then to draw lessons to guide future strategists.
Keywords: Peloponnesian War, Sicilian Expedition, Gallipoli, Winston Churchill, World War I, Iberian Campaign, Duke of Wellington, Napoleonic Wars, World War II, Operation TORCH, Dwight Eisenhower
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