Playing War: Wargaming and US Navy Preparations for WWII

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dc.contributor.advisorHamner, Christopher H.
dc.contributor.authorLillard, John Matthew
dc.creatorLillard, John Matthew
dc.date.accessioned2014-08-28T03:06:14Z
dc.date.available2014-08-28T03:06:14Z
dc.date.issued2013-08
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation describes how, despite severe political and economic pressures, the U.S. Navy of the Interwar Period tested new doctrines, experimented with advanced technology, and projected itself into the future through simulated conflicts at the Naval War College. These wargames served as virtual laboratories for experiments in strategy and tactics, experiments that would have been far too costly to carry out in live exercises. The records of the College and the personal papers of the game participants reflect a steady evolution of strategic and tactical thought that was eventually illustrated in actual combat. These records serve to help recast the reputation of the Naval War College as an agent of preparation and innovation, and the wargames and the instruments of that agency. The games were not innovations in themselves or even particularly innovative. Instead, they were a great common playing field, a shared experience, and a palimpsest that both enabled and recorded the Navy's path to wartime readiness. The games were transformative due in large part to their sheer persistence, ubiquity and flexibility.
dc.format.extent238 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1920/8747
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsCopyright 2013 John Matthew Lillard
dc.subjectMilitary history
dc.subjectOperations research
dc.subjectDisarmament
dc.subjectNaval War College
dc.subjectSimulation
dc.subjectWargaming
dc.subjectWar Plan Orange
dc.subjectWar Plan Red
dc.titlePlaying War: Wargaming and US Navy Preparations for WWII
dc.typeDissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineHistory
thesis.degree.grantorGeorge Mason University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral

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