Flanks

flanks

Hey Hackers, Flanks has been nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startups of The Year awards in Barcelona, Spain. Please vote for us here: https://hackernoon.com/startups/europe/europe-barcelona-spain?stup=66b3e49b34a7dea7f8ad1291&embedable=true Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote. Meet Flanks Flanks is reshaping the wealth management industry by delivering an end-to-end solution to make it easy from beginning to end. Flanks enables global financial players—banks, family offices, and portfolio trackers—to streamline their operations and reduce manual processes to 0%. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Barcelona, Flanks combines deep expertise in wealth management and technology. Backed by €9.8 million in investment, our team is committed to driving innovation and excellence in the industry. How Flanks achieved product-market fit Flanks’ solid product-market fit is grounded in several critical indicators that reflect the demand and alignment between our solution and the needs of the wealth management industry. Firstly, we’ve seen consistent growth in our client base, which includes top banks, family offices, and wealth managers worldwide. This steady demand signals that our end-to-end wealth management solution resonates well with industry challenges, especially in data aggregation and middle office taks. Secondly, Awards and reconitions received this year: we have received recognition from several prestigious awards and top industry players, including LinkedIn's Top Startups in Spain and Barcelona for September-October 2024, and our selection by Google for their AI-first startup program in September 2024. Another indicator is the high rate of adoption of our advanced features, including automated data quality checks and reporting capabilities. These have become essential tools for our users, enabling them to achieve higher accuracy and time savings in their daily operations. Finally, the €9.8 million raised from investors validates the market's confidence in our vision and impact. This funding enables us to continue enhancing our solution to stay aligned with evolving industry demands, further solidifying our position as a trusted solution provider in wealth management. The evolution of Flanks Flanks was founded in 2019, and we quickly set out to address the needs of the wealth management sector. In 2020, we developed our Data Aggregation product and secured our first clients, marking the beginning of our journey. By 2021, we expanded our product offerings across Spain and grew our client base significantly. Initially specialized in data aggregation for wealth managers, we recognized the need for a more comprehensive approach to address the complexities of wealth management. This realization led us to internationalize the company in 2022, positioning ourselves to serve a broader market. In 2023, we began developing our new product, Flanks Lume, which we recently launched, further enhancing our end-to-end wealth management solution. User feedback has been instrumental in this evolution. We actively listen to our clients, and their insights have guided our development priorities. This feedback has enabled us to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement, allowing us to iterate on our product and introduce features that truly meet their needs. From the outset, we provided free demonstrations to our early clients, allowing us to test and refine our services based on their feedback. As our product became more efficient and strategically aligned with client needs, we initiated our commercialization efforts. We negotiated special agreements with our first users, which facilitated the onboarding of new clients as we gained traction in the market. Milestones and achievements +100 clients spread worldwide
+72 global employees based in Barcelona
+39b USD assests under management
+350 connections with financial intitutions
+5 years servicing wealth management
95% coverage of the main financial entities in Europe What Startups of The Year means to us We’re genuinely surprised and deeply grateful for the “Startups of the Year” nomination, as well as for the attention and interest in Flanks this year. This recognition reflects the hard work of our entire team, and we couldn’t be prouder. We hope this recognition will make us increasingly visible in the industry, allowing more financial institutions to consider Flanks as their partner in making wealth management easier and more accessible for everyone. Thank you for the encouragement—it inspires us to keep pushing forward and striving for more together. Conclusion To wrap up, we hope this interview has given you insight into what drives us at Flanks and our vision for the future of wealth management. We’re deeply committed to simplifying and enhancing the industry, with a focus on high-quality data, 0% manual tasks, and client-centered solutions. Looking ahead, we're excited to continue pushing boundaries and setting new standards. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us—we can’t wait to see what lies ahead! Vote for us today! Welcome to HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year 2024 interview series, spotlighting startups from around the world that are changing the way we live, one solution at a time. If you’ve been nominated, create a brand profile and answer these questions here.
Want to nominate a startup? Follow the steps here.Looking for inspiration? Check out how other startups responded to last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions and examples of company responses here, here, and here. Hey Hackers, Flanks has been nominated in HackerNoon's annual Startups of The Year awards in Barcelona, Spain. Please vote for us here: Please vote for us here: https://hackernoon.com/startups/europe/europe-barcelona-spain?stup=66b3e49b34a7dea7f8ad1291&embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/startups/europe/europe-barcelona-spain?stup=66b3e49b34a7dea7f8ad1291&embedable=true Read more about us below to understand why we deserve your vote. Meet Flanks Flanks is reshaping the wealth management industry by delivering an end-to-end solution to make it easy from beginning to end. Flanks enables global financial players—banks, family offices, and portfolio trackers—to streamline their operations and reduce manual processes to 0%. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Barcelona, Flanks combines deep expertise in wealth management and technology. Backed by €9.8 million in investment, our team is committed to driving innovation and excellence in the industry. How Flanks achieved product-market fit Flanks’ solid product-market fit is grounded in several critical indicators that reflect the demand and alignment between our solution and the needs of the wealth management industry. Firstly, we’ve seen consistent growth in our client base, which includes top banks, family offices, and wealth managers worldwide. This steady demand signals that our end-to-end wealth management solution resonates well with industry challenges, especially in data aggregation and middle office taks. consistent growth in our client base, Secondly, Awards and reconitions received this year : we have received recognition from several prestigious awards and top industry players, including LinkedIn's Top Startups in Spain and Barcelona for September-October 2024, and our selection by Google for their AI-first startup program in September 2024. Awards and reconitions received this year Another indicator is the high rate of adoption of our advanced features , including automated data quality checks and reporting capabilities. These have become essential tools for our users, enabling them to achieve higher accuracy and time savings in their daily operations. high rate of adoption of our advanced features , Finally, the €9.8 million raised from investors validates the market's confidence in our vision and impact. This funding enables us to continue enhancing our solution to stay aligned with evolving industry demands, further solidifying our position as a trusted solution provider in wealth management. the €9.8 million raised from investors The evolution of Flanks Flanks was founded in 2019, and we quickly set out to address the needs of the wealth management sector. In 2020, we developed our Data Aggregation product and secured our first clients, marking the beginning of our journey. By 2021, we expanded our product offerings across Spain and grew our client base significantly. Initially specialized in data aggregation for wealth managers, we recognized the need for a more comprehensive approach to address the complexities of wealth management. This realization led us to internationalize the company in 2022, positioning ourselves to serve a broader market. In 2023, we began developing our new product, Flanks Lume, which we recently launched, further enhancing our end-to-end wealth management solution. User feedback has been instrumental in this evolution. We actively listen to our clients, and their insights have guided our development priorities. This feedback has enabled us to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement, allowing us to iterate on our product and introduce features that truly meet their needs. From the outset, we provided free demonstrations to our early clients, allowing us to test and refine our services based on their feedback. As our product became more efficient and strategically aligned with client needs, we initiated our commercialization efforts. We negotiated special agreements with our first users, which facilitated the onboarding of new clients as we gained traction in the market. Milestones and achievements +100 clients spread worldwide +72 global employees based in Barcelona +39b USD assests under management +350 connections with financial intitutions +5 years servicing wealth management 95% coverage of the main financial entities in Europe +100 clients spread worldwide +72 global employees based in Barcelona +39b USD assests under management +350 connections with financial intitutions +5 years servicing wealth management 95% coverage of the main financial entities in Europe What Startups of The Year means to us We’re genuinely surprised and deeply grateful for the “Startups of the Year” nomination, as well as for the attention and interest in Flanks this year. This recognition reflects the hard work of our entire team, and we couldn’t be prouder. We hope this recognition will make us increasingly visible in the industry, allowing more financial institutions to consider Flanks as their partner in making wealth management easier and more accessible for everyone. Thank you for the encouragement—it inspires us to keep pushing forward and striving for more together. Conclusion To wrap up, we hope this interview has given you insight into what drives us at Flanks and our vision for the future of wealth management. We’re deeply committed to simplifying and enhancing the industry, with a focus on high-quality data, 0% manual tasks, and client-centered solutions. Looking ahead, we're excited to continue pushing boundaries and setting new standards. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us—we can’t wait to see what lies ahead! Vote for us today! Vote for us today ! Vote for us today Welcome to HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year 2024 interview series, spotlighting startups from around the world that are changing the way we live, one solution at a time. If you’ve been nominated, create a brand profile and answer these questions here. Want to nominate a startup? Follow the steps here. Looking for inspiration? Check out how other startups responded to last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions and examples of company responses here, here, and here. Welcome to HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year 2024 interview series, spotlighting startups from around the world that are changing the way we live, one solution at a time. If you’ve been nominated, create a brand profile and answer these questions here . Startups of The Year 2024 create a brand profile create a brand profile create a brand profile here here Want to nominate a startup? Follow the steps here . here here Looking for inspiration? Check out how other startups responded to last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions and examples of company responses here, here, and here. Looking for inspiration? Check out how other startups responded to last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions and examples of company responses here , here , and here . last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions last year’s Startups of The Year interview questions here here here here here here

Meet Flanks, Startups of the Year 2024 Nominee

Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . ANCIENT GREEK PAINTING. here ANCIENT GREEK PAINTING. A lecture on ancient Greek painting was lately delivered by Professor C.T. Newton, C.B., at University College, London. The lecturer began by reminding his audience of the course of lectures on Greek sculpture, from the earliest times to the Roman period, which he completed this year. The main epochs in the history of ancient sculpture had an intimate connection with the general history of the Greeks, with their intellectual, political, and social development. We could not profitably study the history of ancient sculpture except as part of the collateral study of ancient life as a whole, nor could we get a clear idea of the history of ancient sculpture without tracing out, so far as our imperfect knowledge permits, the characteristics and successive stages of ancient painting. Between these twin sister arts there had been in all times, and especially in Greek antiquity, a close sympathy and a reciprocal influence. The method in dealing with the history of Greek painting in this course would be similar to that adopted in the course on sculpture. The evidence of ancient authors as to the works and characteristics of Greek painters would be first examined, then the extant monuments which illustrate the history of this branch of art would be described. In the case of painting, the extant monuments were few and far between, but we might learn much by the careful study of the mural paintings from the buried Campanian cities, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and those found in the tombs near Rome and Etruria. The paintings on Greek vases would enable us to trace the history of what is called ceramographic art from B.C. 600 for nearly five centuries onward. After noticing the traditions preserved by Pliny and others as to the earliest painters, the lecturer passed on to the period after the Persian war. Polygnotos of Thasos was the earliest Greek painter of celebrity. He flourished B.C. 480-460. At Athens he decorated with paintings the portico called the Stoa Poikile, the Temple of the Dioscuri, the Temple of Theseus, and the Pinakotheke on the Akropolis. At Delphi he painted on the walls of the building called Lesche two celebrated pictures, the taking of Troy and the descent of Ulysses into Hades. All these were mural paintings; the subjects were partly mythical, partly historical. Thus in the Stoa Poikile were represented the taking of Troy, the battle of Theseus with the Amazons, the battle of Marathon. In the Temple of Theseus came the battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs and the battle of the Amazons again. In the other two Athenian temples he treated mythological subjects. These great public works were executed during the administration of Kimon, to whom Polygnotos stood in the same relation us Phidias did to Perikles, the successor of Kimon. The paintings in the Stoa Poikile were executed by Polygnotos gratuitously, for which service the Athenians rewarded him with the freedom of their city. His greatest and probably his earliest works were the two pictures in the Lesche at Delphi. Of these there was a very full description in Pausanias. The building called Lesche was thought to have been of elliptical form, with a colonnade on either side, separated by a wall in the middle, and to have been about 90 ft in length. The figures were probably life size. According to the list given by Pausanias, there were upward of seventy in each of the two pictures. In that representing the taking of Troy Polygnotos had brought together many incidents described in the Cyclic epics: Menelaos Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, Neoptolemos, Antenor, Helen, Andromache, Kassandra, and many other figures, with which the Homeric poems have made us familiar, all appeared united in one skillful composition, arranged in groups. The other picture, the descent of Ulysses into Hades to interrogate Teiresias, might be called a pictorial epic of Hades. On one side was the entrance, indicated by Charon's boat crossing: the Acheron, and the evocation of Teiresias by Ulysses, besides the punishment of Tityos and other wicked men; on the other side were Tantalos and Sisyphos. Between these scenes, on the flanks, were various groups of heroes and heroines from the Trojan and other legends. From the remarks of ancient critics, it might be inferred that the genius of Polygnotos, like that of Giotto, was far in advance of his technical skill. Aristotle called him the most ethical of painters, and recommended the young artist to study his works in preference to those of his contemporary Pauson, who was ignobly realistic, or those of Zeuxis, who had great technical merit, but was deficient in spiritual conception. The course will comprise four more lectures, as follows—November 17, "Greek Painters from B.C. 460 to Accession of Alexander the Great B.C. 336—Apollodoros, Zeuxis, Parrhasios, Pamphilos, Aristides;" November 24, "Greek Painters from Age of Alexander to Augustan Age—Apelles, Protogenes, Theon;" December 1, "Pictures on Greek Fictile Vases;" December 15, "Mural Paintings from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other Ancient sites." About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18763/pg18763-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

ANCIENT GREEK PAINTING

Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CALIFORNIA CEDARS. here CALIFORNIA CEDARS. The incense cedar ( ) is one of the valued trees of the California coast and mountains. It is eminently noted for great rapidity of growth, wonderful lightness, stiffness, and extraordinary durability. A thousand uses have sprung up and are multiplying around this interesting cedar as its most inestimable qualities become better known. Fortunately it is one of the most extensively distributed trees of the Pacific—found from the coast range north, south to San Diego, Sierra Nevada, southern Oregon, and most of the interior mountain region from 2,000 to 4,000 feet, and it even thrives quite well at 6,600 feet altitude, but seeming to give out at 7,000 feet, though said to extend to 8,500 feet, which is questionable. As usual with the sylva, flora, and fauna, this also is found lowest along the coast, where it finds the requisite temperature and other essentials, with combined moisture. The base and lower trunk somewhat resembles the Western juniper ( ). It is to be noted in general that trees of such broad, outwardly sweeping, or expanded bases seldom blow over, and to the perceptive and artistic eye their significant character is one of firmness and stability. One hundred to two hundred feet high, six to nine feet in diameter (rarely larger) the shaft is often clear of limbs 80 to 100 feet, and although the lower limbs, or even dry branches, may encumber the middle portion, pin-knots do not damage the timber. The massive body tapers more rapidly above than redwood, and is less eccentric than juniper, yet its general port resembles most the best specimens of the latter. The light cinnamon bark is thick and of shreddy-fibered texture, but so concretely compacted as to render the surface evenly ridged by very long, big bars of bark. These sweep obliquely down on the long spiral twist of swift water lines. The top is conic, the foliage is in compressed, flattened sprays, upright, thickened, and somewhat succulent; if not a languid type, at least in no sense rigid. It bears some resemblance to the great Western arborvitæ ( ), but the tiny leaf-scales are opposite and quite awl-pointed. The general hue of the foliage is light yellowish green, warmly tinted, golden and bead tipped, with tiny, oblong male catkins, as the fruit ripens in October and November. The cones are pendulous from the tips of twigs, oblong, and seldom over three-quarters of an inch long, little more than one-third as thick, and for the most part a trifle compressed. The wood is a pale cream-tint in color—a delicate salmon shade. This would hardly warrant the name white cedar, sometimes applied to it, as well as the giant arborvitæ. The extreme lightness of the lumber and its sweetness for packing boxes will commend it for express and commercial purposes, for posts and fencing, and especially railway ties, for sleepers, stringers, and ground timbers of all varieties, and for unnumbered uses, a tithe of which cannot be told in a brief notice. Formerly these trees were cut away and burned up, to clear the track for redwood, tamarack, and ponderous pith-pines, etc.; now all else is superseded by this incense cedar. Thus is seen how hasty and ill-advised notions give place to genuine merit. Libocedius decurrens J. occidentalis Thuja gigantea A fungus ( ) attacks and honeycombs it; and riddled as it may occasionally be, still, if spike or nail finds substance enough to hold, or sufficient solidity to resist crushing, then, for many purposes, even such lumber is practically as good as the soundest timber; because when the tree dies the fungus dies, and thenceforth will absorb no more moisture than the soundest part, and is alike imperishable, contrary to common experience in similar cases. This is a timber nearly as lasting as solid granite. For ship or boat lumber, the clear stuff from sound wood is so exceedingly light, stiff, and durable, and so plenty and available, that few timbers excel it, unless the yellow cedar or cyprus ( ) is excepted, which is a little tougher, stronger, perhaps more elastic, and equally durable, if judged apart from thorough tests and careful data, which, it has been remarked, the apathy or ignorance of some governments appear to deem unworthy their sublime attention. There are said to be in California a thousand times more and better kinds of naval timbers on government lands as important to preserve as the live oaks of the South Atlantic States. It has been asserted as probable that, after due investigation, California would be found to possess a vast amount of the best naval timber in the world, a hundredfold more lasting than the best now in use, if a few woods are excepted, of which there is understood to be no very adequate supply. dædalus Cupressus nutkaensis The great Washington cedar ( ) is another important California tree. The great sequoian timber belt lies along the Sierras, upon the first exposed mountain side—moraines of recent retiring glaciers—that face the Pacific, from Calaveras on the north to near the head of Deer Creek on the south—a distance of 200 miles, or a little above 38 degrees north to a little below 36 degrees; altitude 5,000 to 8,000 feet, and rarely 8,400 feet. The belt is broken by two gaps, each 40 miles wide, caused by manifest topographical and glacial reasons, one gap between Calaveras and Tuolumne, the other between Fresno and King's River; thence the vast forest trends south, across the broad basins of Kaweah and Tule, a distance of 70 miles, on fresh moraine soil, ground from high mountain flanks by glaciers. The inscriptions are scarcely marred by post glacial agents, and the contiguous water-worn marks are often so slight in the rock-bound streams as to be measured by a few inches. Rarely does one of these sound and vigorous cedars fall, and those that do will lie 800 to 1,000 years, scarcely less perishable than the granite on which they grew. The great sequoian ditches, dug at a blow by their fall, and the tree tumuli, always turned up beside the deep root-bowls, remain; but, scientists assert, not a vestige of one outside the present forests has yet presented itself, hence the area has not been diminished during the last 8,000 or 10,000 years, and probably not at all in post glacial times. These colossal sequoias rise 275, 300, and even 400 feet aloft; are 20 to 30, and in some rare cases 40 feet in diameter, looking like vast columnar pillars of the skies. No known trees of the world compare with them and their kin, the redwoods, for the focused proximity of such a marvelous amount of timber within limited areas—as it were, the highest standard of timber-land capacity. The stage coach passes through one; 120 children and a piano crowd inside another; a trunk furnishes a house for cotillon parties to dance "stout on stumps;" a horse and rider travel within the burnt-out hollows of others, and so on. A single tree would furnish a two-rail fence, 20 to 30 miles long. The tree has great value for wood and lumber.— Sequoia gigantea N.W. Lumberman. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2006). Scientific American Supplement, No. 365, December 30, 1882. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/18763/pg18763-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

CALIFORNIA CEDARS

Proper Circumstances for the Application of Machinery

Plan of War when the Destruction of the Enemy is the Object

Scientific American, Vol. XXXVII.—No. 2. [New Series.], July 14, 1877 by Various, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . ADDRESS OF CLARENCE KING ON CATASTROPHISM. here ADDRESS OF CLARENCE KING ON CATASTROPHISM. Mr. Clarence King lately delivered an interesting address before the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale College, New Haven, Conn., under the title of "Catastrophism, or the Evolution of Environment," which promises to evoke considerable discussion. We subjoin an abstract of the principal features of the address, which is quite lengthy. The full text will be found in our Supplements, Nos. 80, 81. Mr. King refuted the doctrine of slow evolution as taught by Huxley and Darwin, and declared that the surface of the earth and climate had been subject to sudden and catastrophic mutation, which included in its environment all types of life. He reasoned that marine fossils are found entombed in rocky beds far remote from present seas; and that these beds were once sea bottoms that have been upheaved by convulsions of Nature. The earliest history of mankind is pregnant with catastrophe, and we have historic story and biblical record of its sudden and destructive energy. He called to mind the vast and massive eruptions of the Pliocene basalt as seen upon our own continent. The great obvious changes in the rocky crust were referred to a few processes; the sub-aerial decay of continents, delivery by streams of land-detritus into the sea, the spreading out of these comminuted materials upon a pelagic floor, and lastly upheaval, by which oceanic beds were lifted up into subsequent land masses. All these processes he declared to have been more rapid in the past than now. Suddenness, world-wide destructiveness, were the characteristics of geological changes. Periods of calm, like the present, are suddenly terminated by brief catastrophic epochs. Successive faunas and floras were created only to be extinguished by general cataclysms. He believed in recurrent, abrupt accelerations of crust change, so violent as to destroy all life on the globe. He declared the idea to be the survival of a prehistoric terror, and was backed up by breaks in the great palæontological record. Of the geologic features of our continent, he said that beneath our America lies buried another distinct continent, which he called Archæan America, which was made up of what was originally ocean beds lifted into the air and locally crumpled into vast mountain chains, which were in turn eroded by torrents into mountain peaks. The original coast lines of this continent we may never be able fully to survey, but its great features, the lofty chains of the mountains which made its bones, were very nearly co-extensive with our existing systems, the Appalachians and Cordilleras. The cañon-cutting rivers of the present Western mountains have dug out the peaks and flanks of those underlying, primeval uplifts and developed an astonishing topography; peaks rising in a single sweep 30,000 feet from their bases, precipices lifting bold, solid fronts 10,000 feet into the air, and profound mountain valleys. The work of erosion, which has been carried on by torrents of the quaternary age, brings to light buried primeval chains loftier than any of the present heights of the globe. At the close of the Palæzoic age, two enormous masses of what, probably, were then continents began to sink, and as they disappeared the present Atlantic and Pacific oceans appeared, while the sea-floor of a then ocean, emerged, and became the new continent of America. Dividing this new continent was a sea, but catastrophe removed this sea and resulted in the folding up of mountain ranges 20,000 and 40,000 feet in height, thereby essentially changing the whole climate of the continent. Of the land life of the mesozoic age we have abundant remains. The wonderful reptilian and avian fauna of the mesozoic age is now familiar to all. But after the catastrophe, and the change of climate which must necessarily have ensued, this fauna totally perished. After criticising the opinions of Huxley, Lyell, Hutton, Darwin, and others, he recurred to the effects of sudden terrestrial or cosmical changes, and conceived that the effects of these changes would be, first, extermination; secondly, destruction of the biological equilibrium; and thirdly, rapid morphological change on the part of plastic species. When catastrophic change burst in upon the ages of uniformity, and sounded in the ear of every living thing the words "Change or die!" plasticity became the sole principle of salvation. And plasticity is the key to survival and prosperity. Mr. King remarked in conclusion of his address: "He who brought to bear that mysterious energy we call life upon primeval matter bestowed at the same time a power of development by change, arranging that the interaction of energy and matter, which make up environment should, from time to time, burst in upon the current of life and sweep it onward and upward to ever higher and better manifestations. Moments of great catastrophe, thus translated into the language of life, become moments of creation, when out of plastic organisms something newer and nobler is called into being." About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Various (2012). Scientific American, Vol. XXXVII. —No. 2. [New Series.], July 14, 1877. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38481/pg38481-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

ADDRESS OF CLARENCE KING ON CATASTROPHISM

On the Culminating Point of Victory

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Attack on a Theatre of War without the View to a Great Decision here Book VII: Chapter XVI. Attack on a Theatre of War without the View to a Great Decision 1. Although there is neither the will nor the power sufficient for a great decision, there may still exist a decided view in a strategic attack, but it is directed against some secondary object. If the attack succeeds, then, with the attainment of this object the whole falls again into a state of rest and equilibrium. If difficulties to a certain extent present themselves, the general progress of the attack comes to a standstill before the object is gained. Then in its place commences a mere occasional offensive or strategic manœuvring. This is the character of most campaigns. 2. The objects which may be the aim of an offensive of this description are:— (a.) A strip of territory; gain in means of subsistence, perhaps contributions, sparing our own territory, equivalents in negotiations for peace—such are the advantages to be derived from this procedure. Sometimes an idea of the credit of the army is attached to it, as was perpetually the case in the wars of the French Marshals in the time of Louis XIV. It makes a very important difference whether a portion of territory can be kept or not. In general, the first is the case only when the territory is on the edge of our own theatre of war, and forms a natural complement of it. Only such portions come into consideration as an equivalent in negotiating a peace, others are usually only taken possession of for the duration of a campaign, and to be evacuated when winter begins. (b.) One of the enemy’s principal magazines. If it is not one of considerable importance, it can hardly be looked upon as the object of an offensive determining a whole campaign. It certainly in itself is a loss to the defender, and a gain to the assailant; the great advantage, however, from it for the latter, is that the loss may compel the defender to retire a little and give up a strip of territory which he would otherwise have kept. The capture of a magazine is therefore in reality more a means, and is only spoken of here as an object, because, until captured, it becomes, for the time being, the immediate definite aim of action. (c.) The capture of a fortress.—We have made the siege of fortresses the subject of a separate chapter, to which we refer our readers. For the reasons there explained, it is easy to conceive how it is that fortresses always constitute the best and most desirable objects in those offensive wars and campaigns in which views cannot be directed to the complete overthrow of the enemy or the conquest of an important part of his territory. We may also easily understand how it is that in the wars in the Low Countries, where fortresses are so abundant, everything has always turned on the possession of one or other of these fortresses, so much so, that the successive conquests of whole provinces never once appear as leading features; while, on the other hand, each of these strong places used to be regarded as a separate thing, which had an intrinsic value in itself, and more attention was paid to the convenience and facility with which it could be attacked than to the value of the place itself. At the same time, the attack of a place of some importance is always a great undertaking, because it causes a very large expenditure; and, in wars in which the whole is not staked at once on the game, this is a matter which ought to be very much considered. Therefore, such a siege takes its place here as one of the most important objects of a strategic attack. The more unimportant a place is, or the less earnestness there is about the siege, the smaller the preparations for it, the more it is done as a thing en passant, so much the smaller also will be the strategic object, and the more it will be a service fit for small forces and limited views; and the whole thing then often sinks into a kind of sham fight, in order to close the campaign with honour, because as assailant it is incumbent to do something. (d.) A successful combat, encounter, or even battle, for the sake of trophies, or merely for the honour of the arms, sometimes even for the mere ambition of the commanders. That this does happen no one can doubt, unless he knows nothing at all of military history. In the campaigns of the French during the reign of Louis XIV., the most of the offensive battles were of this kind. But what is of more importance for us is to observe that these things are not without objective value, they are not the mere pastime of vanity; they have a very distinct influence on peace, and therefore lead as it were direct to the object. The military fame, the moral superiority of the army and of the general, are things, the influence of which, although unseen, never ceases to bear upon the whole action in war. The aim of such a combat of course presupposes; (a) that there is an adequate prospect of victory, (b) that there is not a very heavy stake dependent on the issue.—Such a battle fought in straitened relations, and with a limited object, must naturally not be confounded with a victory which is not turned to profitable account merely from moral weakness. 3. With the exception of the last of these objects (d) they may all be attained without a combat of importance, and generally they are so obtained by the offensive. Now, the means which the assailant has at command without resorting to a decisive battle, are derived from the interests which the defensive has to protect in his theatre of war; they consist, therefore, in threatening his lines of communications, either through objects connected with subsistence, as magazines, fertile provinces, water communications, etc., or important points (bridges, defiles, and such like,) or also by placing other corps in the occupation of strong positions situated inconveniently near to him and from which he cannot again drive us out; the seizure of important towns, fertile districts, disturbed parts of the country, which may be excited to rebellion, the threatening of weak allies, etc., etc. Should the attack effectually interrupt the communications, and in such a manner that the defender cannot re-establish them but at a great sacrifice, it compels the defender to take up another position more to the rear or to a flank to cover the objects, at the same time giving up objects of secondary importance. Thus a strip of territory is left open; a magazine or a fortress uncovered: the one exposed to be overrun, the other to be invested. Out of this, combats greater or less may arise, but in such case they are not sought for and treated as an object of the war but as a necessary evil, and can never exceed a certain degree of greatness and importance. 4. The operation of the defensive on the communications of the offensive, is a kind of reaction which in wars waged for the great solution, can only take place when the lines of operation are very long; on the other hand, this kind of reaction lies more in accordance with the nature of things in wars which are not aimed at the great solution. The enemy’s lines of communication are seldom very long in such a case; but then, neither is it here so much a question of inflicting great losses of this description on the enemy, a mere impeding and cutting short his means of subsistence often produces an effect, and what the lines want in length is made up for in some degree by the length of time which can be expended in this kind of contest with the enemy: for this reason, the covering his strategic flanks becomes an important object for the assailant. If, therefore, a contest (or rivalry) of this description takes place between the assailant and defender, then the assailant must seek to compensate by numbers for his natural disadvantages. If he retains sufficient power and resolution still to venture a decisive stroke against one of the enemy’s corps, or against the enemy’s main body itself, the danger which he thus holds over the head of his opponent is his best means of covering himself. 5. In conclusion, we must notice another great advantage which the assailant certainly has over the defender in wars of this kind, which is that of being better able to judge of the intentions and force of his adversary than the latter can in turn of his. It is much more difficult to discover in what degree an assailant is enterprising and bold than when the defender has something of consequence in his mind. Practically viewed, there usually lies already in the choice of the defensive form of war a sort of guarantee that nothing positive is intended; besides this, the preparations for a great reaction differ much more from the ordinary preparations for defence than the preparations for a great attack differ from those directed against minor objects. Finally, the defender is obliged to take his measures soonest of the two, which gives the assailant the advantage of playing the last hand. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Attack on a Theatre of War without the View to a Great Decision

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . The Offensive Battle Book VII: Chapter VII. The Offensive Battle What we have said about the defensive battle throws a strong light upon the offensive also. We there had in view that class of battle in which the defensive appears most decidedly pronounced, in order that we might convey a more vivid impression of its nature;—but only the fewer number are of that kind; most battles are demirencontres in which the defensive character disappears to a great extent. It is otherwise with the offensive battle: it preserves its character under all circumstances, and can keep up that character the more boldly, as the defender is out of his proper esse. For this reason, in the battle which is not purely defensive and in the real rencontres, there always remains also something of the difference of the character of the battle on the one side and on the other. The chief distinctive characteristic of the offensive battle is the manœuvre to turn or surround, therefore, the initiative as well. A combat in lines, formed to envelope, has evidently in itself great advantages; it is, however, a subject of tactics. The attack must not give up these advantages because the defence has a means of counteracting them; for the attack itself cannot make use of that means, inasmuch as it is one that is too closely dependent upon other things connected with the defence. To be able in turn to operate with success against the flanks of an enemy, whose aim is to turn our line, it is necessary to have a well chosen and well prepared position. But what is much more important is, that all the advantages which the defensive possesses, cannot be made use of; most defences are poor makeshifts; the greater number of defenders find themselves in a very harassing and critical position, in which, expecting the worst, they meet the attack half way. The consequence of this is, that battles formed with enveloping lines, or even with an oblique front, which should properly result from an advantageous relation of the lines of communication, are commonly the result of a moral and physical preponderance (Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena). Besides, in the first battle fought, the base of the assailant, if not superior to that of the defender, is still mostly very wide in extent, on account of the proximity of the frontier; he can, therefore, afford to venture a little.—The flank-attack, that is, the battle with oblique front, is moreover generally more efficacious than the enveloping form. It is an erroneous idea that an enveloping strategic advance from the very commencement must be connected with it, as at Prague. (That strategic measure has seldom anything in common with it, and is very hazardous; of which we shall speak further in the attack of a theatre of war.) As it is an object with the commander in the defensive battle to delay the decision as long as possible, and gain time, because a defensive battle undecided at sunset is commonly one gained: therefore the commander, in the offensive battle, requires to hasten the decision; but, on the other hand, there is a great risk in too much haste, because it leads to a waste of forces. One peculiarity in the offensive battle is the uncertainty, in most cases, as to the position of the enemy; it is a complete groping about amongst things that are unknown (Austerlitz, Wagram, Hohenlinden, Jena, Katzbach). The more this is the case, so much the more concentration of forces becomes paramount, and turning a flank to be preferred to surrounding. That the principal fruits of victory are first gathered in the pursuit, we have already learnt in the twelfth chapter of the 4th Book. According to the nature of the thing, the pursuit is more an integral part of the whole action in the offensive than in the defensive battle. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

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