TE Lawrence: a merged thread

[davidbfpo]

The Head of the Changing Character of War Programme @ Oxford University, Dr. Rob Johnson, has written a book 'Lawrence of Arabia on War: The Campaign in the Desert 1916-1918' to be published by Osprey (UK) this month. For details:https://ospreypublishing.com/lawrence-of-arabia-on-war

I quote the last paragraph in the author's short article as to the value of studying Lawrence:

But here lies Lawrence’s greatest contribution to military thought and practice. He argued for the understanding of war through intense study and condemned slavish adherence to rules. He was compelled to adapt his own theory when confronted by the harsh reality of war. He believed in challenging assumptions and made use of a wide variety of historical cases to seek out the optimum solution. He cautioned against simplified and confident assertions based on a handful of selected cases, claiming that his own ideas were the result of ‘hard brain work’ leavened by equally hard experience. Lawrence was more than a celluloid legend: he was an advocate for thinking, learning, and adapting. That is good advice in any crisis.

Link:https://www.theamerican.co.uk/pr/ft-...ia-Rob-Johnson