French & US COIN and Galula (merged thread)

[Ridler]

Dear SWJ,

Can anyone recommend a biography of David Galula, or a work that has significant biographical material about his experience? The closest I've found is Ann Marlowe's book:

http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute...cfm?pubID=1016

While helpful, I was looking for more of a biographical root for his ideas, based on his experiences and education. Am I wrong in assuming there remains no professional biography of his efforts?

JSR

[jmm99]

to prove your assumption wrong. Searching "David Galula" (Google Advanced Search; French only) yields only 6000+ hits; but then he was not that popular in France.

You might try the French sources; if nothing else, we find Un gourou pour Hervé Morin - La doctrine militaire de David Galula, officier français mort en 1968, est enfin reconnue… Grâce aux Américains.:



Ah, but my friend Lagrange will tell me that this obviously superior example of new weapons technology has been banned by the ICRC.

Regards

Mike

[Ridler]

But has there been a comprehensive bio of him dans l'anglaise?

[jmm99]

from Ridler
But has there been a comprehensive bio of him dans l'anglaise?

Your initial assumption and question:

from Ridler
... Am I wrong in assuming there remains no professional biography of his efforts?

My answer:

from jmm99
I don't know of anything .... to prove your assumption wrong.

Don't know of anything means don't know of anything.

Regards

Mike

[M-A Lagrange]

http://www.cdef.terre.defense.gouv.f...e_insurect.htm
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Galula
http://www.dissertationsgratuites.co...ula/27267.html
http://secretdefense.blogs.liberatio...rm%C3%A9e.html

The book you mention is the only one about Galula up to now.
You’ll find here some links, I believe you’ve already been consulting on article about Galula (all in French).

The first one and the last one are the most interesting I believe as they are from the ministry of defense for the first one and the last one from a high quality blog on military affairs.
In the first one you have the rediscover (or discover) of a French officer work by the French army and the last one reminds that Galula was first kicked out from the French army during WW2.

Greece being, with Algeria, his first source of inspiration, I would look in that direction. If you're lucky, you might find something.

Mike: As long as US do not ban Mac Donald, we have the right to defend ourselves...

[jmm99]

bonjour ou bonsoir - wherever in He££ you happen to be "lodging" today.

As to this:

from MAL
Mike: As long as US do not ban Mac Donald, we have the right to defend ourselves...

... touché - and you are the awardee of this fine weapons system:





which did prevail at the 1760 Battle of Sainte-Foy - Monument aux Braves, where d'Aiguebelle's Grenadiers were the tip of the bayonet at Dumont's Windmill.

-----------------------------------------
After that shameless promo for Québec tourism, we return to the subject at hand.

I also found your fourth link, Quand Galula était rayé des cadres de l'Armée ..., by Googling "David Galula" "biographie" "juif" (an example of a Gallic "mind" working ?). That article deals with the dicey problem faced by the young David Galula - that of being a Jew in Vichy France and Vichy Algeria. He survived - “Clausewitz de la contre-insurrection” (par Petraeus et Nagl) - that black period, Une page noire, jamais écrite, de l'histoire de l'armée.Quand vichy internait ses soldats juifs d'algerie.

An interesting question is to what extent (if any) did Galula's Jewish background influence his practice ? One answer is here, Deux grands stratèges juifs ont théorisé la guerre victorieuse de contre-insurrection.

Another question, for which I've seen no direct evidence, is whether Galula had close US links during WWII - such as the OSS ?

Regards

Mike

[M-A Lagrange]

Hello Mike,

Well, I am actually in Kenya but working on DRC... A little like in the first circle of hell: not too far from the trouble but not in the heart of the fun.

This said, I also found the following links:
In French:
http://pedagogie.ac-montpellier.fr/h...galuladoc2.pdf


In English:
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute...cfm?pubid=1016
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...ula-april-1962


I tend to personnaly believe that Grece was the turning point of Galula reflection. It's after witnessing the victory of the colonel regime in Grece that he developped his personnal COIN approach. An approach he put in action in Algeria and then got promoted.

Another question, for which I've seen no direct evidence, is whether Galula had close US links during WWII - such as the OSS ?

In deed, an interresting point. To be digged.