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Thread: 1906 British "Small Wars" Manual?

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    Council Member 120mm's Avatar
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    Default 1906 British "Small Wars" Manual?

    I've seen several obscure references to a 1906 Brit "Small Wars" Manual. Wondering where one could find a digital copy of it.

    Thanks!

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    Council Member 120mm's Avatar
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    Oops, found it at CARL. Callwell's "Small Wars, Their Principles and Practice".

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    Yup, the book that inspired the Marine Corps Small Wars Manual of 1940. I think Callwell's first edition was older than 1906, by about ten years or so.

    Bear in mind that it's not COIN by any means though, the British SOP was "butcher and bolt." Still some great stuff in there though.

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    Council Member 120mm's Avatar
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    I'm more interested in the progression of historical approaches to COIN than getting useful information for current ops. Though the 1940 USMC manual is packed full of stuff that are good to know.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 120mm View Post
    I'm more interested in the progression of historical approaches to COIN than getting useful information for current ops. Though the 1940 USMC manual is packed full of stuff that are good to know.
    Have you looked at The Guerrilla Reader: A Historical Anthology, edited by Walter Laquer? Published in '77, it is a collection of essays and excerpts from larger writings on the subject throughout history. It is the companion volume to his outstanding book Guerrilla: A Historical and Critical Study, which was published the year prior.

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    Council Member 120mm's Avatar
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    No, but I'll get on it.

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    Council Member CSC2005's Avatar
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    Default Small Wars: Their Principles and Practice (review)

    The author is one of the earliest and most influential writers on counter-insurgency. He was a British military officer writing to teach junior officers on how to defeat non-European forces. While many of his tactics seem rather tough and barbaric, one must be careful to judge him by the standards of his time (early 20th century), not by the whims of today. If one is able to look past many of tougher stances, like destroying the food and water sources of uncooperative local citizens, there is quite a bit worth learning. The Marine Corps Small Wars Manual of 1940 owes much to this work. While more modern counter-insurgency writers have overshadowed Caldwell's teachings, he still deserves credit for being one of the first to record the lessons and basic tenets of counter-insurgency. It is amazing the see how little has changed and how well this book holds up. I understand why this book is still required reading at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.

    http://www.amazon.com/Small-Wars-The...097696-4450507

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    Council Member Mark O'Neill's Avatar
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    Default I do not agree with this

    Quote Originally Posted by Granite_State View Post
    Ythe British SOP was "butcher and bolt." Still some great stuff in there though.
    I do not agree with this, unless you are reading the rare , and hitherto unseen, 'evil edition' version. My copy of this classic is quite pragmatic and, considering the cultural and social mores when it was first written, relatively balanced.

    Cheers

    Mark

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    Quote Originally Posted by 120mm View Post
    Oops, found it at CARL. Callwell's "Small Wars, Their Principles and Practice".

    Could you give me the e-address? I've wanted to read that one for a long time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 120mm
    Oops, found it at CARL. Callwell's "Small Wars, Their Principles and Practice".
    Quote Originally Posted by jastay
    Could you give me the e-address? I've wanted to read that one for a long time.
    Small Wars, Their Principles and Practice

    Its a scanned pdf copy - in seven parts - of the 1906 third edition.

    ....or you could just buy it from Amazon.
    Last edited by Jedburgh; 08-25-2007 at 02:59 AM.

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    Council Member Mark O'Neill's Avatar
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    Default An Australian Connection

    Callwell was one of the first Instructors at our Royal Military College (Duntroon). He was subsequently at Gallipoli under General Bridges ( the 1st Commandant RMC and Comd of the AIF before he was shot). Subsequently he served with distinction with the AIF and the Brits on the Western Front.

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    Small Wars Journal SWJED's Avatar
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    Default Jastay...

    Quote Originally Posted by jastay3 View Post
    Could you give me the e-address? I've wanted to read that one for a long time.
    ... time for an introduction to the Council.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark O'Neill View Post
    I do not agree with this, unless you are reading the rare , and hitherto unseen, 'evil edition' version. My copy of this classic is quite pragmatic and, considering the cultural and social mores when it was first written, relatively balanced.

    Cheers

    Mark
    I'm not slamming Callwell, and I'll admit to having only skimmed the book, need to have it read cover-to-cover by Christmas. The British were maybe the most humane empire in history, but when it came to small wars, the general idea was a punitive expedition, track down the malefactors, burn their crops or city, and head home. Butcher and bolt. I'm simplifying a bit, but that's generally how it was done, especially on the Northwest Frontier, a small war that went on for a century.

    Bear in mind that they often differentiated "small wars" from "duties in aid of the civil power" (Anglo-Irish War, Indian communal disturbances, Arab Revolt in Palestine), where the rules of the game were different.

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    Default Callwell and the Marines

    Callwell's approach, while relatively balanced given when it was written and for what purpose, still is, in Kilcullen's terms, enemy centric. This does not make it a bad book nor negate everything the author says. Trinquier's work, for example, is enemy centric and still valuable.

    The USMC SWM clearly engages Callwell in a dialogue. It accepts two of his 3 classes of small wars but explicitly rejects his third - wars of conquest or annexation. While the SWM would agree with Callwell on some tactical approaches it is, by contrast, population centric. And, I would argue, after getting by some of its archaic politically incorrect language, most of its approach could be found within the new COIN FM.

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