He thus provides an insight into the reasons why some young men became increasingly willing to use violence, and offers a new explanation for the dominance of south-western units in the War of Independence, on the basis of their actual experiences. He then reappraises the impact of the less well known units in the North, East and West which have so far been widely ignored.
The material in this memorandum supplements readings presented in the volume, Modern Guerrilla Warfare, edited by Franklin Mark Osanka and published in 1962, and together they will give the reader a comprehensive cross-section of the many facets of guerrilla warfare. The first two readings are a concise review of guerrilla warfare from ancient times to the present. The next three readings are devoted to Soviet guerrilla activities against the Nazis during World War II and to current Soviet emphasis on this form of warfare. The last five readings are concerned with counterinsurgency procedures and policies for the future. Atkinson argues that unconventional warfare will play an ever-increasing role in future wars.
This concise history of guerilla warfare presents profiles in combat courage from George Washington to Simón Bolívar, Mao Zedong, and beyond. The concept of guerrilla warfare is centuries old, with Sun Tzu’s writing on the subject dating back to the sixth century BC. One of the earliest recorded examples of guerrilla tactics deployed by a military leader was the campaign of Roman general Fabius Maximus, who took a course of evasion and harassment against Hannibal’s columns. Guerilla Warfare is a compendium of prominent guerrilla leaders across the globe, from thirteenth-century Scotland’s William Wallace to modern-day Sri Lanka’s Velupillai Prabhakaran. It profiles each leader to analyze their personal history, military tactics, and political strategy. All are home-grown leaders of extended guerrilla campaigns. Many became the first leaders of their liberated countries. Both victories and defeats are included here in an analysis of effective guerrilla tactics as well as counterinsurgency strategies. Today, the labels of insurgent, freedom fighter, and jihadi are fast replacing guerrilla. The old notion of the guerrilla, associated with fights for independence and the end of colonialization, has dimmed with modern and far-reaching religious insurgencies taking their place. This concise history gives a fascinating overview of a once history-altering form of warfare.
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
Fighting a superior foe is a momentous task. There are many ways it can be done, there are many ways victories can be achieved. In war, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are only strategies and tactics. Many say what they would do in the face of tyranny, many know what they should do when the powerful become predators. A divided people can be isolated and devoured. Survival depends upon the masses forming one mind. There is no time to weigh the importance of morality as the devil approaches. To even question any tactics that lead to victory is foolish. There is no need to ponder what the enemy deems acceptable, they occupy the opposite end of the spectrum for a reason. At war with a superior force, one has no choice but to assume the role of the guerrilla.
