The Defence of Duffer's Drift
The Defence of Duffer's Drift

Author: Swinton Ernest Dunlop

Publisher: Hardpress Publishing

Published: 2016-06-23

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 9781318952557

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Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

The Defence of Duffer's Drift
The Defence of Duffer's Drift

Author: Sir Ernest D. Swinton

Publisher: Dale Street Book Company

Published: 2013-11

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780978879242

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A favorite of the United States Army Infantry School, "The Defence of Duffer's Drift" is a valuable instruction in the art of close quarters combat. One veteran recently observed that the war in Afghanistan might have fared better if commanders had not ignored the basic lessons taught in "Duffer's Drift." Originally published in 1904 by Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton, when he was still a captain, it remains relevant even in today's battlefields. The fictional main character is Lieutenant N. Backsight Forethought, commander of a 50-man reinforced platoon during a fictional encounter in the Boer War. BF, as he is known to his friends, is ordered to hold at all costs a key piece of ground known as Duffer's Drift. This is BFs big chance to prove himself on the battlefield and he is ready for the glory, or so he thinks. In a series of six scenarios he calls dreams, BF tries to solve tactical issues facing a young commander and his men assigned to a remote location with minimum supplies and maximum exposure to the enemy. In the first dream BF makes basic tactical errors that he summarizes in lessons learned at the end of the dream. In the second dream, he incorporates the lessons learned from the first dream and builds on them to improve his tactical effectiveness. Still, he makes new errors based on new challenges and at the end of the second dream, converts them as well into lessons learned. This continues until the sixth dream when he finally succeeds, drawing on all the lessons learned in the previous five dreams. General Swinton's contribution to the revolution in military affairs of the 20th century is illustrated in this book and its tutelage in the art of tactical warfare. It presages Swinton's ultimate contribution to tank warfare, which would come to dominate the battlefields of World War II. These lessons remain as relevant today as they were one hundred years ago and as long as our military keeps deploying to remote and austere regions in defense of our country.

The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa
The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa

Author: Michael L. Burgoyne

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-08-01

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 0226080943

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Following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the U.S. military found itself in a battle with a lethal and adaptive insurgency, where the divisions between enemy and ally were ambiguous at best, and working with the local population was essential for day-to-day survival. From the lessons they learned during multiple tours of duty in Iraq, two American veterans have penned The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa, an instructional parable of counterinsurgency that addresses the myriad of difficulties associated with war in the postmodern era. In this tactical primer based on the military classic The Defence of Duffer’s Drift, a young officer deployed for the first time in Iraq receives ground-level lessons about urban combat, communications technology, and high-powered weaponry in an environment where policy meets reality. Over the course of six dreams, the inexperienced soldier fights the same battle again and again, learning each time—the hard way—which false assumptions and misconceptions he needs to discard in order to help his men avoid being killed or captured. As the protagonist struggles with his missions and grapples with the consequences of his mistakes, he develops a keen understanding of counterinsurgency fundamentals and the potential pitfalls of working with the native population. Accompanied here by the original novella that inspired it, The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa offers an invaluable resource for cadets and junior military leaders seeking to master counterinsurgency warfare—as well as general readers seeking a deeper understanding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just as its predecessor has been a hallmark of military instruction, The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa will draw the road map for counterinsurgency in the postmodern world. Visit a website for the book here: www.defenseofJAD.com

The Defense of Duffer's Drift
The Defense of Duffer's Drift

Author: Ernest Dunlop Swinton

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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A fictional account of a young British officer's misadventures as a platoon commander during the Boer War. Its simplistic style and satirical nature provide a humorous look at how not to employ one's troops. It also emphasizes the importance of employing basic tactical principles in every operation, and illustrations the tragic results of ignoring such principles.