Combat Techniques: An Elite Forces Guide to Modern Infantry Tactics [Hardcover]

Martin J. Dougherty (Author), Chris McNab (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2007

Combat Techniques is an up-to-date reference work on tactical procedures for today's infantry. Illustrated with action photographs and detailed artworks, it provides a thorough insight into how the soldiers of today's armies would fight in any combat scenario they encounter.

 

The book covers all the main areas of battlefield tactics and procedures, with chapters on infantry weaponry, infantry tactics, heavy support -- such as air, armor, and artillery -- use of terrain, special forces tactics, and counter-insurgency warfare. The author detail the various forces and assets at a battlefield commander's disposal and examine a huge range of tactical procedures, from controlling an air strike or firing an anti-tank weapon to sub-zero operations, hostage-rescue situations, fighting in urban or extreme terrain, amphibious assaults, and evading capture. Comabt Techniques also explores the challenges of assymetric warefare, with chapters on counter-terrorist and anti-insurgency operations.

 

Packed with color photographs and useful artworks illustrating techniques and tactics, COmbat Techniques demonstrates how to modern soldier operates in today's ever-changing, technology-dominated battlefields.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Chris McNab is an experienced specialist in wilderness and urban survival techniques. He has published over 20 books including: How to Survive Anything, Anywhere -- an encyclopedia of military and civilian survival techniques for all environments -- Special Forces Endurance Techniques, First Aid Survival Manual, and The Handbook of Urban Survival. In his home country of Wales, UK, Chris provides instruction on wilderness hunting techniques and he is also an experienced martial arts instructor.

 

Martin J. Dougherty is a Freelance writer and editor specializing in military and defence topics. His published works deal with subjects ranging from teh history of small arms to naval warfare and private security. He has written or contributed to Small Arms, Battles of the Medieval World, The World's Worst Weapons, and Battles of the Ancient World.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312368240
• ISBN-13: 978-0312368241
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #322,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Infantry Tactics Overview for Civilians. Misleading title., June 10, 2008

By 

P. May "ulairi" (Ft. Benning, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Combat Techniques: An Elite Forces Guide to Modern Infantry Tactics (Hardcover)

The book's title - "An Elite Forces Guide" is somewhat misleading. There is nothing in the book to qualify it for the "Elite" designation. Perhaps, if a civilian whose only exposure to tactics of modern infantry combat was from the movies, there would be some useful information.

It certainly is a decent overview of the US Army's FM 3-XX manuals (and, likely, USMC's equivalents, as well as British Army's). Like any overview, it must, by definition, provide only cursory treatment of the many subjects it attempts to cover. It would have been nice if the book's chapters contained references to the FMs or similar, though that is easy enough to do with the help of a decent search engine.

There are some odd inaccuracies in the book which, while not preventing the book from being useful in its own right, make taking its contents seriously a bit more difficult. As an example, in the chapter discussing small arms, there is a photo of a man wearing a MARPAT uniform, holding a Beretta pistol for the first time in his life (this is evident from the blatantly wrong way in which he is holding the sidearm). The caption, however, indicates that this is a "U.S. Army officer practicing at the range." An Army officer, in MARPAT? Seems unlikely. However, the accompanying discussion is accurate, if brief.

Books of this type are difficult to write - while some basics rarely change, the latest/greatest tips and tricks are very theater-dependant. What would work in the plains of Europe is unlikely to work in either Iraq's deserts or Afganistan's mountains (climate/terrain/adversary).

When treated as an overview of other materials, the book does a passable job - earning a 3 out of 5. The book should be renamed to "Combat Techniques: An Overview of Modern Infantry Tactics", and perhaps another proofreading pass, and it'd be excellent in its task - being an overview.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Beginners, February 3, 2009

By 

Sean Killian (Delmar, De. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Combat Techniques: An Elite Forces Guide to Modern Infantry Tactics (Hardcover)

This is a well illistrated and well written book, but it is geared as an overview and starting point for people interested in modern military tactics.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Combat techniques yes, Elite Forces Guide, No..., May 22, 2009

By 

Joseph T. Davis "Imperator" (Seattle, WA U.S.A) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Combat Techniques: An Elite Forces Guide to Modern Infantry Tactics (Hardcover)

I recently bought this book in the PX here in Iraq. Being a soldier for 10 years myself, this book covers the basics. It's not a "How-to," but an overview towards how modern forces fight today. It's great in covering weapons and tools used by the infanrty, but again, it's broad and basic. Too short of a book to cover the details.