Customer Reviews

Guerrillas In The Mist: A Battlefield Guide To Clandestine Warfare

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Guerillas in the Mist (204 pages). The author is obviously highly qualified to address the subject, and as a lowly Lieutenant, Rifle Platoon Leader, I feel an inadequacy to critique his work. Nevertheless, I was somewhat disappointed with the book. Mr. Newman covers many pertinent areas, yet none in significant detail. He does however, in some cases, refer the reader to general outside sources; yet more references to specific outside sources are necessary. I expected, with Mr. Newman's extensive background and experience, to receive much more "how to" knowledge. On page 100 Mr. Newman explains how to sleep tactically when the enemy possesses aircraft mounted thermal imaging systems - good specific information. Need more of that type of specific "how to". I have seen this book advertised as "the Bible of guerrilla warfare" - it's not. It is a helpful outline providing the reader with food for thought. Fortunately, I know what types/titles of books to reference for in depth study of the subject matter. Certainly, Mr. Newman does too - although he shares little with the reader. I recommend this book as a place to start, not a definitive resource.

Guerillas in the Mist (204 pages). The author is obviously highly qualified to address the subject, and as a lowly Lieutenant, Rifle Platoon Leader, I feel an inadequacy to critique his work. Nevertheless, I was somewhat disappointed with the book. Mr. Newman covers many pertinent areas, yet none in significant detail. He does however, in some cases, refer the reader to general outside sources; yet more references to specific outside sources are necessary. I expected, with Mr. Newman's extensive background and experience, to receive much more "how to" knowledge. On page 100 Mr. Newman explains how to sleep tactically when the enemy possesses aircraft mounted thermal imaging systems - good specific information. Need more of that type of specific "how to". I have seen this book advertised as "the Bible of guerrilla warfare" - it's not. It is a helpful outline providing the reader with food for thought. Fortunately, I know what types/titles of books to reference for in depth study of the subject matter. Certainly, Mr. Newman does too - although he shares little with the reader. I recommend this book as a place to start, not a definitive resource.

for someone with "combat experience" the writer gleans heavily from the ranger training handbook,especially in the ambush section.in this text and a few others no one can explain how one should avoid fratricide in using these techniques, the z,v,t,box and especially the pyramid ambushes.for instants the z ambush is devised so when a breakthrough occurs the last leg of the ambush finishes off the enemy element,in guerrilla warfare the idea is to inflict as many casualties as possible without suffering any losses yourself.the author also states to never attack unless one has the advantage,if an enemy is strong enough to breakthrough an ambush should he have been attacked at all? in my opinion(and a few other's!) operations are to be kept as simple and direct as possible to avoid undue loss or fratricide, interestingly the sf handbook(1965)does not teach these techniques neither does the latest ranger handbook (2007)i wonder why? the continual espousal of these tactics (and to use them at nightGuerrillas In The Mist: A Battlefield Guide To Clandestine Warfare!!!)is indeed questionable.(the author does state in the illus. pg.131 that the enemy unit must be below the fireteams's position for pyramid ambush to work,however this tactic would never work on flat terrain!).

Bob Newman does a great job in this book. He goes over historic guerrilla wars and then goes on to explain how to conduct/lead a guerrilla war. The chapters are both informative and concise. A must read for anyone with an interest in unconventional warfare.

As a student of political science who is quite interested in the tactics of revolutionaries and insurgents, I suppose that I may have expected too much from a book from the notorious Paladin Press. While the content of the book was lacking insofar as the tactics and strategies covered, this books biggest letdown was in all of the cheap shots the author took at political opponents and at the so-called liberal media which just seemed to be totally out of place. There are many appropriate places in which the author can express his love for the marines and of presidents such as Reagan and what have you in other places, but they should not be in a book that is supposed to primarily focus on guerrillas and their tactics. To cite some examples...

page 79 - "it is ironic and inexplicable to some-that President Clinton continues to extend China 'most favored trading status,' this despite their long and well-documented history-and current policy- of horrific human rights abuses, but he denies the same to Cuba. Clinton cleary understands the axiom that' business is business.'"

page 85-86 - "...but the second amendment is still partially intact despite our socialist politicians repeated attacks on it through such measures as the so-called assault weapons ban--even though assault weapons are used in less than 1 percent of all crimes committed with firearms--and turncoat Sarah Bardy's personal vendetta against law-abiding handgun owners."

page 56-57 - "Diplomatic strategy works especially well when the guerrillas are ably assisted by ignorant, easily duped, complaint, and extremly naive 'journalists' such as the washington post columnist Richard Cohen..... It is people like Cohen who see Charles Manson as being a misunderstood humanist, Mu'ammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein as being unfairly maligned peace activists, and Abimael Guzman as being a persecuted dreamer.

page 88 - "When Admiral John Poindexter and Lt. Col. Oliver North were caught selling weapons to [Iran], they found out how important security is [should be] in such operations."

page 99 - there is a diagram of a hobo stove that advertises the marine logo on the coffee cup which sits on top of it which is so out of place, it's not even comical anymore.

page 65 - "...and it is interesting to note that dozens of Americans have been killed and hundreds wounded by vehicle bombs detonated at static U.S. armed forces facilities in Saudi Arabia in recent months; will American forces and the politicians controlling them ever learn?"

As you can see, this book really has no academic or practical value in it whatsoever. Anyone who has the slightest interest in military history or whom has even been through 9-12 weeks of military basic training will undoubtedly be wise to what is covered in this childish, poorly written manual. The mere fact that I wasted part of my afternoon reading the entirety of this worthless book is upsetting since I can never gain those 3 hours back. If you're interested in guerrilla tactics, then read anything by Mao, Che or even Fidel Castro. If you're interested in tactics used by terrorists, then pick up the book "Inside Terrorism" by Bruce Hoffman or even the book "Terrorism in the 21st century" by Cynthia Combs. They are far better in terms of content and academic quality. However, if you want to be party to a diatribe of political attacks, then read Ann Coulter or Michael Moore yellow journalism.

Great book. Foreword by Robert K. Brown, Lt. Col. USAR (RETIRED). Best known to the public for publishing "Soldier of Fortune" magazine. The author, Bob Newman, is a former Marine. This book shoots straight. I would have given it 5 stars, but my copy had 17 blank pages. My only option was to return it for a refund. Too much of a pain in the ass. So I'm keeping this one, and I'll be looking for another copy.(which I will check for blank/missing pages.) The info is GREAT. If your new to this kind of warfare, this book is a great place to start. BUY IT. (but check the pages) :>)

REPUBLIC!?!

Without any personal first-hand knowledge of militias, clandestine warfare and mercenaries, it's impossible for me to know whether the facts as outlined in this book are true or just the fantasy ramblings of the author.

However, the details are specific and quite interesting, especially the chapter on the guerrilla and his explosives. According to the author, A****l (brand name purposely deleted) 'is not a bad explosive, but you have to keep it airtight because it absorbs moisture like a sponge. Beware of the fumes.'

The author's political ramblings are a little bit distracting; however, other reviewers are incorrect when they attempt to label him as being extremely right or left wing in his political views. He has a refreshingly equal dislike of both sides of the political spectrum.

As a writer and researcher, reading this book is as close as I'll ever get to actually engaging in any clandestine warfare, but the book was far more thought-provoking than I'd imagined it would be, especially Newman's analysis of the Vietnamese as enduring warriors, withstanding centuries of foreign invasions with a culture steeped in Eastern religious thought and enduring patience.

This is a good book on guerrilla warfare; however as someone who has read extensively on the subject... Giap, Guevara, Levy, Dach, Mao, Bayo etc. I feel in retrospect that this is the worst of the bunch, I feel it didn't really add anything new on the subject and a lot of the book is pure filler, for example excessively large pictures which are hardly necessary... on page 146 there is a near full page photo of a guy sitting on the back of a truck smiling giving a thumbs up: underneath the caption states... "Alcohol can often be used to loosen a prisoner's tongue faster than any other approach. This Spanish Legionnaire knows the deal."

However it does contain a good amount of practical information so I still recommend reading it. However if you're not willing to read every book on the subject I would recommend "Special Forces Guerrilla Warfare Manual" instead.

Although the rather emotional, childish young man who wrote the angry review posted here feels differently (he appears to have a personal axe to grind against the author; perhaps he is a competing author), Newman's book is very interesting and worth reading. As an old guerrilla myself, I can associate with many of the accurate points Newman brings up, and his writing is clear and to the point. Filled with practical advice and guidance including a lot of specific information, he uses his own experiences to bring life to a very old subject: irregular warfare. The photos and illustrations assist him in this endeavor. In the end, Guerrillas in the Mist is a superior effort that merits the attention of anyone interested in the subject of guerrilla warfare, whether that interest is in practical matters or history, and will, I expect, become a classic in the genre.

...it may not be the "Guerilla Warfare Bible" as someone mentioned below, but it is a good overview of Guerilla Warfare. To go into complete detail on this subject would require a much, much larger book.