Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams [Paperback]

Christopher E. Larsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2005

Finally! Step-by-step tactics for teams of three to 30 members. Tired of collecting a library of military manuals just to teach light infantry patrolling tactics? Military manuals are notoriously confusing and boring! More often than not, they are wr

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418472077
• ISBN-13: 978-1418472078
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected but..., May 9, 2006

By 

William Darling "Darling137" (Ballwin, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams (Paperback)

For the layman, this is an excellent overview of basic light infantry tactics. It encompasses a broad array of the various aspects of tactics including movement, hand signals, orders, and battle drills. Even for the new infantryman, it consolidates the necessities of basic infantry stuff for squad and platoon level.

My issue with the book only comes from coming short of expectations. I had hoped it would include the basics of MOUT with the plethora of lessons learned in Southwest Asia but it did not. I was also hoping for something a little bit updated, compact, and originally organized. It is none of those, taking info and pictures right out of Army manuals (mostly FM 7-8) and for even the former infantryman, this book has nothing new to offer. It has nearly 100% of the tactics I studied 12 years ago, albeit in a slightly more condensed and slightly improved format (Army FM's are generally along 5th grade reading level and this holds the line, but with improved graphics, although the drawings seem to be lifted right out of the original manuals)There are other guides out there that are more complete and probably more up to date, but this isn't a bad compilation for the uninitiated, although it could have been smaller in size and therefore better suited for the field.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic Infantry Skills - Emphasis on Basic, July 27, 2006

By 

Utah Blaine (Somewhere on Trexalon in District 268) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams (Paperback)

This book describes the basic skills needed to be a member of an infantry fire team. Topics discussed include hand signals, ambushes, marching formations, offensive and defensive tactics, etc., pretty much everything an infantryman needs to know about operating at the fire team/squad level other than how to fire your weapon. There is a discussion at the end of each section that applies what is learned to a real world historical situation so the reader can better understand how the principals are actually put into action. As discussed by some of the other reviewers, this book is quite basic; there is little higher level information contained within. It is geared to prepare the reader to be a member of a fire team and nothing more. There is virtually no information on higher level (platoon or company) operations, and the knowledge required of even a squad leader greatly exceeds that contained in this book. If you've served in the Army in a combat MOS or in the Marines, you probably already know (alot) more about this subject than what is contained in this book. This is a book on tactics for an individual in an infantry fire team and if this is what you are looking for, I would highly recommend it. If you want something more detailed than this, you should go elsewhere.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great tactical manual, August 22, 2005

By 

Collin Ruud "cruud" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams (Paperback)

This tactics manual can be considered an essential book for anyone in the military, in tactical law enforcement, or in tactical simulation exercises, even to the realm of weekend paintballers. The language is much more simplified than any standard issue field manual and gives you the real 'meat and potatoes' of light infantry tactics (moving in squads, hand signals, etc.). It also provides the reader with a view of standard maneuvers, like assaults, defenses, and ambushes.

Definitely worth a read, definitely worth keeping in your pack, definitely worth using often.