The Art of Reconnaissance [Paperback]

Brigadier General David Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2005

1915. This work is intended to present a view of the subject of reconnaissance as a whole, in the hope of assisting those whose duty or ambition it may be to prepare themselves to undertake the pursuit of information in war. Contents: Principles and Methods; Protection and Security; Contact Reconnaissance; Independent Reconnaissance; The Scout; The Patrol; The Reconnaissance of Ground; The Transmission of Information; and Aerial Reconnaissance.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (June 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417925698
• ISBN-13: 978-1417925698
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,920,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Background of the Cavalry screens of 1914, February 12, 2007

By 

Duncan Mutch (Red Hill, Auckland, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Reconnaissance (Paperback)

This book covers the thinking on cavalry tactics at the turn of the century from the British point of view. Taking into account accurate long range rifle fire and machine guns, the book covers the new approach for cavalry on a modern field of battle (1910)after the lessons of the Boer war. The focus is on recon, patrolling and longer range skirmishing than the shock action of a half century before.

The book puts forward a slightly meandering point of view of a cavalry Brigadier on how cavalry would now operate. and crystallises the impacts of technology that were seen in the ACW and Imperial conflicts into what was seen by all sides in 1914. Reconnaisance in force, and independant cavalry leading the right hook of the German Schlieffen plan, and the skirmishing covering of withdrawal by the British and French. Also relevant to understanding the thinking of German PanzerAufklarung, Reconnaissance battalions of WW2, who without empire responsibilities through the 20's and 30's didn't evolve the independent armoured car, stealth mentality of the allied reconnaissance, but based theirs upon similar cavalry structure to that discussed in this book with Armoured recon squadrons, Horse artillery, and motorcycle mounted Dragoons/fusiliers.

The book is great for it's time, but a more modern covering of the topic should have more visual content, photo's orders of battle, diagrams of tactics. But as an historical book this is a great read for the last twilight of the aura of the cavalry, prior to its decline into petroleum driven beasts