The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival [Paperback]

H. John Poole (Author), Edward Molina (Illustrator), Ray L. Smith (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2003

This book is not just fun reading for determined riflemen, but mission-essential info. for all ranks and jobs. The Pentagon lost on the ground 40 years ago, and its squad tactics haven't changed much. Herein are advanced techniques for every category of short-range combat. They will permit better maneuvers (and fewer losses) for every intensity of combat. As Western weapons have become more lethal, Eastern armies have turned to tiny elements. Most provide their lowest ranks with guerrilla methods. Until the Pentagon follows suit, its nonrates will have less field skill, initiative, and decision-making experience. In any close encounter, they will die unnecessarily and their commanders do poorly.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you train infantry, buy this book. I guarantee you will learn something." -- British Army Review Magazine, Winter 2003

"[S]o long as the Pentagon thinks only about programs and money, American soldiers and Marines will need to discover post-machinegun tactics on their own. Gunny Poole's books offer them a readily available way to do so." -- Military.com, 2003

"[This book] will bridge the gap that has been unknowingly created in our rifleman." -- Leatherneck Magazine, February 2004

"[M]any Afghani and Iraqi insurgents are using the Eastern military tactics Poole describes. This makes the book an eye opener." -- National Guard Magazine, January 2004

"The book ... explains (how) ... privates, fire teams, and squads ... can acquire short-range proficiency without a massive bureaucratic overhaul." -- Newport News Daily Press, May 2004

"All of it [the book] will make you better prepared for the future fight. I recommend it to all infantrymen (former commander of Camp Lejeune)." --Maj.Gen. Ray L. Smith USMC (Ret.), July 2003

"John Poole ... [weaves] tactical lessons into ... exciting set of books. I would highly recommend them to all NCOs and officers (former head of CENTCOM)." -- Gen. Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Ret.), 26 March 2004

"Poole is a professional teacher of military tactics and has an extensive knowledge of the Eastern enemy." -- Fort Leonard Wood Guidon, 4 March 2004

"There is much to be learned by studying this remarkable book (former head of History & Museums Division, HQMC)." -- B.Gen. Edwin Howard Simmons USMC (Ret.), July 2003

"John Poole continues to reduce U.S. casualties by providing information every soldier needs (member of the special operations community)."-- Col. Joe E. Kilgore U.S. Army, 2003

"[This book] should be required reading for all U.S. military personnel. John Poole conclusively demonstrates that most Eastern soldiers receive ninja-like training. That makes them well ahead of our troops in initiative, field skills, and tactical-decision making--and better able to survive on the expanded battlefield of the future (publisher emeritus of Presidio Press)." -- Col. Robert V. Kane U.S. Army (Ret.), 2003

"Our military says they train as they fight. If this is true, they won't make it in real combat such as ... in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. This book tells how to win against a real enemy who shoots back. A must read for every Grunt and their leaders (author of 'About Face.')" -- Col. David H. Hackworth U.S. Army (Ret.), 2003

"Sun Tzu wrote 2500 years ago, 'Know yourself, know your enemy, 100 battles, 100 victories.' This book is a key to American victories in the 21st Century (professional military historian)." -- Kim Holien, 2003

"John Poole's previous books have done American fighting men [an] immense service. His latest promises more of the same, at a time when American soldiers and Marines are facing exactly the kinds of opponents he is writing about (father of 4th-Generation Warfare theory)." -- William S. Lind, 2003

"'[The] Tiger's Way' ... [is] a warrior's guide to victory."Camp Lejeune Globe, 2003

"The book has numerous ... illustrations that depict various armies' methods of infiltrating, how they fight in the dark and urban areas, as well as ways to counteract these threats." --Fort Myer Pentagram, 2003

"Poole ... believes that while America was preoccupied with technology, the rest of the world may have evolved tactically.... [He] hopes to prepare U.S. soldiers for the type of short-range combat used by our adversaries in the East." --Oberlin Alumni Magazine, 2003

" The effective response [in Iraq and elsewhere] is to decentralize [control over] U.S. forces, giving more authority to the sergeants who lead platoons working city neighborhoods, getting to know the people ..., said Poole, who details these ideas in a new book." --Newhouse News Service, 2003

From the Publisher

The Tiger’s Way reveals—for the first time in any detail—how the Eastern soldier/guerrilla and his fire team fight at short range. It also contains the sensory-perception and obscure movement techniques that U.S. Soldiers and Marines will need to survive the inevitable one-on-one encounter. With 96 illustrations, 12 maps, and 1600 endnotes, The Tiger's Way entertains while it educates. Maj.Gen. Ray L. "E-Tool" Smith USMC(Ret.) says the book "will make you better prepared for the future fight." As America's foes traditionally go after its support establishment, the publisher additionally recommends this book to all noninfantry, law enforcement, and security personnel.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 452 pages
• Publisher: Posterity Press; Illustrated edition (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0963869566
• ISBN-13: 978-0963869562
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something Everyone Can Use, Not Just Read, December 28, 2003

By 

Wiley B. Howard Jr. (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival (Paperback)

This book is a must read for all ranks. Today's military is falsely secure in its ability to prosecute military operations via the use of high tech weapons and combat support systems, while continuously failing to realize that the human dimension is where warfare truly lies. Such a false sense of security may
result in a preventable number of deaths of our servicemen - especially today in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More money, more fancy contract competing complicated weapon systems and competing battle rhythms do not equal success. Such upper level stresses are impacting the Warfighters ability to fight and survive.

Since it is unfortunate that the United States population is a "quick fix" society and is easily manipulated by today's, often slanted, media reports which endangers the lives of service men and women, Poole's book quickly provides insight into what commanders, troops, media reporters and citizens of this country need to understand about our technologically inferior enemies. And, that as long as the United States remains a Super/Mega Power, technologically inferior forces will attempt to find gaps and exploit them in order to limit/stunt U.S. resolve.

John Poole takes the reader into the Eastern Mindset of warfare. Although the concepts he centers on pertain mostly to Far East Asia (i.e. China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam), those concepts have spread into Central and South West Asia as specified in this book which is well cited. The major take-away in The Tiger's Way, is the enemy's employment of deception and carefully choosing battles that are intended to be already won before execution, with the most important concept being that the enemy will let you see what he wants you to see.

So why is The Tiger's Way a must read for reporters? John Poole cites examples in how an enemy would use deception against U.S. armed forces to use weapon systems against innocent civilians and slow/deter the momentum of the U.S. resolve. This book also provides areas that reporters/investigative reporters might want to research to get as accurate a picture as possible into how a technologically inferior foe will attempt to defeat the United States.

Why is this a must read for Commanders? Commander's can see how staff exercises, command over tasking, limited free play and a reluctance to allow subordinates into developing their own initiative and decision making skills can contribute to their demise. This book also illustrates how U.S. forces are fighting today's threats like the linear fighting Brits tried to fight the Indians who employed guerilla tactics during the Seven Years War. The enemy sees us, while we cannot see him and the ENEMY CHOOSES THE TIME AND PLACE TO FIGHT.

Why is The Tiger's Way important for Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs)? NCOs now have a tool they can use to develop training plans, and to develop initiative in their subordinates who have to be on the front lines for combat and rear area security operations. It's simply not enough that every Marine is a rifleman.

Why is this a read for other military personnel?

C2- John Poole's The Tiger's Way emphasizes, and explains how the enemy desires to eliminate Command and Control without high tech equipment and by disrupting U.S. forces decision making processes.

Intel- Intel types are provided insight into the importance of debriefing personnel, and teaching other small unit personnel how to debrief their own personnel in order to force the data to intelligence sections for accurate threat assessments. Enemy Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) are addressed that can assist an Intel Collections Manager in answering intelligence gaps. Indicators are provided too, or sought, by various collection tools to identify, target and eliminate a threat. The importance of a strong human intelligence collection capability is stressed as being significantly more important than high tech systems which can be deceived or avoided.

Logistics & Force Protection - Logistics types are given some ideas on how to protect their own logistics assets i.e. convoys, rear area security personnel, etc.

Fires- Fires personnel will understand what the enemy may very likely attempt to do in order to avoid being decimated by artillery or close air support.

Maneuver/Grunts- Warfighters will have an idea of what types of patterns to look for leading up to an enemy attack, or hostile intelligence collection effort. Warfighters will also understand that their collected and forwarded observations on site will provide members of the staff and supporting elements the needed data to properly ascertain and eliminate a threat. In other words, all warfighters are intel collectors and it is their job to forward the data to aid in putting an end to the conflict. Last, Poole's well cited book provides direction to other resources which are rare and difficult to find, information that is most important to the people who are actually doing the fighting. Another well written book by John Poole is Phantom Soldier which provides even more resources to facilitate further research.

Finally, The Tiger's Way is an intelligence product that provides insight into today's enemy threat and reducing uncertainty. Most intelligence products focus too much on terrain, weather and other quantitative issues and often ignore the human element to warfare. This book addresses what is ignored, and what ultimately kills our people.

57 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Future Officers, January 13, 2004

By 

Blacksheep (US Army) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival (Paperback)

My mentor, MAJ Donald E. Vandergriff, uses John Poole's books for the textbooks in his Military Science class here at Georgetown. I started reading them during my first years in the ROTC program. I was captivated by Mr. Poole's ingenious ideas. I must say that in my opinion, The Tiger's Way is his best book yet. It's one of those books that makes a highlighter useless. If you highlighted the important parts, you'd end up highlighting the whole thing! Mr. Poole wastes no space with information less than vital.
As an officer in training, I find that The Tiger's Way provides solutions to the countless questions that have perplexed me in the study of military art. Before I read The Tiger's Way I would always ask questions like, "What changes do we make when it's dark outside? Is that tactic really practical if you're getting shot at? How would that tactic work if the enemy did X or Y? What if the enemy doesn't do what you expect? What if the enemy hides underground?" Our future enemies will use all the tricks I wondered about and more. We cannot stubbornly hide behind our rigid doctrine and superior firepower. The US military will either evolve or suffer increased casualties at the hands of cunning adversaries. Mr. Poole offers a solution!
Mr. Poole lays out detailed descriptions of countless unconventional, deceptive tactics, drawing from a diverse and staggeringly immense list of sources. Mr. Poole's book will both expand Soldiers' tactical repertoire and warn them about what they might expect to encounter when facing a more deceptive adversary. Any cadet who is serious about actually fighting and winning someday should read The Tiger's Way backwards and forwards. Despite my limited experience in the military to this point, I can tell when I read something that is on target. It doesn't take a genius or a combat veteran to see the profound truth in Mr. Poole's writing.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Battlefield survival, and how to prevail., January 2, 2005

By 

E. Z. Warner lll (Elliottsburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival (Paperback)

Gunny Poole puts iron on target again. The Tigers Way is an in depth examination of Asian/Oriental small unit tactics, and how the American Army needs to restructure its command and control systems, as well as soldier training. The book is highly detailed and sometimes makes for tedious readng, but is very thorough. The appendices even include some training drills to improve our troops' knowledge base. I highly recommed this to any serving member of the infantry, from PV1 to flag rank.