The Defence of Duffer's Drift - Softcover

Swinton, Ernest Dunlop

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1492223530 ISBN 13: 9781492223535

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

The Defence of Duffer's Drift by Ernest Swinton is a seminal military classic that offers a fictionalized account of a young officer’s trial-and-error defense of a strategic river crossing during a hypothetical battle. Through a series of dreams and lessons, the story imparts crucial insights into small unit tactics, leadership, and battlefield decision-making.

Originally written to teach practical military principles during the early 20th century, this concise and engaging narrative remains highly relevant to modern military professionals, students of military history, and enthusiasts interested in strategy and leadership.

Ideal for readers looking for practical lessons in military tactics, leadership development, and combat strategy, this book combines storytelling with timeless principles of defense and adaptability.

About this title

About the Author

Major General Sir Ernest Dunlop Swinton (1868-1951) was a military writer and British Army officer. Swinton is credited with influencing the development and adoption of the tank by the British during the First World War. He is also known for popularising the term "no-mans land". Swinton was born in Bangalore, India in 1868. He was educated at University College School, Rugby School, Cheltenham College, Blackheath Proprietary School and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He became an officer in the Corps of Royal Engineers in 1888, serving in India and becoming Lieutenant in 1891. He received the Distinguished Service Order during the Second Boer War. After the war, he wrote his book on small unit tactics, The Defense of Duffer's Drift, a military classic on minor tactics that has been used by the United States military to train its officers. In the years leading up to the First World War, he served as a staff officer and as an official historian of the Russo-Japanese War. The War Minister, Lord Kitchener appointed Swinton as the official British war correspondent on the Western Front. Journalists were not allowed at the front and Swinton's reports were censored leading to an effectively uncontroversial although even-handed reporting.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1492223530
• ISBN 13: 9781492223535
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 58