The Principles of War Historically Illustrated. Vol. I. By Major-General
E. A. Altham. (Macmillan and Co. 10s. 6d. net.)—The author of this admirably written book begins by expressing the opinion that it would be impossible for him to improve on the military doctrines laid down in our Field Service Regulations and official Training Manuals. "We may rest assured, and indeed know that year by year every stone of the foundations of our battle training is tested and tried by the trained experts of the General Staff, and replacement made, wherever the testing or the light of fresh war experi- ence indicates the possibility of further strengthening." His aim is to illustrate and exemplify these doctrines by lessons drawn from recent wars—notably the Russo-Japanese, the South African, and the Balkan Wars. This first volume deals mainly with the characteristics of the various arms, and should furnish civilian readers with a valuable commentary on the news now coming from the front. The main lesson of the work, as General Sruith-Dorrien points out in his introduction, is "that preparation for war is a national duty, the neglect of which involves humiliation and disaster."
Previous page
