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Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (Psi Classics in the Counterinsurgency Era)

by Roger Trinquier

Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency (Psi Classics in the Counterinsurgency Era) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

This volume in the Praeger Security International (PSI) series "Classics of the Counterinsurgency Era" reveals how French officers who served in Indochina, like the author, Roger Trinquier, fought fierce rear-guard actions against ideologically motivated insurgents in the 1940s and 1950s to a far greater extent than their American counterparts later faced in Vietnam. The lack of coherent strategic direction from Paris in the chaotic years of the Fourth Republic left the military with the task of making political decisions in the field. With the original introduction by Bernard B. Fall and a new foreword prepared by Eliot A. Cohen.

Book News Annotation:

First published in France in 1961 as La Guerre Moderne, this work distills the counterguerilla thinking of a French officer who had been involved in guerilla wars in Algeria and Vietnam. The key message of the text is the need to gain the allegiance of the civilian population, although other tactical, operational, and strategic matters are discussed as well. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:

This book examines how the French military spent decades fighting rear-guard actions in Indochina against ideologically motivated insurgents in the 1940s and 1950s.

About the Author

ROGER TRINQUIER (1908-1986) was born into a peasant family and was graduated from the military academy at Saint-Maixent. He was posted in the Far East for much of his career. Following World War II, he campaigned in Vietnam before returning to organize and train a colonial parachute battalion in France. Then he was reassigned to Indochina as an expert on counterguerrilla warfare. This tour was followed by his active role in the revolt of May 1958 by the French army in Algeria, for which he was labeled"a political colonel". Afterward Colonel Trinquier led a group of fellow officers-recruited from elite units and officially retired, but with the approval of the Ministry of Defense- to serve as mercenaries in Katanga Province, Zaire, under the secessionist leader Moise Tshombe. He published La Guerre Moderne, which was translated into English, and a number of other books dealing with the Indochina war and the exploits of French airborne forces.

Table of Contents

Forward

Introduction: A Portrait of the "Centurion" by Bernard B. Fall

PART I. PREPARATION FOR WAR

The need to Adapt Our Military Apparatus to Modern Warfare

Modern Warfare Defined

An Example of a Clandestine Warfare Organization

Terrorism-The Principal Weapon of Modern Warfare

Identifying the Adversary

Defense of the Territory

PART II. THE POLITICAL AND MILITARY CONDUCT OF THE WAR

Direct Action on the Populations of Cities

Errors in Fighting the Guerrilla

The Problem of Resources

Conducting Counterguerrilla Operations

PART III. CARRYING THE WAR TO THE ENEMY

The Inadequacies of Traditional Warfare

Modern Warfare in Enemy Territory

Conclusion

Index

Product Details

ISBN:
9780275992675
Subtitle:
A French View of Counterinsurgency
Author:
Trinquier, Roger
Translator:
Lee, Daniel
Foreword:
Cohen, Eliot A.
Publisher:
Praeger Publishers
Subject:
General
Subject:
Military Science
Subject:
Military - Other
Subject:
Asia - Southeast Asia
Subject:
Tactics
Subject:
Guerrilla warfare
Subject:
General Political Science
Series:
Psi Classics in the Counterinsurgency Era
Publication Date:
August 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
Professional and scholarly
Language:
English
Pages:
94
Dimensions:
9.60x6.34x.58 in. .69 lbs.

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