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SOME PRINCIPLES
OF
Frontier Mountain Warfare
BY
BREVET-MAJOR W.D. BIRD, D.S.O.
(Late Professor at Indian Staff College.)
London:
HUGH REES, Ltd., 119, PALL MALL, S.W.
1909
SOME PRINCIPLES OF FRONTIER MOUNTAIN WARFARE.
The saying that there is no new thing under the sun, is as applicableto military affairs as to those of everyday life, for it is fullyadmitted that the principles underlying all strategy and tactics,whether of mountain or other warfare, are immutable.
But though the principles of strategy and tactics are unchanging,organisation, formations, and minor items of procedure, must becontinually amended to meet ever varying circumstances, and, inaddition, each campaign possesses special characteristics demandingfurther modifications.
There are, in fact, no invariable rules in the conduct of war, andwhilst formalism is harmful in all matters, in military operations itis disastrous.
An army relying on an established code of rules will often defeatitself in their application, and even if this disaster is avoided, theenemy will soon become aware of the methods in vogue, and will so framehis tactics as most advantageously to counteract them.
Each problem, great and small, each set of circumstances, must,therefore, be considered on its merits, principles must be appliedin the solution, not rules, and strategy, tactics, organisation,equipment, and other matters, arranged accordingly.
It is in this spirit that the problems of Indian Frontier warfareshould be approached.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS.
The strength and organisation of a force destined to undertakeoperations against the transborder clans of the Indian frontier isnaturally conditioned by the physical features of the area, by itsfertility, and by the numbers, character, organisation, and armament ofits inhabitants.
It has been truly said that in war every available man should beemployed, for one can never be too strong, but this aphorism is alwaysqualified by the number of men that can be fed in the district which isto form the seat of war. The problem of the numbers to be used againstthe Pathan tribes is, therefore, by no means easy of solution, for, asa great French King said of Spain, in mountainous countries possessing,as does the Indian borderland, few natural resources, but inhabited bya hardy though scanty population, large armies risk starvation, smallare in danger of defeat.
The tribesmen of the North West Frontier are brave, and inured tofatigue and hardship, a considerable number have been trained in ourIndian army, and these have some knowledge of tactics, and acquaintancewith British methods.
The clansmen possess no artillery, but in other respects a