War in Practice

In 1903, just after the end of the 2nd Boer War, B.F.S. Baden-Powell wrote this book to compile his thoughts on the changing tactics of modern warfare, particularly for infantry and cavalry units.



Well illustrated with photos, drawings and his numerous personal experiences in the British army he outlines how the conduct of ground warfare was changing rapidly. So much so, his insights and observations would provide a rather accurate picture of what was to come in World War 1. His predictions on the soon obsolescense of mounted cavalry troops, to the growing firepower of machine guns utilized from field fortifications is quite profound. The focus on old-fashioned common sense soldiering, smart utilization of terrain, and even clever trench construction is still valid today.



Each chapter includes many personal anecdotes to illustrate his lessons, and cover topics such as Attack, Defense, Selection of Ground & Positions, Fortifications, and Outposts. Many of his maxims are certainly still applicable for soldiers in current conflicts like Afghanistan, or Syria. A great companion read to this title is his brother's (Robert Baden-Powell) book on his own lessons from the Boer War, "Quick Training for War".

Keywords: Boer War,british,cavalry,fortification,tactics,south africa, infantry



The Author:

Major Baden F.S. Baden-Powell, born 1860, joined the British Army’s Scots Guards at age 21. He went on to serve with Gordon’s Nile Expedition to Egypt & Sudan. Later he served with the 1st battalion of his regiment in South Africa during the Second Boer War, and was

present at the battles of Belmont (23 November 1899), Modder River (28 November 1899), and Magersfontein (11 Dec 1899). He was in the Relief Column that in May 1900 relieved the siege of Mafeking, where his elder brother (Robert) was in command.