This publication is about winning in combat. Winning requires many things: excellence in techniques, an appreciation of the enemy, exemplary leadership, battlefield judgment, and focused combat power. Yet these factors by themselves do not ensure success in battle. Many armies, both winners and losers, have possessed many or all of these attributes. When we examine closely the differences between victor and vanquished, we draw one conclusion. Success went to the armies whose leaders, senior and junior, could best focus their efforts-their skills and their resources-toward a decisive end. Their success arose not merely from excellence in techniques, procedures, and material but from their leaders' abilities to uniquely and effectively combine them. Winning in combat depends upon tactical leaders who can think creatively and act decisively.

This Leavenworth Paper is a critical reconstruction of World War II Ranger operations conducted at or near Djebel el Ank, Tunisia; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; Cisterna, Italy; Zerf, Germany; and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of World War II Ranger operations, for such a study would have to include numerous minor actions that are too poorly documented to be studied to advantage. It is, however, representative for it examines several types of operations conducted against the troops of three enemy nations in a variety of physical and tactical environments. As such, it draws a wide range of lessons useful to combat leaders who may have to conduct such operations or be on guard against them in the future. Many factors determined the outcomes of the operations featured in this Leavenworth Paper, and of these there are four that are important enough to merit special emphasis. These are surprise, the quality of opposing forces, the success of friendly forces with which the Rangers were cooperating, and popular support.

The official United States Army manual, U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Handbook provides tactics, techniques, and procedures for reconnaissance and surveillance planning, mission management, and reporting. Throughout history, military leaders have recognized the importance of reconnaissance and surveillance. Gaining and maintaining contact with the enemy is essential to win the battle, and U.S. military history contains many examples where our knowledge of the enemy, or lack of knowledge, directly led to victory or defeat. The role of reconnaissance and surveillance has not diminished on the modern battlefield; if anything, it has become even more important. Battles at the combat training centers prove that a good reconnaissance and surveillance effort is critical to successful attacks. On the other hand, a poor reconnaissance and surveillance effort almost guarantees defeat for the commander. The message is clear: success on the battlefield begins with reconnaissance and surveillance. This essential handbook covers: Surveillance Preparation Assets Equipment Planning Monitoring Organizing Missions Electronic warfare Counter-reconnaissance And more! It also looks at the development of intelligence, employment considerations for reconnaissance, and defines the roles of various personnel in planning operations. Intended for maneuver commanders and their staffs; intelligence staffs and collection managers; and other personnel involved in planning and reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance operations, and now available to everyone, U.S. Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Handbook provides an insider’s look into the world of Army intelligence.

In 1899 while serving in the 2nd Boer War, Robert Baden-Powell penned his sixth military book, Aids To Scouting. It was a non-typical training manual filled with personal stories of intrigue and even games. Its goal was to encourage the development of light reconnaissance scouting skills within the British Army. The book was well received by various armies of its time, including the French Army. His successful defense of Mafeking (1899-1900) in South Africa made Baden-Powell a well-known national hero in Britain. But what completely surprised Baden-Powell was that his book was eagerly taken up by teachers and youth groups to help organize outdoor activities and sport. He eventually embraced the idea of adapting his work into a new youth-oriented book, Scouting for Boys (1908) which went on to sell approx. 150 million copies to date. It was that follow-on book that firmly launched the international Boy Scouts movement. Aids to Scouting contains sections on the characters of a scout, as well as practical advice on observation, stealth/camouflage, map reading, sketching, tracking, reporting and care of horses. It presents these topics is a simple conversational style that makes it easy to read, and is illustrated with personal anecdotes of military adventures by the author. It gives scholars clear insights into his mindset and beliefs that served him well in the siege of Mafeking and shows a clear lineage to the formation of the tenets of his formation of the Boy Scouts. Anyone interested in the history of Boy Scouting will definitely want to read this interesting and formative book. (NOTE - Appendix C contents is missing in this Kindle version - but we hope to update the ebook with it once a suitable facsimile can be referenced). Keywords: Boy Scout,scout,recon,cavalry,Boer War,british,scouting,recce, South Africa

The history of the American Ranger is a long and colorful saga of courage, daring, and outstanding leadership. It is a story of men whose skills in the art of fighting have seldom been surpassed. The United States Army Rangers are an elite military formation that has existed, in some form or another, since the American Revolution. A group of highly-trained and well-organized soldiers, US Army Rangers must be prepared to handle any number of dangerous, life-threatening situations at a moment's notice-and they must do so calmly and decisively. This is their handbook. Packed with down-to-earth, practical information, The Ranger Handbook contains chapters on Ranger leadership, battle drills, survival, and first aid, as well as sections on military mountaineering, aviation, waterborne missions, demolition, reconnaissance and communications. If you want to be prepared for anything, this is the book for you. Readers interested in related titles from The U.S. Army will also want to see: Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook (ISBN: 9781626542730) Army Guide to Boobytraps (ISBN: 9781626544703) Army Improvised Munitions Handbook (ISBN: 9781626542679) Army Leadership Field Manual FM 22-100 (ISBN: 9781626544291) Army M-1 Garand Technical Manual (ISBN: 9781626543300) Army Physical Readiness Training with Change FM 7-22 (ISBN: 9781626544017) Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare (ISBN: 9781626542709) Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 (ISBN: 9781626544413) Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual (ISBN: 9781626544246) Map Reading and Land Navigation FM 3-25.26 (ISBN: 9781626542983) Rigging Techniques, Procedures, and Applications FM 5-125 (ISBN: 9781626544338) Special Forces Sniper Training and Employment FM 3-05.222 (ISBN: 9781626544482) The Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad FM 3-21.8 / 7-8 (ISBN: 9781626544277) Understanding Rigging (ISBN: 9781626544673)

Eyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units is the 10th study in the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Paper series. This work is an outgrowth of concerns identified by the authors of On Point: The United States Army in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Specifically, these authors called into question the use of long-range surveillance (LRS) assets by commanders during that campaign and suggested an assessment ought to be made about their continuing utility and means of employment. This revision contains some important additional information the author received after this book was originally published Major (Retired) James Gebhardt, of CSI, researched and wrote this Occasional Paper with that end in view. In this study, Gebhardt surveys the US Army s historical experience with LRRP and LRS units from the 1960s Cold War and Vietnam War, through their resurgence in the 1980s and use in Operations JUST CAUSE and DESERT STORM, to the advent of the GWOT. The paper's analytical framework examines each era of LRS units in terms of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, and personnel. In doing so, the author makes a strong case for continuing the LRS capability in the Army s force structure. The variety of environments and enemies likely to be faced by the military in the GWOT continues to demand the unique human intelligence abilities of trained and organized LRS units. As the Army leads the Armed Forces of the United States in combating terrorists where they live, the lessons found in this survey remain timely and relevant.