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Jungle Survival Handbook

Author
Ed Alan Jeffries
This is a retrospective book on ‘How to fight the Japanese’ but I don’t think we will be doing that again. It is an American/British wartime publication which has been reprinted without amendment. Much of the book is about Brigade and Battalion jungle drills, and artillery support etc; it is quite interesting in that respect plus it also illustrates Japanese jungle tactics, which is also quite interesting.

There are some pure Americanisms in the book, for example ’ No infantry soldier should feel himself a warrior until he has had Japanese blood on his bayonet,’ and another ‘ If the enemy attacks at night, don’t open fire and give your position away, go at him silently with your bayonet.’ This is almost an impossibility, as the jungle is as black as Hell at night, how do you find him to give your ‘thrust and parry’? Another instruction is ‘Always wear long trousers in the jungle’ ; also ‘The Topi is quite useless in the jungle and should not be worn’. In reading such instructions I get the feel that some, but not all of the text was written by junior staff officers over coffee in the Mess.

Much of the individual stuff of survival, such as obtaining water from vines, and recognising edible plants, the symptoms of various disease etc, is very useful and reminds me of happy times being taught those very things in a Jungle School in Malaya, which now seems a hundred years ago, but still filed away in my ‘fond and happy memories’ file.

An instruction in the books reads; ‘The Jungle favours the attacker therefore ‘passive defence’ should never be tolerated’ (The author was never on the Burma front for sure) Also stated; 'The Japanese soldier possesses an acute and peculiar odour therefore his presence, or places that he has recently vacated can be smelt out'!

The book is useful to anyone that has an interest in Jungle operations during WW2 and shortly afterwards, there are some very useful tips on personal survival, and for the historian also interesting information on Japanese tactics. ‘The Japs always counterattacked a lost position within ten minutes’. Towards the end of the war the Japs were short of rations; their operational orders for a particular attack states, ‘ Rations will be taken from the enemy’... now there’s confidence for you!

Amazon product ASIN 1612004369
The book is worth a read, I wouldn’t buy it, there are better and more up to date books on the market. I give it 3 stars .
Author
overopensights
Views
461
First release
Last update
Rating
3.00 star(s) 1 ratings

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