Description
Book SynopsisA new study of Captain T. E. Lawrence of Arabia, his ideas on warfare, and the context of the military campaigns, the peace settlements, and the legacies that followed.
One hundred years ago, Captain Lawrence and an unlikely band of Arab irregulars captured the strategic port of Aqaba after an epic journey through waterless tracts of desert. Their attacks on railways during the Great War are well known and have become the stuff of legend, but while Lawrence himself has been the subject of fascinating biographies, as well as an award-winning film, the context of his war in the desert, and his ideas on war itself, are less well-known.
This new title offers a high-paced evaluation of T. E. Lawrence of Arabia and the British military operations in the Near East, revising and adding to conventional narratives in order to tell the full story of this influential figure, as well as the Ottoman-Turkish perspective, and the Arabs'' position, within the context of the
Trade Review
A riveting account of T. E. Lawrence’s battles on and off the battlefield… Using scrupulous research and succinct prose, Johnson provides a gold mine of stratagems… a must-read for military leaders to come! -- Arnel P. David, Lt Col, US Army Special Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff (UK)
An innovative study of Lawrence that carefully and intelligently examines his campaigns and thinking on irregular warfare, and in doing so produces an accessible and intellectually stimulating work of military history. * James Kitchen, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst *
A new, pioneering study of Lawrence in Arabia, focusing on his military thought, contributions to strategic theory and, indeed, continuing relevance to today’s doctrines of insurgency, counterinsurgency and ‘hybrid’ warfare. Rob Johnson’s intimate knowledge of his subject produces a fascinating book which fuses history and theory. -- Azar Gat, Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security, Tel Aviv University
T. E. Lawrence's reputation has been a battleground for historians and biographers for decades. Setting aside the clutter of disputes about the accuracy of Lawrence's post-war writings, Rob Johnson's superb study makes a bold and compelling case that Lawrence was a significant and original military thinker. This is a major contribution to the literature on the Middle East in the Great War, and the history of military ideas - and it is highly relevant to contemporary armed force. -- Professor Gary Sheffield, University of Wolverhampton
In this significant re-examination of the breadth and depth of TE Lawrence's contribution to strategic thought and guerrilla war, Rob Johnson performs the invaluable task of linking military history to contemporary thinking on counterinsurgency and hybrid war. The critical consideration of Lawrence's military engagements and the careful analysis of the myth versus the man are vividly explored and reveal how Lawrence remains relevant for those interested in the contemporary character of warfare. -- Dr Matthew Ford, University of Sussex
Rob Johnson elegantly presents an account of Lawrence's writing on guerrilla warfare with his experience of it in the desert, in a captivating narrative which allows the reader to see how the theory and practice inform each other. Johnson's account is especially strong on Lawrence's analysis of the human, psychological element of war, and traces this theme up to the present day. This timely work will engage general readers and specialists alike. -- Emile Simpson, author of 'War From the Ground Up', and former Gurkha officer
This volume is the key to understanding how this Oxford historian and archaeologist emerged as a major strategic tactician…This book by Rob Johnson has a strong appeal at so many levels and is thoroughly recommended. -- Trevor James * The Historian *
This book can be strongly recommended to anyone interested in Lawrence, the First World War in the Middle East, and the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare. -- Neil Faulkner * Military History Matters *
A most valuable and interesting study. -- Matthew Bourke * Asian Affairs *
Johnson’s account of Lawrence’s thinking on irregular warfare will remain an important and widely cited work for years to come. * International Journal of Military History and Historiography *
Table of Contents
Preface List of Illustrations Maps 1 T. E. Lawrence and Contemporary Ideas on War 2 Depth not Face: The Making of an Insurgency 3 Extending the Flank: The Manoeuvre to Wejh 4 Seizing the ‘Kingfisher Moment’: The Learning Curve of Resistance 5 The Indirect Strategy and the Capture of Aqaba 6 Culminating Point at Aqaba 7 Railway Raids and Lawrence’s Conception of Mature Guerrilla Warfare 8 Movement as the Law of Strategy: The Battle of Tafila 9 Fighting Alongside Local Forces 10 By, With and Through: Integrating Local Forces in Allenby’s Campaign 11 Towards Armageddon: Operations Against Deraa 12 Hybrid Warfare: Air and Mobile Operations 13 The Deep Battle: Megiddo and the Final Phase of Guerrilla Operations 14 Lawrence on Strategy and Politics 15 Instrumentalizing Lawrence’s Ideas in Other Wars 16 Rethinking Lawrence and His Ideas on War Notes List of Abbreviations Select Bibliography Index
