Recommended Reading Material (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 2/23/2015 4:04:46 AM EDT
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If you want a comprehensive book on fieldcraft that will blow your mind, I highly recommend this one.
I'll just give a hint as to it without naming it, because I personally don't think it should have been published, to be quite honest. The tradecraft detailed in it is best left for professional circles, but it's an open-source book, so use your google-fu to find it. It blows away anything I've ever read in terms of military manuals, or received instruction on in schools or courses. Basically a comprehensive mind-dump of decades of British Reconnaissance community no-BS TTP's, in full color, covering mission prep/planning, clothing and equipment, fieldcraft, patrolling skills, concealed rural hides, logging & reporting, sketching, surveillance, close target recce, resupply, still imagery, video imagery, covert cameras, eavesdropping, urban hides, winter operations, and legal considerations. 
  
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I bought mine in Europe after thumbing through it. Probably one of the best books ever published on the subject matter. When I was in Long-Range Surveillance, my Company sent teams every year to compete in the Cambrian Patrol, which is an international long-range surveillance competition held in the Brecon Beacons, the same area where SAS does their selection.
We learned a lot from our UK partners, and I have always enjoyed working with UK reconnaissance, Royal Marine, and other communities. There is a sense of professionalism and very detailed, but raw approach to the harsh reality of more advanced light infantry skill sets. We have LRSLC at Fort Benning, but it is mostly unknown throughout the Army. The US Marines have the Basic Reconnaissance Course as part of School of Infantry. In the US, we tend to get wrapped around the axle with insertion & extraction methods, physical fitness & obstacle courses, maybe some classroom work, some checks in the blocks on training with radios and gear, and graded patrols focusing more on leadership-all of which are important and should be part of the curriculum. With the UK recon community, it is much more focused on operational tradecraft, with a very impressive coverage of extremely detailed techniques, tactics, and procedures, all of which have been gained and internalized dating back throughout their experiences from the Empire through WII, Borneo, North Ireland, and the current crises. 
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I'm not sure what the big secret is about this so I'll just post what I've come up with.
http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Rural-Surveillance-Definitive-Tradecraft/dp/0953537846/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424793819&sr=1-1&keywords=covert+rural+surveillance http://www.crops.uk.com/training-manual/ |
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Originally Posted By vet2007:
I'm not sure what the big secret is about this so I'll just post what I've come up with. http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Rural-Surveillance-Definitive-Tradecraft/dp/0953537846/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424793819&sr=1-1&keywords=covert+rural+surveillance http://www.crops.uk.com/training-manual/ I thought it was going to be more expensive! |
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Originally Posted By vet2007:
I'm not sure what the big secret is about this so I'll just post what I've come up with. http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Rural-Surveillance-Definitive-Tradecraft/dp/0953537846/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424793819&sr=1-1&keywords=covert+rural+surveillance http://www.crops.uk.com/training-manual/ No hot link ... I see what you didn't do there. 
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I have been asked to point out that I am LaRue Tactical's owner.
My work has been used by tens of thousands of US Military personnel,
and tens of thousands of civilian shooters - ML
My work has been used by tens of thousands of US Military personnel,
and tens of thousands of civilian shooters - ML
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Originally Posted By LaRue_Tactical:
No hot link ... I see what you didn't do there. Originally Posted By LaRue_Tactical:
Originally Posted By vet2007:
I'm not sure what the big secret is about this so I'll just post what I've come up with. http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Rural-Surveillance-Definitive-Tradecraft/dp/0953537846/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424793819&sr=1-1&keywords=covert+rural+surveillance http://www.crops.uk.com/training-manual/ No hot link ... I see what you didn't do there. Dindu! |
"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." – Mark Twain
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Originally Posted By Iggyort:
Source ?? Straight from the source. |
-Nemo me impune lacesset.
-Beware the fury of a patient man.
-Thousands and thousands of laws....All for just ten commandments.
-"alot" is not a word.
-Beware the fury of a patient man.
-Thousands and thousands of laws....All for just ten commandments.
-"alot" is not a word.
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Thanks for this recommendation, mine arrived today out of customs.
From a purely fieldcraft standpoint, this was an excellent buy. I've never seen a book this comprehensive without devolving into a text for pure military/SWAT applications. It really does cover full range of "surveillance" fieldcraft skills, I figured it'd be more geared towards the "sniper" crowd like in the way of Plaster's "Ultimate Sniper", or Mark Spicer's book. That is not a knock on it at all, much to the contrary. Everything from hides/camo and patrolling to communications, photography and utilizing common structures. |
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Thanks. Will see how long shipping takes.
I'll recommend an older source of very good N america fieldcraft: Ellsworth Jaeger, author of many, best known is Wildwood Wisdom, still in print Amazon, older copy occasional of Woodsmoke, and tracks and trailcraft also recommended. |
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Originally Posted By Tipy:
Multi-G did you get it yet? How long did it take to get to you? Yeah, it arrived in a few weeks but I didn't pay much attention to the exact time. I'd guess probably 3-4 weeks via registered mail. Interesting reading but I've not gotten really far, about 1/4 so far before getting dragged into other things and not picking it back up yet. |
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Originally Posted By benb:
I bought this book. Good stuff! One thing I thought was cool was the British poncho doubles as a litter. I have been searching for these on ebay, but can't find one. Does anybody know where you could buy one? TBH, the US poncho does the same thing. |
NRA Law Enforcement Handgun Instructor
NRA Law Enforcement Shotgun Instructor
NRA Law Enforcement Patrol Rifle Instructor
US Army Sniper School
NRA Law Enforcement Shotgun Instructor
NRA Law Enforcement Patrol Rifle Instructor
US Army Sniper School
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Originally Posted By ReconB4:
TBH, the US poncho does the same thing. Originally Posted By ReconB4:
Originally Posted By benb:
I bought this book. Good stuff! One thing I thought was cool was the British poncho doubles as a litter. I have been searching for these on ebay, but can't find one. Does anybody know where you could buy one? TBH, the US poncho does the same thing. Really? The one they showed in the book had built in handles which seems like it would be way easier to use as a litter. My USGI poncho would suck for dragging somebody in (not that I've tried it) |
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Originally Posted By benb:
Really? The one they showed in the book had built in handles which seems like it would be way easier to use as a litter. My USGI poncho would suck for dragging somebody in (not that I've tried it) Originally Posted By benb:
Originally Posted By ReconB4:
Originally Posted By benb:
I bought this book. Good stuff! One thing I thought was cool was the British poncho doubles as a litter. I have been searching for these on ebay, but can't find one. Does anybody know where you could buy one? TBH, the US poncho does the same thing. Really? The one they showed in the book had built in handles which seems like it would be way easier to use as a litter. My USGI poncho would suck for dragging somebody in (not that I've tried it) They call it a Basha. Here is one on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/391207806039?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT |
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Just a fraction of some of the books in my library. When I say small fraction, I mean these don't even make a dent, but they were some of the examples I wanted to grab.
I know 2 of the authors personally. The material covers a wide range of experience including: Confidential Specimens of British Trench Orders from 1917 by the Army War Department, gained from Canadian Forces so lessons learned could be passed to Americans US Marine Corps Scout Sniper WWII and Korea USMC FMFM 1-3B SNIPING, 1994 TC 31-32 Special Operations Sniper Training and Employment, 1997 ( I have the edition that came out later somewhere, which is a much better manual in many ways.) 10th Special Force's Group SOTIC Student Handbook, 1993 Tarkka-ampuja 1 (Finnish: Sniper 1) 1997/2007 Dead Center, Ed Kugler The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare 
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Originally Posted By AbleArcher:
Is there an updated place to purchase? I can't seem to find a copy. |
The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment-
"With all due respect, I'm at least twice as smart as you...." burkeva
"With all due respect, I'm at least twice as smart as you...." burkeva
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Does anyone know where I can pick up a copy of this? Well one that is not $500. I put off getting it for a couple of years and now according to Crops they are only selling to service personnel. Info CROPS 1:29 AM (6 hours ago) to me Dear Sir, We have restricted the sale of our training manual to service personal only, please can you provide proof of this. Kind regards, Ben Wall Director CROPS |
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That's how it should have been from the start really.
I was kinda shocked what they put in there, which is what made me buy my copy in a surplus store in Northern Europe. Would have loved to have this book back when I was in some of the units I was in. |
AR15/AR10 student since 1980s
Co-author of 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks Vol I & II
NRA Certified Instructor: Basic, Pistol, Rifle, RSO, Shotgun
Co-author of 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks Vol I & II
NRA Certified Instructor: Basic, Pistol, Rifle, RSO, Shotgun