Maybe I need to get a life, but color me happy as a pig in s***. The Small Wars Foundation and Small Wars Journal are now the proud owners of an original 1940 Small Wars Manual. I've been searching for one for quite some time and found they are in the very hard to get category. I followed this puppy for 10 days on eBay and won the bid just an hour or so ago. Ships next week and I can't wait. The previous, and original, owner is a retired (37-year Colonel) Devil Dog who was issued the Manual at Quantico in 1940. We promised to give it a good home. When we finally get our "non-virtual" office / conference / library facility this jewel will be displayed in a place of honor.
Comments
I have an original 1940 Small Wars Manual (I tried at attach a JPEG to this [post but no luck). The inside cover states that it was manufactured by the Federbush Company, New York City, No. S 10286. It has 15 chapters and was published in 1940. I found it at a used book sale 25 years ago and paid $10 for it. Semper Fi, Mac!
Well Ken P., stuff happens, in this case WWII. That said, the SWM has been used much since then as a doctrinal source - even in this decade in Iraq and Afghanistan. Chapter VII (Mounted Detachments) comes to mind as but one example. Moreover, the SWM was talking interagency issues long before we had that many agencies to "inter" with. It's timeless, and just because it wasn't really needed in the '40's does not mean that the authors were "preparing for the last war".