Probably the best book about colonial warfare in the world?

When I sat down to write the list of sources of inspiration that I wanted to include in my PORTABLE COLONIAL WARGAME book, I gave some considerable thought to which one I would select as being the best ... and I decided that it was BATTLE IN AFRICA 1879-1914.

This was written by Howard Whitehouse and illustrated by Peter Dennis, and published by Fieldbooks in 1987. The late Dr Paddy Griffith was the driving force behind Fieldbooks as well as being the series the editor, and this was one of two books that they published. (The other was BATTLE IN THE CIVIL WAR, which was written by Paddy Griffith and illustrated by Peter Dennis.)

My copy cost me £4.95, and became so well-thumbed that I eventually bought a second copy. The book has twenty-three sections:

• Africa before Partition
• The Scramble for Africa
• Strategic Concepts
• Collecting an Army
• Command
• Collecting Supplies
• Strategic Mobility
• Reconnaissance and Signals
• March Security
• The African Response
• Closing with the Enemy
• Tamai
• European Battle Plans
• African Battle Plans
• African Leadership
• The New Technology
• The Power of Fire
• Cold Steel
• Horrible Disasters
• Glorious Victories
• Guerrilla Warfare
• Siege Warfare
• After the Battle

This book is a treasure trove of information, and Peter Dennis's illustrations compliment the text in a very effective way.

I understand that copies of the book can still be found on the second-hand market, and although it will cost a lot more than £4.95 to buy one, in my opinion it is (with apologies to Carlsberg) 'probably the best book about colonial warfare in the world'.

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BATTLE IN AFRICA 1879-1914 was written by Howard Whitehouse and illustrated by Peter Dennins. It was published in 1987 by Fieldbooks (ISBN 1 869871 01 4).