Lawrence of Arabia on War: The Campaign in the Desert 1916–18

WINNER OF THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 '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 '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 A new study of Captain T. E. Lawrence's ideas on warfare and the context of his military campaign, as well as the peace settlement and the legacies that followed. ----- Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most iconic figures of the First World War, seen by many as a heroic and romantic guerrilla leader in a period of savage and deeply impersonal industrial warfare. While Lawrence himself has been the subject of many biographies, and an award-winning film, the context of his war in the desert, and his ideas on war itself, are less well known. Lawrence of Arabia on War is a study of those ideas and of his campaign of irregular warfare which has informed tactical theory and decision-making down to the present day, juxtaposed alongside the operations conducted by the Ottoman Empire and those of the Allied army in Palestine. It explores the challenges he faced in a complex environment against a more numerous and better armed adversary, and the manner in which he assessed what was changing, what was distinctive, and what was unique to guerrilla warfare in the desert Setting Lawrence in his historical context, it examines the peace settlement process he participated in during 1919–20, analyses how other military writers made use of his ideas, and describes the ways in which his legacy has informed and inspired those partnering and mentoring local forces today.

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

About the Author :
Robert Johnson is a lecturer at the University of Oxford and an associate professor of the Department of Politics and International Relations. He also advises military and government personnel on strategic issues, including the partnering and mentoring of local military forces, like T. E. Lawrence. He has written a number of books including The Great War and the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2016); True to Their Salt (Hurst, 2017) and The Afghan Way of War (Hurst, 2011) and is the editor of At the End of Military Intervention (Oxford University Press, 2014). He is also the author of a number of academic articles.

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! 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. A most valuable and interesting study. Johnson's account of Lawrence's thinking on irregular warfare will remain an important and widely cited work for years to come.