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'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎35r] (74/294)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (142 folios). It was created in Feb 1938. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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44816-1
47
G-ro imd Iveconiiai ssance
In Palestine, v;hci-e maps were inadequate and where all movement off
the roads was difficult, extensive ground reconnaissance was all-important
to the success of any operation. Here the enemy had of course an immense
natural advantage over the troops; and lack of knowledge of the country
sometimes tied troops so 'badly that inability to manoeuvre only too
often resulted in the enemy escaping, es£>ecially when an action took
place in failing light.
The first essential in this direction was the continual collection
- especially in peace - of adl sorts of topographical information and,
even more important, the collation of this information in readily
accessible form. The latter is by no means an easy task: long detailed
written reports are tiresome for units to compile and become increasingly
difficult to understand. Perhaps the best plan is for formations to
issue skeleton enlargements on, say, a scale of 1:10,000 on which infor
mation can be recorded. It was found that police files contained good
information regarding villages, but little regarding tracks and water
supplies. It ’was essential therefore for all units on arrival to start
at once to make a thorough ground reconnaissance of the whole of the
area in their vicinity. Too often this was postponed until an impending
operation demanded information on a specific point, when reconnaissance
was too hasty and was likely to endanger secrecy. '.There speed ’was
essential the enployment of light tanks on ground reconnaissance was
sometimes found to be justified.
It was necessary for troops occupying defended posts to be thoroughly
conversant with all ground within at least two miles of the posts with
a vieva to carrying out day and night operations against snipers. In
picquets telescopes proved most valuable for locating snipers and for
watching movements in and out of villages. An a-ddition of three
telescopes to the six provided for the battalion signals would have
been a great asset, v/hile one pair of binoculars was really required in
every section.
Later in the year when the rains started, it was found that a
constant supply of information regarding the day-to-day condition of
tracks was necessary for the safe movement of M.T. A useful practice
in some formations was the daily reporting by units of the state of
tracks traversed in the previous twenty-four hours. Beiore crossing
new ground in hill districts M.T. units required information^not only as
to width, surface and gradients, but particularly as to turning points
and radius of comers. La.ck of knowledge in this la.st respect some times
resulted in vehicles being unable to negotiate a difficult bend, with the
consequence that infantry had to debus in the wrong place losing time
and perhaps secrecy.
Photographs Nos. 3 to 12 show types of ground encountered in
Palestine, while Photograph No.l gives a sample of a main road in the
hills South of Nablus.
THE BISTPJBUT10N OF IhPOPHATION
Narratives, Summaries a nd Stat istics
It was not easy to strike the happy medium between she dissemination,
by means of narratives etc., of enough information to keep units well-
informed, and the danger of over-burdening the Intelligence organisation
with the distribution of information to the exclusion of its collection.
Units in the field, often out of practical reach of the daily press,
naturally liked to know what was going on in the country in general;

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Content

Report detailing the military lessons of the Arab rebellion in Palestine in 1936 that was compiled by General Staff, Headquarters, The British Forces, Palestine & Trans-Jordan.

The report is divided up into chapters as follows:

  • Introduction
  • A Short History of the Rebellion I - to the end of June, 1936
  • A Short History of the Rebellion II - from the 1st July, 1936 to the end of the year
  • Conditions in Palestine as Affecting Operations
  • Commanders and Staffs
  • Intelligence
  • Intercommunication
  • Administration
  • Transport
  • Weapons and Equipment
  • The Employment of Various Arms
  • The Employment of Aircraft in Co-operation with Troops
  • Defensive Action
  • Protection of Communications
  • Offensive Action
  • Conclusion - Summary of Main Lessons

The report contains 46 photographs and a number of diagrams which are located throughout the volume. It also contains four maps, found at folios 140-143.

Extent and format
1 volume (142 folios)
Arrangement

The volume contains a contents page on folio 3.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 144; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'Military Lessons of the Arab Rebellion in Palestine 1936' [‎35r] (74/294), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/16/16, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040717909.0x00004b> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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