Advanced Tactics in America
H. John Poole
Posterity Press, Emerald Isle, North Carolina, 2022, 362 pages
Book Review published on: October 20, 2023
It was over twenty-five years ago when I picked up my first H. John Poole book, The Last Hundred Yards. As I remember, I was immediately attracted to its colorful and vibrant book cover. As I skimmed through the volume, I found it unique in organization and content. It was filled with dozens of quotes, “old-school” visuals, and short discussion pieces. It was a book sparking my interest, so I decided to read it. It did not take long to realize that this was an outstanding volume and clearly worthy of my reading time.
Years later, Poole continues to craft books at a prestigious rate (averaging nearly one per year). His latest effort, Advanced Tactics in America, does not stray from previous volumes. This is a book that is undoubtedly distinctive in presentation and scope. It is also a book which continues the long trend of excellence for Poole. It will undeniably be of value to a wide variety of readers.
Before addressing the book, let’s begin by discussing the author. Poole served his country for twenty-eight years as a commissioned and noncommissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. His career included serving as a platoon leader and company commander in Vietnam and as an instructor and course developer at numerous tactical Marine Corps schools and courses. These assignments clearly provided him incredible knowledge and understanding of tactics, especially at the small unit level.
Following his retirement, Poole has taken his “hands on” knowledge and understanding and combined it with exhaustive research to become a prolific writer on small unit tactics of U.S. and foreign forces. The result is Poole has established a body of work that now includes over two dozen volumes. Additionally, he has conducted many training sessions focused on advanced squad tactics for active-duty units and military schools. He has undeniably established himself as one of today’s leading experts on small unit tactics.
Over the years, I have read many of Poole’s offerings. They (as does this current volume) share many characteristics that I will address. The first is the author’s ability to focus each volume on a subject that is highly interesting and incredibly informative. In the case of Advanced Tactics in America, Poole begins by keying on providing readers a history of how small unit tactics were used (or not used) in our Nation’s wars. This discussion perfectly sets the conditions for the author to later address the current and future state of small unit tactics in the U.S. military and the role of the infantryman today. Once again, Poole succeeds in focusing on an area that is intriguing and relevant.
Poole discusses the essence of this book and how it differs from past volumes in his preface. He states, “While previous Posterity Press studies [the publisher of his books] have mostly focused on enemy skills, this book will search for advanced tactical techniques from U.S. history. All will be logical and help when the latest gadgets get wet, shot, or otherwise broken” (xx). Poole achieves this within the pages of Advanced Tactics in America.
The second characteristic and the one which initially attracted me to a Poole book is a gripping and exceptional book cover. Every Poole volume I have read is packaged with a colorful book cover, directly relating to the volume’s subject matter. With Advanced Tactics in America, Poole has utilized a World War II recruiting poster created by Bernard Perlin titled, “Americans Will Always Fight for Liberty” (275). As I have read more Poole volumes, I have no doubt that the author makes a careful decision on every book cover, and this is not an afterthought.
Just like his book covers, Poole invests significant time and thought into the numerous visuals he inserts into his books. Certainly, the sheer number of visuals is truly impressive. Within his current volume, the author has inserted nearly eighty visuals throughout. These visuals are placed with the corresponding text, and they complement each other superbly. Equally notable is the wide variety of visuals he utilizes to reinforce ideas or stimulate thought. Readers will find within Advanced Tactics in America, a mixture of cover art, paintings, maps, sketches, excerpts from field manuals and Department of the Army pamphlets (many long since discontinued, but still pertinent), and tables. There are few authors who utilize visuals more effectively than Poole.
Another resource in which Poole relies on extensively is the thoughts and works of others. Within any Poole volume, there are dozens of quotes from subject-matter experts and excerpts from doctrinal references. Poole utilizes these to bolster his own concepts or thoughts and they truly strengthen his words. As was the case with the use of visuals, I don’t know of any author who makes better use of quotes or doctrinal references than Poole.
With a combination of quotes, doctrinal excerpts, visuals, and Poole’s own words, it would be easy to confuse readers and craft a volume challenging to follow. However, this is not the case with Advanced Tactics in America or any Poole volume because of each volume’s outstanding organization. The author and his publishing team are truly skilled at weaving parts together into an exceptionally coherent book. These individual parts truly come together for the reader.
To achieve this cohesion, this volume (as well as past efforts) is divided into many chapters and then subdivided into numerous titled “chunks” for the reader. Each centers around a concept that Poole is addressing. The main effort of each of these small sections is the author’s own words. Poole then positions quotes, doctrinal references, or visuals to fortify the concept. In total, it is quite effective and easy for a reader to navigate through.
When the above strengths are combined with Poole’s writing ability, the result is the ingredients for a highly readable volume. These elements blend perfectly within Advanced Tactics in America. Readers will quickly discover that Poole writes in an incredibly conversant style. He strives to create a dialogue with his readers and achieves his objective within this volume. There are few authors who craft more readable volumes than Poole.
When I think of Poole’s book covers, visuals, and quotes, the one word that quickly comes to mind is research. I cannot imagine the number of hours he dedicates in research in the preparation of his volumes. I believe readers will be equally impressed with the research displayed in Advanced Tactics in America. It is this exhaustive research that sets the conditions for success for Poole.
The final characteristic I would like to address is the ability of Poole to make readers think and reflect in his books. Within his current volume, the author poses many questions for the reader. These will spark various emotions within readers. I find it is best to read any Poole book in shorter durations so that there is time for reflection.
If you have not previously read (consumed) a John Poole book, you owe it to yourself to begin now. Advanced Tactics in America is an excellent place to start. As with any one of his books, this is a volume that is incredibly informative and fascinating to read. It is a book which entices readers to reflect on the past, present, and future of warfighting, especially at the small unit level. After reading it, I am confident readers will find themselves seeking another Poole volume (there are plenty to choose from).
Book Review written by: Frederick A. Baillergeon, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas