Book Link: The Reluctant Partisan Volume 2
This weekend, I finished John Mosby’s second volume: The Reluctant Partisan, Volume Two: The Underground. This volume builds on the first, which was directed more at the actual rural fighting force of a local resistance/partisan unit. Volume Two concerns itself with the other aspects of resistance, running operations in an urban area, to include intelligence and counterintelligence.
While I liked the book, brace yourself for Mosby’s style. The only thing I don’t like about this book is his looking down at anyone who wasn’t SOF but thinks they will form a resistance. He spends a lot of time bad-mouthing the 3 percent movement, which is probably justifiable, but it gets to be too much. He also derides most of the preparedness community unless you are a super-athlete. While he has a valid point, he lays it on a bit thick and rather than motivation, it comes across as ridicule and hate. I’m able to roll my eyes and glean the great training material in here but just brace yourself.
Having said that, this book has great material in it, far beyond the typical “tacti-cool” stuff you find. He talks about developing an intelligence network and local defense group, finding like-minded people, and intelligence analysis. He also covers counterintelligence and guarding the image you project. These sections need to be read and re-read dozens of times. Might even make great class content…..
Just like me, he breaks down “gray man” tactics into reality. There is a time to be the “gray man” and blend in and there is a time to project the “we will kill you if you trifle with us” image. As I said, once things get spicy, gray man essentially goes out the window, except in very specific circumstances.
John offers an excellent primer on vehicle patrolling and movement tactics and the appendix contains a very good training curriculum for vehicle operations.
There is a chapter on the urban guerrilla’s primary weapon, the handgun. He goes into great detail on handgun operations as well as two-man CQB, the same type that most of the private military companies teach (as well as CAG and other SOF units).
There is a chapter on rifle selection and use. John smartly stresses familiarity with the manual of arms on several different rifle platforms, as you may have to pick one up and use whatever your enemy was carrying. It may not be the AR-15. It might end up being Mikhail’s Brilliant Tool (the AK) or The Right Arm of Freedom (FN-FAL/SLR). The appendixes contain a pistol and rifle training program.
It’s a solid book and I recommend it. You can only find it at lulu.com.
