Drift analyzes small unit tactics and the fundamentals defending of a certain strategic objective. All with limited com, resources and manpower. The book is narrated by Lieutenant Backstitch Forethought in which he speaks about a series of dreams which he has on his first combat operation. Through his dreams Lieutenant Forethought is able to successfully and adequately demonstrate key facets that make or break any units defense.
The scenario is the same in each dream, but Lieutenant Forethought doesn’t quite remember this. What e does remember is a serious of lessons, learned throughout the dreams. He applies these lessons every dream, getting better and better each dream until he is finally successful in defeating the numerically superior Boers. Lieutenant Backstitch Forethought was given the sole mission of protecting Duffer’s Drift at any expense. Lieutenant Forethought having no combat experience had to devise a plan to successfully accomplish his mission while taking minimal casualties.
The only defense measures Lieutenant Forethought knew came from reading historical documents such as the battle of Waterloo, Sedan, and Bull Run. Lieutenant Forethought and his men did nothing to shield themselves from possible attacks their first night, they even allows a farmer and his family to walk around and seek goods on their camp. Their camp was never concealed and his troops have their position away freely. That night they were awaken to gun fire and the enemy surrounding them, the farmer included.
Their casualties consisted of ten killed, twenty-one wounded; opposed to the Boers, one killed and two wounded. In his next dream Lieutenant Forethought is yet again faced with the same mission. Except this time, he takes those mistakes from the previous dream, acts on them and manages to better though not fully protect the drift. He pondered over his failures after every dream and eventually figured out what he was doing wrong. Night after night up until the 6th this scenario is played out in his dreams.
Learning something from each dream he continues to work and apply his lessons learned until he has experienced enough from his drawbacks that he finally succeeds in defending the drift against a much more powerful and superior force. The thing that hooks the reader is the mere fact that as you continue to read you learn with along with Lieutenant Forethought, from dream one through six. In war ND life in general when “chit hits the fan” and life and death hang in the balance there is no second chance.
If mistakes are made, lives will be lost. Reading this book I was able to see what sort of things are missed when setting up a battle positions. Things that may seem small at the time can cost you huge in the long run. After six long dreams and twenty-two hard learned lessons Lieutenant Backstitch Forethought accomplishes his mission in defending Duffer’s Drift. If nothing else this book teaches the urgency and importance of first setting security and preparing defenses, the use defense of duffers drift By lethal
