Crisis on the Frontier

This is a study of the little known Third Anglo-Afghan War and the subsequent campaign in Waziristan. It is based on original official and private papers backed up by contemporary photographs and specially drawn maps. The British deployed virtually the full panopoly of military technology - artillery, machine guns, trench mortars, armoured cars, mechanical transport and aircraft and when the Indian infantry proved unable to cope with the tribesmen, there were even calls for use of poison gas. Yet in the end it all down to the infantry with rifle, bayonet and grenade and the book gives tales of sacrifice and gallantry as well panic where generals jostled with soldiers in a panic to find a way out. The author brings out the vital nature of the RAF's contribution and of the gallantry of the pilots flying obsolescent and unreliable aircrat over difficult mountaineous terrain in hot weather and with the raid on Kabul, strategic bombing could be said to have arrived.