J. F. C. Fuller
J. F. C. Fuller was a prominent British military strategist and theorist known for his innovative ideas on armored warfare. He began his career after attending Sandhurst and participating in the Boer Wars, later serving in India and England. Fuller's significant contributions emerged during World War I when he played a key role in developing tank warfare, particularly at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, leading to the establishment of a dedicated tank branch within the British Army. Following the war, he advocated for mechanization and the integration of new technologies such as aviation and wireless communication into military strategies.
Although his theories gained traction among some military thinkers, they were not widely adopted in Britain. Nevertheless, his concepts influenced military leaders in the Soviet Union and Germany, notably impacting the development of Blitzkrieg tactics. Fuller continued to write extensively after his retirement in 1933, publishing notable works on military history, including "Decisive Battles" and its sequel, which received acclaim but also drew criticism for his controversial views on communism and admiration for Hitler. Fuller's legacy lies in his role as a pioneer of modern combined-arms warfare, making significant contributions to military thought and history.
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J. F. C. Fuller
- Born: September 1, 1878
- Birthplace: Chichester, Sussex (now in West Sussex), England
- Died: February 10, 1966
- Place of death: Falmouth, Cornwall, England
Full name: John Frederick Charles Fuller
Also known as: “Boney” Fuller
Principal wars: Boer Wars, World War I
Principal battle: Cambrai (1917)
Military significance: Best known for his writings on military history, Fuller wrote extensively on tank usage and combined arms warfare and completed a number of influential books on important military leaders and battles throughout history.
J. F. C. Fuller’s early career included a year at Sandhurst and action in the Boer Wars. He served in India and England until winning acceptance to the Staff College in 1913. During World War I, Fuller held a number of undistinguished posts, but in 1916, he was transferred to the headquarters of the new Tank Corps. Fuller’s career blossomed in the new position. He masterminded the use of tanks at the Battle of Cambrai in November, 1917, and this success convinced the army to establish a tank branch of the general staff, to be headed by Fuller, in July, 1918. By this time, Fuller and his staff had already developed “Plan 1919,” an ambitious battle plan that called for a highly mobile and quick-striking tank corps to slash deep into enemy territory.
Between the wars, Fuller continued his involvement with armored doctrine. He pushed the army to mechanize its forces and capitalize on other technological advancements, particularly the airplane and wireless communications. Fuller officially retired from the army in 1933 but continued writing on his own. He published ten books between 1933 and 1939, including Memoirs of an Unconventional Soldier (1936). Fuller’s writings on the combined use of tanks, infantry, and aircraft gained the attention of a number of military thinkers, though his ideas failed to make significant impact in his native Britain.
During this time, Fuller began a friendship with another British military theorist, Basil Liddell Hart. Like Fuller, Liddell Hart believed strongly in the concept of mobile warfare and emphasized the use of modern technology to maximize an army’s striking power. The two men lobbied hard between the wars for greater use of mobile doctrine. The British army declined to implement the ideas of Fuller and Liddell Hart; however, Mikhail Tukhachevsky, in the Soviet Union, and Heinz Guderian, in Germany, both became avid supporters of combined-arms warfare. Guderian used Fuller’s theories on the proper use of tanks as the basis for Blitzkrieg.
Fuller completed his first major work of military history at the outset of World War II. His two volume Decisive Battles: Their Influence upon History and Civilisation (1939–1940) won Fuller widespread acclaim for his insight and analysis. However, Fuller unashamedly included numerous comments expressing his loathing of communism and admiration for the accomplishments of Adolf Hitler, causing many in the media to label him a fascist.
The success of armor and combined-arms warfare in World War II made Fuller’s reputation as a military theorist and historian. During and after the war, Fuller moved away from doctrine to concentrate on writing military history. During the war, he produced The Decisive Battles of the U.S.A. (1942). Fuller’s most influential work came a decade later when he published The Decisive Battles of the Western World and Their Influence upon History (1954–1956). This three-volume rewrite of Decisive Battles, titled A Military History of the Western World in the United States, covered significant battles from 1429 b.c. through World War II. Fuller also moderated but did not completely remove statements that expressed sympathy for Hitler. Despite these comments, reviewers still offered overwhelming praise for the work and declared it a standard in military history.
Bibliography
Reid, Brian Holden. J. F. C. Fuller: Military Thinker. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1987.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Studies in British Military Thought: Debates with Fuller and Liddell Hart. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998.
Searle, Alaric. “J. F. C. Fuller, Tukhachevsky, and the Red Army, 1923–1941: The Question of the Reception of Fuller’s Military Writings in the Soviet Union.” Journal of Slavic Military Studies 9 (December, 1996): 848–884.
Trythall, Anthony J. “Boney” Fuller: Soldier, Strategist, and Writer, 1878–1966. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1977.