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10.205

(Flint)lock, stock, and two smoking barrels

Authors

Samuel C. Duckett White

Abstract

Despite the recent upsurge of interest in the Australian Frontier Wars, the military tactics adopted by First Nations groups have consistently failed to attract the attention of scholars. What work that does exist often struggles to move beyond a characterisation of First Nations dispossession as a profound defeat, one that continues to resonate in contemporary Australia. Yet by utilising a centre of gravity analysis, a standard military appreciation tool, it is possible to identify compelling evidence that the economic warfare, as practiced along multiple frontiers in Australia by First Nations groups, was both sophisticated and remarkably effective. By utilising modern military analytical frameworks to assess Frontier Warfare, it is possible to arrive at a more nuanced understanding of First Nations tactics and identify lessons for modern military operations.   

Keywords

Centre of Gravity Analysis, Frontier Wars, Military

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Date Published

21 December 2023

How to Cite

Duckett White, S. C. (2023). (Flint)lock, stock, and two smoking barrels. Historical Encounters, 10(2), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.52289/hej10.205

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  • Issue Published 21 December 2023

  • Double Blind Peer Reviewed

  • Author Retains Copyright

  • Distributed under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0​ License

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