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Noel Barber
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The War of the Running Dogs: Malaya 1948-1960 (W&N Military) Kindle Edition

by Noel Barber (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 458 ratings
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'A splendid, exciting book' Daily Mirror

'The story of the first all-out struggle in Asia between Communism and the West, vividly told in an exciting and engrossing book' Sunday Express

Only three short years after the end of the Japanese occupation, war came again to Malaya. The Chinese-backed guerrillas called it the War of the Running Dogs - their contemptuous term for those in Malaya who remained loyal to the British. The British Government referred to this bloody and costly struggle as the 'Malayan Emergency'. Yet it was a war that lasted twelve years and cost thousands of lives. By the time it was over Malaya had obtained its independence - but on British, not on Chinese or Communist terms.

Here is the war as it was. Here are the planters and their wives on their remote rubber estates, the policemen, the generals and the soldiers, the Malays, Chinese and Indians of a polyglot country, all fighting an astute, ruthless, and well organized enemy.

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  1. Print length
    329 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Weidenfeld & Nicolson
  5. Publication date
    May 30, 2013
  6. File size
    3290 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Noel Barber has enchanted millions of readers with his six bestselling novels. In these powerfully exotic novels he drew upon his own experience as one of the leading foreign correspondents from the 40s to the 60s working on the Daily Mail. He was the first Briton to reach the South Pole since Scott, was stabbed five times while covering the wars in Morocco and was shot during the Hungarian uprising. He died in 1988.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GU2VYCA
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicolson (May 30, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 30, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3290 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 329 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 458 ratings

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Noel Barber

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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

Runamuck
5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Insite in a Fogotten War
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2008
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I was hesitant about purchasing this book but there really is nothing out there on the Malayan insurgency. What makes this even worse is that this is the most often cited counter-insurgency success, and there is nothing written about it. So unfortunately there seems to be no one that knows why it was a success. Here is where this book comes into play, and a good reason to purchase the book.

The book does a wonderful job on breaking down all the players in this war, what they did and why. He also looks at the different ethnicities and their motivations for supporting the Communists or British. I have to disagree with the other reviewer this book was a wonderful read and not boring at all, even for a history book. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next (i.e. it was addictive to read).

On the negatives, this book was written in the '60's (so a little dated), and it is written with an nostalgia tone of the old imperial Britain and its greatness. It ruffled my feathers a bit in the begging but later he tries to correct this tone and for the time period the author really goes out of his to make a case for the other people that were living in this country at the time, their plight and living standards.

Overall this book does a wonderful job showing why the counterinsurgency in Malaysia was a success. It is unfortunate the circumstances that brought this book back into circulation, but it is a forgotten work that deserves to be recognized for its contribution to the counterinsurgency, insurgency, terrorism and Malayan history. A very good read.
22 people found this helpful
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R. M. Peterson
4.0 out of 5 stars Britain's Viet Nam
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2011
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"Running dogs", in this context, was the Communist epithet for the British, or the police, or, more generally, anti-Communists. ("Dog" is an insult in China, and "capitalist running dog" became a favorite Maoist curse.) "The War of the Running Dogs" was the Communist insurgency in Malaya, which lasted from June 1948 to July 1960, first against the British protectorate and then, after August 1957, against the newly independent Federation of Malaya.

The War of the Running Dogs is now little-known in the United States, in large part because here it was eclipsed first by the Korean War and then by Indochina. It should be better known. Among the Communist/nationalist insurrections of South-east Asia of the 1940's and `50s, the Malayan one arguably had the greatest strategic significance, given the geopolitical importance of Singapore. Second, unlike what happened in Indochina, in Malaya the Communist challenge to Western democracy was repelled. And third, in doing so, the British developed and employed principles of counter-insurgency that contrasted with how the French and Americans proceeded in Viet Nam.

In THE WAR OF THE RUNNING DOGS, British journalist Noel Barber tells the story of the Malayan insurrection in a lively, moderately journalistic fashion. On a few occasions he underscores the contrasts between Malaya and Viet Nam, insinuating that the British were smarter than were the Americans (but without ever really discussing what the differences between the two situations might have been).

The Communist insurgency was a guerilla war, waged by at most 5- to 8,000 "liberation" troops operating out of jungle camps. In the first few years, the guerillas employed savage terrorist tactics against native Malays and Chinese as well as British planters, miners, and police, as they tried to bully and intimidate civilians into supporting them and resisting the British and the Malay sultans. (As a result, the guerillas became known as "CTs" - i.e., Communist Terrorists.) And even though the campaign of the CTs lasted twelve years, the conflict never was officially called a "war" or "civil war". Instead, it was known among the British as the "Malayan Emergency". Had it been declared a war, losses incurred by commercial interests (primarily rubber plantations and mining operations) would not have been covered by Lloyd's of London insurance.

Among the counter-insurgency measures or policies that Barber discusses were 1) the British determination that "on no account must the armed forces have control over the conduct of the war," inasmuch as this was "a war of political ideologies" and it was imperative that the normal workaday government be perceived as stable and functioning; 2) a resolution that it was "better to police villages than to destroy them"; and 3) a general policy that as many citizens as possible be given a direct and tangible economic stake in successfully repelling the Communists (a major example of this being the relocation of 600,000 ethnic Chinese squatters from land on the fringes of the jungle, where they were highly vulnerable to the CTs, to newly constructed villages on arable land to which they held leasehold interests and had access for the first time to schools and Western medicine). But the practice that to me was the most interesting was the determination to "tell the truth" in "propaganda" - something that proved to be instrumental not only in engendering and strengthening the loyalty of the non-combatant citizenry but also in encouraging defections among the CTs.

THE WAR OF THE RUNNING DOGS constitutes my education on the Malayan Emergency. It is squarely within the genre of "popular history." I would be interested in reading something more analytical that compares the situation that the British faced in Malaya with what the French and the Americans faced in Viet Nam. If anyone has any recommendations, I would be grateful.
18 people found this helpful
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D.C. Bull
5.0 out of 5 stars A great history of the Malaysian Emergency
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2022
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This is quick read and introduces a cast of colorful characters who’s stories cling to Malaysias transition to independence in 1960. It’s an often overlooked conflict, and deserves more attention, and this is an engaging overview.

If you’re looking to brush up on the demise of the British empire, communism in Asia, or just want more context to Malaysia - this is a great book to read.
One person found this helpful
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Mrlambdin
5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific historical retelling that everyone should read
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2023
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All the people involved in kicking commie's out of Malaya come to life. The British people loved Malaya so much, they didnt want it to succumb to communism an were willing to fight and die to prevent that from happening. The novel approach taken by the British leadership to deny the commies their source of manpower was loving as well as brilliant.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Thierry
5.0 out of 5 stars Une synthèse passionnante
Reviewed in France on December 4, 2022
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La Malaisie est peu connue en France, ayant été une colonie anglaise. Un pays magnifique de par ses paysages, ses cultures et ses ethnies (malaise, chinoise indienne); un récit passionnant de la seule insurrection communiste ayant échoué en Asie à cette époque, dont les Malaisiens se souviennent encore avec effroi en raison de sa violence
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Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Um ótimo livro de contra insurgencia
Reviewed in Brazil on June 14, 2020
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Cheio de detalhes de pensamento estratégico, operacional e tatico, o livro contém uma perspectiva coerente do conflito chamado de "Malayan Emergency" e é uma leitura bem fluida.
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jmdcinc
5.0 out of 5 stars The War of Running Dogs
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2020
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Excellent well written book that I highly recommend adding to your reading list. I lived in Singapore in the mid 1950's and book rekindled many forgotten memories.
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Michael S.
4.0 out of 5 stars optimal
Reviewed in Germany on March 5, 2019
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Sehr schnelle Lieferung. Artikel wie beschrieben.
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Richard Catlin
5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply credible and well written account.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2018
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This is a well written intelligent overview of the Malayan Emergency. It sets out to produce an explanation for the approach taken by GB over several years from the initial communist attacks to the complete defeat of the insurgency taking the reader through, military and civil strategic initiatives both at the highest level and through operations on the ground. It is a remarkable story and all the more so for the contrast with the actions of the French and then the Americans in Indo China. There are links to the lessons learned the hard way by GB in Palestine - lessons the French ignored completely. Above all there was an acceptance that there would be independence at a near future date and a determination to work with Malaya's politicians, rulers and people to ensure a smooth transition without the clear and present threat of a communist takeover inspired by events in China and encouraged by the Chinese Communist leadership. For those wishing to read regimental histories, look elsewhere. Here Noel Barber illustrates his history with key characters from both sides of the conflict and from the perspective of the civilian population caught in a bloody "non war" now largely forgotten and at the time largely unreported on the world stage.
13 people found this helpful
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