J. F. C. Fuller English military historian and theorist, Major General Date of Birth: 01.09.1878 Country: Great Britain

Biography of John Fuller

John Frederick Charles Fuller was born on September 1, 1879, in Chichester, West Sussex, England. In his childhood, he moved with his parents to Lausanne, Switzerland, but returned to England at the age of 11, without his parents. Three years later, John enrolled in Malvern College, where his preparation for a military career at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst began. During his youth, Fuller acquired the nickname 'Bonnie', which he chose to retain. According to one version, the nickname stuck due to his admiration for Napoleon Bonaparte. According to another, Fuller and Bonaparte shared authoritative manners, which led to him being called 'Bonnie'.

Fuller served in the 1st Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry and was deployed to South Africa from 1899 to 1902. In the spring of 1904, he went with his unit to India, where he contracted typhoid fever in the autumn of 1905. John spent his sick leave in England and got married in December 1906.

During World War I, Fuller served as a staff officer with the British Army in France. In 1917, he planned the first successful tank attack, which ensured the Allies' victory in the Battle of Cambrai. He also planned a tank operation for the autumn offensives of 1918. Afterward, Fuller held various commanding positions, including commanding an experimental brigade in Aldershot.

In the 1920s, John collaborated with Sir B.H. Liddell Hart in developing new ideas for the mechanization of the army. However, he declined the opportunity to lead an experimental mechanized group in 1927. Fuller's ideas gained attention again in the run-up to World War II. Ironically, the Germans, particularly Heinz Guderian, showed more interest in Fuller's concepts than his compatriots did. The German military implemented a strategy similar to Fuller's theory, which later became known as blitzkrieg.

After retiring in 1933, John became disillusioned with democracy's inability to recognize the importance of military reform. He associated himself with Oswald Mosley, the founder of the British Union of Fascists, and became responsible for party personnel as a member of the party. Fuller was also a member of the underground far-right group, 'The Nordic League'.

On April 20, 1939, Fuller was an honored guest at a military parade celebrating Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday. For three hours, the British general observed the fully mechanized and motorized army passing by the Fuhrer. Afterward, Hitler asked Fuller, "I hope you are satisfied with your children?" Fuller replied, "Your Excellency, they have grown so fast that I no longer recognize them."

Fuller's military history was characterized by an energetic, expressive, and self-assured manner of presentation, as well as controversial predictions about future wars. He was also interested in occult topics and incorporated Kabbalah and yoga into his works. Perhaps his most famous work today is "The Nine Principles of War," which has formed the basis of much modern military theory since the 1930s.

John Fuller passed away on February 10, 1966, in Falmouth. He was also the inventor of one type of searchlight.