US Army Survival Manual: FM 21-76, Illustrated [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

First off, there multiple version of this book floating around, and you should be really clear with a seller which one you are getting. Amazon often posts reviews for books with the same title and author at different pages for different release years, where there can be changes in releases. This book is no exception. For example there is a fairly recent printing Army survival book with the same FM number that was republished by a major bookseller and edited for "civilian use". It is a really nice version that includes color photos and other changes, but more on that in a minute. The traditional Army Survival manual available is from the 1970's (not whatever current manual is in use as those are usually classified) and concentrates on the straightforward survival material you need to know. It is written in very accessible easy to understand language, and you do not need to be an expert in order to use this information. The material includes chapters on: Navigation and compass use; Health & Hygiene in the outdoors to prevent sickness, including first aid; Hazards in the wild to watch out for;
Foods and where to find them including harvesting and identifying native plants and vegetables; How to fish and tons of unusual different ways to catch them with local materials that actually work; other food from fresh water sources; Trapping mammals, rodents, reptiles, insects, catching birds, and more including how to dress and prepare these; Cooking, preserving food in the wild; methods of fire making including without matches or lighter.

One of the most important chapters tells you how to find the most important element you need to survive. Water from Plants, digging for water, purifying found water, and building a solar water still. Other chapters include Climate and Weather, Travel, finding or building Shelter, Clothing, Health, Survival at Sea, Poisonous Snakes, signaling for help, what to do if you are lost, and much more ...

An extremely useful book for the camper to keep in their supplies. One very nice treat... the recent bookstore reprint version differs from the 1970's surplus military version in that it offers color photos of the plants (original military version was black and white), and it is very comprehensive. While there are books available on edible and poisonous plants that are more specialized, the material here is very adequate for inclusion in this manual. All in all, one of the best books on the survival subject, well rounded and very detailed. I have a library of books on camping and camping emergencies. While one reviewer thought this book had too much info and wanted a simpler book, I would say that if you had it with you in an emergency you would be glad of its many topics. You may even want to keep a copy in the trunk of your car with your roadside tools, since you never know when you might need some help making a fire or finding water.

Another change in the bookstore "civilian version" was the elimination of the chapters on escape and evasion that you will find in some of the 1970's copies. Again if you are buying used, be sure to query the seller which version they have. I actually have both versions and was able to compare them to review the changes. Either way, the basics on shelter, water, fire, etc are unchanged and can be very useful in the trunk of your car for emergencies. One reviewer pointed out that the manual is available for free by download, which is OK you just want to read it, that is up to you. But I think a paper copy in your emergency disaster box or in your car trunk may prove very useful when you need it. There are lots of military based survival books out there, like the pocket sized Aircrew Survival book, and they are all quite useful.

As a Special Forces soldier, I read just about every book there is on survival. Most are hardly worth the paper they are printed on, and that especially includes the popular "survival" books which tend to contain potentially deadly errors and omissions. The main problem with these "worst case" books and others is that most readers, unfortunately, have no way of knowing what is accurate and what is fantasy. For readers who wish to stick to nonfiction, this book is your best choice.

This, like many other military manuals, is available online. Just type the FM number into your search box and a list of links to it will magically appear.