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Subject: Organization for Guerrilla Warfare
Roman    3/25/2007 9:59:25 AM
How should the armed forces be organized and equipped if they expect to fight a guerrilla war against an occupying power. Suppose the armed forces need only put up a token resistance against an invading force and are expected to transition to a guerrilla style war almost immediately. I think a company of light infantry designed to conduct guerrilla warfare would have to have most assets pushed down to platoon level and the platoons would have to be designed to operate autonomously as cells for long stretches of time.
 
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Roman       3/29/2007 4:12:23 PM
It is designed for professional troops.
 
Cauajs - ako sa dari? Ja som od nedele spat z vyletu, ale zasa sa mi zacinaju tyzdenne velkonocne prazdniny v sobotu, takze asi pojdem aspon na cast toho casu na chatu.
 
Ten navrh sem supnem, nech to okomentuju, ale mam vela otvorenych prispevkov, takze pockam kym opadnu.
 
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murabit821       3/29/2007 4:39:50 PM
i think when this company fight indenpendly without any other support (combat and logistic)
need more recon and logistic personal or 1 squad cell from platoon cell will be recon or have recon as second work
and 1 squad cell from platoon cell will be logistic or have logistic as second work

sorry for english (when i not speak english for log i forget all :))
 
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blitZ       3/29/2007 10:02:49 PM
And a few dedicated propoganda cells.
 
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Jeff_F_F       3/30/2007 12:40:54 PM
Besides insurgency, this seems like an extremely good concept for airborne forces. Airborne forces are often required to fight independently until they can be reinforced. The same attributes that would make such a force effective in a defensive posture to defend you own country from attack could be used to infiltrate another country. Usually such missions are the job of special forces, at least the recruitment and training aspects. But the guerrila attack aspects could be used by any skilled infantry.
 
An idea I had about tactical mobility. I've been thinking about ways to mount troops without the need for a full-blown APC. My ideal system would be a 1-person vehicle, for maximum flexibility and reduced signature. It should be powered, and it should have the ability to carry a pack. It would be nice to make it serve as a pack-bot as well, so that it could keep pace with the soldier (using a "follow" mode while moving, and a "stay" mode for fighting) when the soldier dismounts.
 
Maybe a motorized (or better yet, a mo-ped) version of this would work. I'm thinking of pedal power for routine movement, and reserving the motor--and fuel--for when greater speed is needed.
 
 
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Roman       3/30/2007 4:14:25 PM
Murabit, I think this would work quite well and forces should try to set something up. My conceptual 'guerrilla' company was sporposefully upposed to be an exactly-defined organization, as it is a 'regular' professional military unit that can ocassionally be called upon to perform more standard military actions, but whose primary purpose would be to organize guerrilla warfare against any invading force. The 'guerrilla company' would, of course, seek to recruit more people and adjust its structure to a less regular and a less precisely defined one over the course of the guerrilla war. As for long-term logistics, it would, of course, utlimately have to live off the civilian population and indeed blend in with the civilian population --> all guerrilla forces have to do that or they perish.

 
here is some info about free militia organization

 


  • Command cells. Command cells consist of the leadership of the Free Militia and provide the plans and orders to be implemented or carried out by all other elements. As a headquarters unit, they include their own minimal combat element for self-defense and move frequently to undisclosed locations, often secret even to other command cells. They provide training for future cell and platoon leaders. They are the "mind" of the Free Militia.

     


  • Combat cells. Combat cells provide the patrolling and fighting capability of the Free Militia. Each cell consists of about eight able-bodied "minutemen" with its own leader, communications, rendezvous points, staging areas, and standing orders. They execute the orders of their command cells and do all their own training within the combat cell itself. They are the "arms" of the Free Militia.

     


  • Support cells. Support cells consist of sympathetic men and/or women who are unable, unwilling, or ill-equipped for combat. Their task is to provide whatever non-combatant support is needed by the combat cells. Supply cells acquire ammunition and provisions for other cells. Medical cells set up aid stations for companies and/or battalions. Vehicle maintenance, messengers, construction, etc. are provided by support cells. They are the "arteries" of the Free Militia.

     


  • Communique cells. Communique cells consist of bright, capable, and convincing men and women who communicate with and influence the public. Their duties include rhetoric to and fostering resistance, reconnaissance and recruiting among the community. They are the "mouth" of the Free Militia.



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    Roman       3/30/2007 4:22:07 PM
    It is true that similar concepts can be applied to airborne forces. The organization would, however, probably have to be a bit smaller and more concentrated (eg. company medics in one section instead of two and similar tweaks) to facilitate command. This is not much of an issue for guerrilla forces, since guerrilla cells are supposed to operate autonomously or at least quasi-autonomously for long periods of time, which I would postulate greatly expands the span of control of the commander.
     
    As to your mobility suggestions, I love it. Guerrillas in cities, though, should mostly make use of civilian vehicles for their mobility.

    Besides insurgency, this seems like an extremely good concept for airborne forces. Airborne forces are often required to fight independently until they can be reinforced. The same attributes that would make such a force effective in a defensive posture to defend you own country from attack could be used to infiltrate another country. Usually such missions are the job of special forces, at least the recruitment and training aspects. But the guerrila attack aspects could be used by any skilled infantry.

     

    An idea I had about tactical mobility. I've been thinking about ways to mount troops without the need for a full-blown APC. My ideal system would be a 1-person vehicle, for maximum flexibility and reduced signature. It should be powered, and it should have the ability to carry a pack. It would be nice to make it serve as a pack-bot as well, so that it could keep pace with the soldier (using a "follow" mode while moving, and a "stay" mode for fighting) when the soldier dismounts.

     

    Maybe a motorized (or better yet, a mo-ped) version of this would work. I'm thinking of pedal power for routine movement, and reserving the motor--and fuel--for when greater speed is needed.

     



     
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