Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

To: Dick Vomer; Travis McGee; Squantos
You missed my point. But that’s ok.

I do that at times. But when you miss one target, you sometimes nail another one nearby. Close does not only count in horseshoes; it works for hand grenades too.

I've been shot at and missed. ONCE. I

You have exactly the right idea. Wish I could say I had been missed about four times more than turned out to be the case.

Fighting a guerilla war against an occupying force is a tough nut especially if your force isn’t trained and organized.

Just so. And yet, some peoples have been doing so instinctively for generations. And with a couple years of training and some careful professional study, twelve American Special Forces troopers can take around 3000 sufficiently motivated but untrained locals and turn them into an irregular force that can tie down ten times their number. Those numbers can vary with circumstances and doctrinal changes, of course, but were the rule of thumb when I was wearing a green hat.

Leadership remains a toss-up: do the advisers run the show for the guerrilla force, or do they try to elevate a local with the right instincts and aptitude for the job? T.E. *Lawrence of Arabia* had some strong thoughts about that, and so does Major Hawk from Pineland.

60 posted on 01/11/2016 10:41:41 AM PST by archy (Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears, they'll kill you a little, and eat you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies ]


To: archy

You are seeing things as I am. At this time we have one of the most experienced Armed Forces in our history. I agree completely that Green Berets are specially developed for just what you’re talking about. Developing an irregular force to fight a guerrilla war.

I believe that there are enough men and boys that are sufficiently proficient with small arms to be trained as a fighting force. I also believe that the families of these men and boys would be supportive and provide the necessary intelligence to be a very active guerilla force. Something along the Swiss book called “total resistance”.


62 posted on 01/11/2016 7:26:21 PM PST by Dick Vomer (2 Timothy 4:7 deo duce ferro comitante)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson