Guerrilla warfare, sometimes also referred to as irregular warfare, is a type of warfare that is characterized by small, mobile, lightly armed and organized forces engaging in irregular raids and ambushes against an enemy in order to disrupt or disrupt its operations or to influence the population and to create a political and psychological outcome. Guerrillas are generally civilian or paramilitary groups and are not regular armed forces or uniforms. This type of warfare is mainly used to hinder or damage an enemy’s ability to continue with the war and to reduce their infliction of damage upon civilian populations.
History of Guerilla Warfare
The earliest recorded guerrilla warfare was used by the Ancient Chinese who, in the 4th century BCE, used stealth tactics to decimate the ranks of their enemies. They used small forces of horses and individual fighters to sneak into enemy encampments and launch surprise attacks. This allowed them to kill enemy forces without incurring large losses of life or equipment.
One of the most famous instances of guerrilla warfare was by the British during the American War of Independence. In 1776, the British sent a large army to suppress rebel forces. To counter the strength of the enemy forces, the American militia used guerrilla tactics to launch surprise attacks on the British, who, due to their unwieldy size, could not take effective countermeasures. By using hit and run tactics, the American forces were able to whittle away the British army until it was forced to negotiate a peace treaty.
During the twentieth century, guerrilla warfare was used by various groups to fight against oppressive regimes and to attain political goals. In the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), a guerrilla army led by communist leader Francisco Franco, called the Nationalists, used guerrilla tactics to effectively fight against the Republican forces. This tactic was also used during the Vietnam War, where the Vietcong insurgency used guerrilla tactics to combat the large, powerful U.S. forces.
Types of Guerilla Warfare
Guerrilla warfare can take many different forms and take place in many different environments. It can range from small scale raids and ambushes to large scale campaigns with the goal of capturing territory or influencing a population. Below are the commonly used types of guerrilla warfare:
-Ambush: The guerrilla force will find a position on the battlefield to hide and launch a surprise attack on the unsuspecting enemy.
-Raids: Small groups of guerrillas attack vulnerable enemy territory in order to capture weapons and supplies or to cause disruption or panic in the enemy camp.
-Hit and Run: Guerrillas will launch surprise attacks against an enemy and withdraw before the enemy can deploy a large force to counter them.
-Partisan Warfare: Partisan warfare is a strategy where a guerrilla force works with a conventional army unit in order to cause disruption in enemy territory. The conventional army will provide a distraction while the guerrilla force attacks from the other side.
-Provocation/Sabotage: Guerrillas will launch sporadic and disruptive attacks on an enemy in order to further erode their morale.
-Assassination: Guerrillas may attempt to target high ranking officers of an enemy in order to disrupt their operations or to destroy the morale of their leader.
Tactics of Guerilla Warfare
Due to the nature of guerrilla warfare, guerrillas rely heavily on hit-and-run tactics and unconventional strategies in order to survive and disrupt the opponent. Below are some of the commonly employed tactics used by guerrillas:
-Deception/Camouflage/Hiding: Guerrillas will use deceptive tactics such as disguises and camouflage in order to hide their movements. They also employ hiding tactics to prevent enemy forces from detecting their positions.
-Decentralised Leadership: Guerrillas rely on decentralised leadership in order to remain mobile and to maintain surprise.
-Mobility/Surprise: Guerrillas will remain highly mobile in order to avoid detection and to maintain surprise when launching their raids and ambushes.
-Harassment Tactics: Guerrillas will use harassment tactics such as raids, ambushes and sniping in order to disrupt military operations and to reduce morale of the enemy.
-Attack and Withdraw: Guerrillas rely on the tactic of launching a surprise attack and quickly withdrawing in order to disrupt the enemy’s operations.
-Exploiting Terrain: Guerrillas will exploit the terrain to their advantage in order to gain an advantage over the enemy. This includes hiding in forests, mountains and other terrain features.
-Hit and Run: In hit and run tactics, guerrillas launch surprise attacks and quickly withdraw in order to avoid detection.
-Death Squads: Death squads are small, mobile groups of guerrillas that are employed to assassinate targeted enemy officers.
-Psyops/Propaganda: Guerrillas will also use psychological warfare tactics such as propaganda and disinformation in order to demoralize enemy forces or to influence the populace to support their cause.
Advantages of Guerilla Warfare
Due to its nature, guerrilla warfare can offer several advantages over conventional warfare. These include:
-Lightly Equipped: Guerrillas rely on small, mobile forces and equipment, hence reducing losses of both personnel and equipment.
-Low Damage to Civilian Structures: Guerrillas rely heavily on hit and run tactics, which results in minimal damage to civilian buildings and infrastructure.
-Ability to Wreak Maximum Damage: Small but mobile forces allow guerrillas to cause maximum disruption and damage to an enemy with minimal losses.
-Easier to Supply and Maintain: Guerrillas do not require large amounts of supplies or equipment, hence making it much easier to acquire, store and transport.
-Easier to Train: Guerrilla forces require minimal training and are quicker to deploy than a conventional army.
-High Morale: Guerrillas rely on the support of the local population and can easily maintain high morale due to their cause being perceived as just by the locals.
Disadvantages of Guerilla Warfare
Guerrilla warfare also has some disadvantages. These include:
-Limited Ability to Capture Territory: Guerrillas lack the resources required to capture territory and sustain it.
-Higher Casualty Rate: Due to lack of conventional weapons and armor, guerrillas often suffer higher casualties than conventional forces.
-Little Control Over Enemy Actions: Guerrilla forces do not have control over the enemy’s actions or movements, which can lead to rapid defeats if the enemy moves quickly.
-Lack of Strategic Depth: Guerrillas often lack the strategic depth required to implement a long-term plan or strategy.
-Enemy Reprisals: The enemy may use ruthless tactics against the local population due to their sympathies toward the guerrillas.
Guerrilla warfare is a type of unconventional warfare that relies on small, lightly-equipped forces to engage in combat. It has been used throughout history by many different groups to fight oppressive regimes and to attain political goals. Guerrilla warfare can take many different forms and be implemented in many different environments. It has a wide range of advantages over conventional warfare, however it can also have some disadvantages such as lack of strategic depth and high casualty rates. Despite this, guerrilla warfare remains a frequently used tactic to this day.