Conventional Operations & Tactics Asymmetric Warfare < Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare > vs.
Mar 27, 2015
Conventional Operations & Tactics
Asymmetric Warfare< Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare >
vs.
Asymmetric Warfare< Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare >
Case Study: Case Study:
North Vietnamese/Viet Minh Strategy & TacticsNorth Vietnamese/Viet Minh Strategy & Tactics
General Vo Nguyen GiapGeneral Vo Nguyen Giap
General Vo Nguyen GiapGeneral Vo Nguyen GiapChief of the Viet Minh forces fighting French Chief of the Viet Minh forces fighting French
colonial rule and later the Americans – colonial rule and later the Americans – Architect of Vietnamese strategy and tacticsArchitect of Vietnamese strategy and tactics
Giap’s Three Stages of Struggle
1) Building the Base1) Building the Base
2) Guerrilla Warfare2) Guerrilla Warfare
3) Mobile Warfare3) Mobile Warfare
Stage 1:Building the Base
Situate headquarters in mountainous, difficult Situate headquarters in mountainous, difficult terrain for meetings, supplies and refugeterrain for meetings, supplies and refuge
Viet Minh win hearts and minds of peasantryViet Minh win hearts and minds of peasantry Beat/Assassinate landlords/tax collectorsBeat/Assassinate landlords/tax collectors Redistribute land holdingsRedistribute land holdings Education/literacy campaignsEducation/literacy campaigns Help with farmingHelp with farming
Viet Minh gainViet Minh gain TaxesTaxes SuppliesSupplies IntelligenceIntelligence PortersPorters
Stage 2:Guerrilla Warfare
Pin-prick attacks meant to frustrate the enemy and incite overblown reprisals
Guerrilla “Pin-Prick” tactics Sabotage (road cutting, damage to vehicles, poison) Traps (homemade bombs, trip wires, pungi sticks, pit
traps) Terrorism (attacks on civilian targets, R&R sites) Camouflage (local vegetation, holes, tunnels)
Reprisals confirm VM propaganda and drive civilians to VM for support and guidance, increasing their popularity and strength
The biggest tunnel systems were in the Iron Triangle and the Cu Chi District, only 20 miles from Saigon. This map gives an idea of the extent of the tunnel system at Cu Chi--the orange lines represent major tunnels. The base area at Cu Chi was a vast network, with nearly 200 miles of tunnels
Note the row of rocks on top of bridge beam at the foot of the bridge….typical of the warning signs used by the
VC/NVA to warn of their mining activities.
Stage 3:Mobile Warfare
By 1949, China is equipping the Viet Minh with By 1949, China is equipping the Viet Minh with automatic weapons, mortars, howitzers, trucksautomatic weapons, mortars, howitzers, trucks
Allows for more conventional, regular forcesAllows for more conventional, regular forces Guerilla infrastructure allows for Guerilla infrastructure allows for Viet Minh to move Viet Minh to move more quickly and more quickly and more stealthily to more stealthily to carry out open warfare carry out open warfare
Stage 3 cont. Mobile Warfare
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Conventional Operations & Tactics
Offensive Forms of Maneuver
•Envelopment
•Turning Movement
•Infiltration
•Penetration
•Frontal Attack
ENVELOPME
NT
TURNING MOVEMENT
INFILTRATION
PENETRATION
FRONTAL ATTACK
The Operations Process
Full Spectrum Operations
The Operations Process