Guerrilla Warfare Research Paper

During the Late 20th century, Guerilla warfare was quite common with the rise of decolonization. With the demand of territories and colonies for independence from big European powers. After WWII many of the European countries like France were very much weakened during the war. And many colonies most prevalent in Africa and Asia sought independence. Algeria’s war against France is an example of war for independence. And oftentimes with the fight for independence Guerilla tactics are used. 

A guerilla war is made up of both civilian and full-on guerilla fighters. All varying in skill. 

Guerilla warfare is generally restricted to hit and run attacks, using tactics ambushing convoy patrols, attacking small outposts, and bombing civilian targets in terrorist campaigns. This may not seem as strong as a big coordinated attack, however if your opponent is a modern army that relies on formation for victory, then guerrilla warfare would have the advantage. The hit and run tactics would overwhelm, confuse, and scatter the once organized French army. Ambushing the French and then disappearing into the wilderness. The land being another Guerilla advantage. With the battlegrounds being the home playing field to the Algerians, the French are fighting in unfamiliar terrain. Making it difficult for them, since the Algerians know the land way better than the French, and the Algerians would use that to their advantage when it came to ambushes. Crushing the French in terms of mobility. Hower later in the war when airborne forces became more of use to the French to solve the mobility problem during search and destroy missions. The French would use both trucks and especially helicopter to not only avoid ambush later in the war but use helicopter transports to move in remote areas in route out FLN fighters.

Another one of the main strategies and tactics of Guerilla warfare was gaining control/support of the people more than territory.Relying on the support and voluntary local populations and not depending on military training. Even though modern weapons were harder for the FLN Algerian forces to come by, having civilian support would demonstrate to them that they can protect them better than the French could. Turing the population against the colonizer French. Which would prompt more to join the small Algerian guerilla force. Guerilla forces do start out small but do grow. By having population support, the Guerilla forces can grow, and even though they were outnumbered by the modern French army, their hit and run attacks and civilian support would both confuse the French to the point of not being able to tell who the enemy is. This tactic’s main weakness is the French army would use this tactic to discourage civilian support from the FLN and to obtain information about their activities.

This type of retaliation was an example of the principle of “collective responsibility”. Holding all members of a population responsible for the actions of very few of its members. The cost being the lives of many innocent civilians. There’s still another advantage to this type of guerrilla warfare, though the modern army may wipe out many guerilla forces in one sweep but always keep coming back. it’s impossible to stop in forcing entire gorilla army to surrender. “the Guerrilla must move amongst the people as fish swim on the sea”, the French sought to drain the sea. However much you try you can’t drain the sea.