Guerrilla Tactics
Translation: Edward C. O’Dowd, Hồ Chí Minh and the origins of the Vietnamese doctrine of guerrilla tactics, Small Wars & Insurgencies, Volume 24, 2013.
Chapter 1: What Is a Guerrilla?
The guerrilla’s way of combat is cunning and stealthy fighting against the enemy when he is not taking precautions. Guerrilla warfare is the combat method of oppressed nations fighting against empires that have strong military forces and modern weapons.
Guerrilla forces do not have modern weapons. Although their units are not fully organized, the people support them. Guerrillas have extensive knowledge of the terrain conditions in their area. They are very clever in using night and different kinds of weather to their advantage in their operations. For these reasons, the guerrillas can defeat the forces of the empire.
We are now rising up against the French and Japanese troops. To do this, we will use guerrilla warfare. We will be the winner if we know how to conduct guerrilla warfare.
There are four requirements for success in guerrilla warfare:
(1) A correct political line. Our purpose is to regain our national independence from the French and the Japanese. To defeat those enemies we have to use guerrilla warfare. We cannot gain victory over French and Japanese troops if we do not use guerrilla warfare. Our cause is not a just one if we use guerrilla warfare for purposes that do not include fighting against the French and Japanese troops.
(2) Rely on the people. We must have the people join us and help to fight the guerrilla war. “Guerrilla men are the fish, people are the water. The fish will die if it tries to live without water. Guerrillas will die if they are not supported by their people.” The guerrilla forces and people should have close ties because the guerrillas fight the French and Japanese troops to protect the people. Therefore, the people have to do their best to help the guerrillas.
(3) Have strong, secret, and restrictive organizations. If guerrilla units are not well organized, they will not be a revolutionary army and can-not fight against French and Japanese troops. Well-organized and sound units are necessary for guerrilla forces. The guerrilla’s discipline must be as strict as iron. Every action of a guerrilla must obey the discipline of the unit. No one has the right to do the opposite or behave wrongly.
(4) Use clever methods of fighting. The guerilla forces are able to defeat their enemies because they use clever ways of fighting. Guerrilla forces have many forms. They are like magicians. If we are good at implementing the ways of guerrilla warfare, we can be ever-victorious. Chapter 2: The Structure of Guerrilla Units
Chapter 2: The Structure of Guerrilla Units
(1) Small groups of guerrillas. These groups consist of bands that have from two or three men up to 20 or 30 people in a small guerrilla team. This group has its own team leader (and a deputy team leader when necessary). A joint command needs to be set up when there is more than one group of guerrillas.
The members of the small guerrilla group do not give up their productive labor (this means that they do not give up their jobs/livelihood). They set up group meetings when they have a mission. When they have no guerrilla missions they do their normal work. Small guerrilla groups are armed with weapons adapted from their own conditions and livelihood (e.g. guns, knives, sticks, and so forth).
(2) The guerrilla unit. A guerrilla unit is armed. Its members can completely give up their livelihood or not. Some guerrilla units will give up work completely. Others can do productive labor and fight the enemy at the same time. The number of men can range from tens to hundreds or thousands. A guerrilla unit can be known by any name. For example, it can be called the “National Salvation Unit Phan Bội Châu,” the “Guerrilla Unit Phan Châu Trinh,” the “Mán trắng Guerrilla Unit,” or the “National Salvation Unit of Bắc Sơn,” etc...317
The structure of guerrilla units is based on the organization of basic military units such as squads, platoons, and companies. Each larger unit has three, four, or five smaller units. For example, a platoon can have three, four, or five squads. The same structure is applicable for the companies.
(3) The status of guerilla unit members. Every Vietnamese citizen who is in good health, unafraid of difficulties and risks, and wants to fight against the French and Japanese troops can be a guerrilla unit member. People who are brave, can work fast, and are experienced fighters should be identified and encouraged to become guerrillas. Battle-tested men should be especially encouraged to become guerrilla unit members.
(4) Command structure. Every guerrilla unit—from the small group, the squad, the platoon, the company, to the larger guerrilla units—has its own leader and deputy leader. Politically, every level of guerilla unit has one political representative who has been chosen by the revolutionary organization in that unit or by the others.
If there are many members in a guerrilla unit, they need to organize special departments that are responsible for things such as unit management, reconnaissance, and sabotage. On the political side, the larger guerrilla unit has sections for those involved in education, explaining news from the newspaper, mobilizing the masses, or demoralizing the soldiers of the empire.
Chapter 3: The Principles of Guerrilla Warfare Guerilla warfare has four fundamental principles:
(1) Gain the initiative in combat. Gaining the initiative is the key to knowing how to cleverly control the enemy. We need to be able to draw the enemy to where we can beat him. We need to lure the enemy into our trap. If the enemy is stronger than us and it is not to our advantage to fight, we can retreat. Retreating on our own initiative is a way to gain the initiative. If we take the initiative, we can achieve great and small victories. If we are on the defensive and cannot hold the initiative, we can be controlled and easily defeated by the enemy.
(2) Fast action is essential. In guerrilla warfare fast action is essential. If we cannot act quickly, we cannot use guerrilla warfare. In every situation, whether we are attacking the enemy or retreating, we must move quickly. Guerrilla units must carry out their missions as quickly as the wind and lightning. We must gain victory in a wink and leave the battlefield before the enemy recognizes us.
(3) Always maintain the offensive. Maintaining the offensive means we have the lead in attacking the enemy. Guerrilla units have to take the initiative in order to hold the offensive. By seizing the offensive, guerrillas can attack the enemy in battles of different scales. It is always good if we grind down the enemy’s strength. Guerrilla units that are constantly on the defensive will be failures.
(4) Have a good campaign plan. Guerrillas use the above three principles when they are preparing to fight. Without having a suitable and thought-ful plan, even with the above three principles, is not good enough to obtain victory. Guerrillas should emphasize their ability to make a plan so they can benefit from the above three principles. The plan must be “multiform” so the enemy cannot defend himself.
In addition to the four fundamental principles, there are four tactical principles in guerrilla operations:
(1) Avoid attacking the enemy’s strong point. Always attack the enemy’s weak point; pretend to attack one point but attack another one. We have to know as much as possible about the adversary. We cannot make silly attacks on the enemy’s strong points. We must attack the enemy’s weak point. When we trick the enemy into defending one place, we attack another place. Fighting means pretending to attack one point, then attacking another point.
(2) Dodge any fight that the enemy can win. Do not try to hold the battlefield at any cost. Guerrilla forces should choose the enemy target that is easiest for them to attack with minimum casualties. Guerrilla units must avoid battles in which it is too difficult to assess casualties and foresee the final outcome. When guerrilla forces have been attacked by the ene-my and are at a disadvantage compared to the enemy, the guerrilla unit should find escape from the battlefield to maintain their strength intact. Do not try to hold the battlefield at any cost.
(3) Scatter the forces (hoá chỉnh vi linh); gather the forces (hoá linh vi chỉnh). Guerrilla forces should be scattered in case the enemy attacks them or in case of the entire force being pushed into inconvenient con-ditions. In those circumstances, guerrilla forces must “hoá chỉnh vi linh,” meaning scatter the forces. After that, when it is necessary, guerrilla men gather again (hoá linh vi chỉnh) to do their mission. “Chỉnh” means the entire guerrilla unit. “Linh” means part of the guerrilla unit or individ-ual guerrillas.
(4) When we are still, we attack the enemy who is moving. We fight the enemy when we are strong and our enemy is tired. We have to gain the initiative in guerrilla warfare. We must choose good opportunities to hit the enemy. We pay attention to the following actions: when the enemy is doing something, especially when he is moving on the road; when the enemy is not vigilant, we set an ambush at a secret place and then suddenly attack the enemy. That means when we are still, we attack the moving enemy. We choose the attack time because we want to attack when we are strong but the enemy is tired. We will be the winner if we make a surprise attack when we are strong and appear to be still. The best time to attack is when the enemy is moving and tired.
To fight the French and Japanese, guerrilla units need to do the following things:
(1) Deceive the enemy. Let them know nothing about us, or give them wrong information.
(2) Make a reconnaissance. A great military man said, “If we know clearly about the enemy and ourselves, we can fight and win every battle.”318 It is very important to conduct reconnaissance to understand the enemy’s condition.
(3) Make the enemy feel miserable. When the guerrilla units cannot defeat the enemy in a single combat, the guerrillas should try their best to push the enemy into difficult and uncomfortable situations.
(4) Push the enemy into areas without food. Guerrilla forces should con-duct a scorched-earth policy; attack the enemy to destroy his food con-voys while destroying the enemy’s food depots. These are the ways of pushing the enemy into a foodless situation.
(5) Prevent the enemy from attacking our people. Do not let the enemy attack our people and guerrilla units freely. The best ways to stop the enemy from acting against us with no restraint are to destroy bridges, roads, and enemy vehicles.
(6) Kidnap enemy men. Guerrilla forces can kidnap enemy men such as the soldiers who convey an order, army postmen, or the ones who are plundering food items from our people. Interrogate prisoners after we have confiscated their weapons.
(7) Make the enemy worry and misjudge us. For example, although we have few men, units, and guns, we manage to create signs of having many men, units, and guns. We can make the enemy panic. Then we can take advantage of his actions to attack his movements.
(8) Lure the enemy into our trap and kill him. We hide somewhere then draw up a scheme to lure the enemy into a place that is to our advantage. We make the enemy leave his base. When he moves out, we can attack him. We can pretend to have lost the battle, let the enemy pursue us, then we hide, we wait for the enemy to pass, and we suddenly open fire on him.
(9) Ambush and harass enemy troops. An ambush is a fight against the enemy’s army in a single place. It means to hide and wait until an enemy approaches to suddenly emerge and attack. To harass the enemy means to continue to chase him after the fight.
Chapter 4: Methods Used for Surprise Attacks and Ambushes
Guerrilla forces have often used two methods to attack the enemy: ambushes and surprise attacks (raids).
Raids
The secrecy and thoroughness in preparation as well as quickness and resolution in assault are necessary conditions to conduct a successful raid. There-fore, we should take the following steps in preparing and conducting raids: scout, arrange the plan, start occupying raid area, settle in the raid place, assault, actions to take after the assault.
1. Scouting
The guerrillas should know: A) the enemy’s situation; B) the terrain; C) the political situation in the battle area. We should know precise information about these situations before making plans. Due to the importance of this information, the scout has an important role in determining the winning or losing of these battles.
A. Scouting the enemy’s situation.
a) The scout needs to determine the strength, services, weapons, ruses of fighting, combat efficiency, defensive measures, guard pattern, and officers of the enemy unit.
b) The scout needs to assess the enemy’s other units, particularly those that adjoin the unit we intend to attack. The assessment should include the number of men in those units, their increasing strength, how they contact each other, and their means of contact. We have to know about these things to avoid bad and surprise situations.
Example: Chinese guerrillas in North China have successfully scouted to get information relating to the enemy because they got help from the people. They knew exactly what Japanese troops were doing. The guerrillas always win because they are not afraid of being defeated. If they are afraid of losing, they cannot fight the enemy.
There were 200 Japanese troops in the village of Bình Định.319 They had posted numerous sentries around their area to prevent a surprise attack. But guerrillas scouted the area with the help of the people. They paid special atten-tion to the time the Japanese changed their sentries. At night, when the Japa-nese sentries were tired, the clever and aggressive guerrillas killed them while other guerrillas attacked the Japanese troops sleeping in the village.
B. Scouting terrain.
a) What is the condition of traffic along the narrow or wide streets from the guerrilla’s area to the enemy’s area?
b) Where are the places to hide guerrilla forces along the roads? What good terrain is available for guerrillas? What places are near the enemy to hide guerrilla forces? What are the routes for guerrillas to advance and retreat from battlefield?
C. Scouting the political situation of the battle area.
a) How does the enemy behave toward the people and vice versa? Has the enemy killed people for robbery? How do the people behave toward the revolution?
b) How are the enemy’s accommodations? What is the fighting spirit of the enemy? How do the enemy’s men behave toward their officers, the people, and the revolution? What people can help guerrillas? How is guerrilla contact with the people?
2. Making plans and preparations for fighting.
After carefully scouting, the leaders and political commissar should make an attack plan. In case there is no opportunity for a raid, we should divert the enemy from an intended direction. We should pretend to attack in one place to divert him from another place. By doing this we can create the conditions for a successful raid. We should follow these principles when making attack plans:
A. Choosing the time for the attack.
There are four good times for raids:
a) At night. Night ambushes are easy to keep secret, and it is easy to move our forces at night. It is also easy to get tired and lose your way at night, but the night raid is not difficult for the skilled and strictly disciplined guerrillas.
b) At dawn. After marching a long way at night, the guerrillas can attack the enemy in the early morning while the enemy is sleeping. The battle can be finished right after dawn. This is the good time for a raid.
c) At sunset. The enemies often guard their bases carelessly at sunset. The guerrilla can hide along the way during daytime and easily surprise the enemy at sunset. If our attack is not successful, we can retreat at night.
d) During the day. It is very difficult to attack the enemy during the day. To win a daytime battle, the guerrilla should have all these following conditions: 1. The enemy’s fighting ability is not good. He does not have his own stronghold. The enemy’s ability to move is bad; 2. The enemy is lonely; 3. The enemy disregards the guerrillas; 4. The guerrilla is able to hide and move closer to the enemy because of bad weather conditions such as heavy rain, strong winds, or fog.
B. The preparation for ambush.
Before conducting a raid, the guerrilla units need to do a good job of prepa-ration. The guerrillas must do the following:
a) Establish the time and signal to attack and assault.
b) Establish the way to retreat and to assemble in case the attack fails.
c) The guerrilla should carry rafts, lifebuoys, and rope in case he has to retreat across rivers or across mountains. He should take equipment to destroy or set fire to enemy blockhouses and billets.
d) The guerrillas should carefully announce and distribute information about the raid to ensure success.
C. Keeping the plan at the top-secret level.
Although we may have a very good plan, it is very dangerous if we let the enemy know about it. We have to keep the raid plan secret. It is not necessary to explain all aspects of the plan to everybody in the unit. We should just explain the relevant part of the plan to each person who has a specific duty in that part of the plan. The entire plan information should only be explained to the entire unit when it is necessary. To keep our activities secret and deceive the enemy in a raid, we should start moving in a diversionary direction, and then, when we approach the attack site, we turn to the right direction.
3. Start deploying forces to the attack area.
a) Guerrillas should travel on a new road. Do not use a wide or narrow one. Be careful of getting lost on the way because this leads to guerrillas being tired and late for the raid.
b) Keep absolutely quiet during the operation. No one is allowed to use any kind of light or to cock their rifle. The only exceptions are when conducting reconnaissance or to avoid surprise fire.
c) Guerrillas should conduct reconnaissance in mufti.320
d) Guerrillas should avoid enemy sentries when marching. If we encounter enemy sentries, we should catch them alive or kill them quietly. We should not shoot them or make noise. If the guerrilla clashes with the enemy during an approach march, we should attack quickly to seize the most advantageous terrain.
4. Occupying attack positions.
a) We should secretly occupy the places from which to launch the raid. Those places should not be too far or too near the enemy’s location.
b) We should summon our commanders quickly to assign their duties and explain the enemy’s condition just before the fighting breaks out. It is best to capture the enemy sentries alive.
c) We should observe the following principles when attacking: our force should be divided into two parts. The smaller part restrains the enemy, and the larger part attacks him. We should have some small groups of guerrillas hiding along the enemy’s route of retreat to attack him or prevent his combining with other forces. The guerrillas’ duties are to ruin bridges and roads and to cut telephone wires. Guerrillas should be pre-pared to signal the attack when everything is ready.
5. Assault.
a) The guerrillas should surprise the enemy with a broadsword attack right after getting the signal to attack. We should not shoot because it makes noise, and it is less effective. It is better to use broadswords to kill the enemy.
b) For example, in Trieu’s ambush in Dương Phòng,321 near Beijing in North China, the Japanese sentry was surprised and killed by the guerrillas. The other Japanese troops did not know anything until the guerrillas had closed on them. The guerrillas mainly used the broadsword to kill them. Some Japanese troops tried to resist the guerrillas but they were killed in the end. In that battle a small number of guerrillas killed a large number of Japanese troops. Also, more than a hundred Japanese troops were taken prisoner. We achieved victory by using the broadsword. If we had used guns, we could not have obtained such a complete victory. When asked, the Japanese troops always said that they were afraid of the guerrillas’ broadswords.
c) When the enemy retreats into blockhouses, we should burn the blockhouses and continue fighting.
d) Although most of the guerrillas should withdraw after a raid, a few should remain to collect war booty and take care of prisoners of war. We should pursue and kill the fleeing enemy troops. But we should not follow them too far to avoid being attacked by their relief forces.
e) If the raid has failed because the enemy is too strong—he has the benefit of good positions or he is supported by other enemy units—the guerrillas should quietly retreat. We should let a small number of guerrillas remain to cover the retreat. The destination of the retreating forces should be decided in advance.
6. Actions to take after the assault.
a) After the raid, the company should withdraw to a place that is far from the attack location. The guerrillas that stayed at the battlefield collect war booty, take care of prisoners of war, and withdraw to a previously determined location. The wounded soldiers should be taken away quickly and safely.
b) If the raid has been successful or the enemy’s reinforcements cannot move to the raid site, the guerrillas can stay for a brief period of time to proselytize the people and kill reactionaries. At the same time, the guerrillas should stay far enough from the village to avoid being attacked by the enemy’s air force. Prisoners of war should be questioned and proselytized and then released if we cannot take them with us. The guerrillas must be careful not to let released prisoners learn any secrets.
Bastion Raids
We have to plan carefully and cleverly.
a) We should have spies living with the enemy to get information. The spies can be enemy soldiers. The spies must be able to coordinate closely with the guerrillas.
For example, a guerrilla unit that belonged to the Eighth Route Army killed more than 200 Japanese soldiers with the help of a large number of Chinese spies in Trú Châu rampart.
b) The guerrillas should choose the place where the enemy is off his guard, break in to the bastion, and then silently attack.
For example, the Japanese troops occupied an airport in Yangming-bu322 rampart that had four sides. But they had only built fortifications on three sides carefully. They did not reinforce the last side because it bordered a dangerous river. The commander of the guerrilla unit con-ducted a reconnaissance and knew that his troops could not be stalled by the mud if they ran across the river quickly. So the guerrillas attacked the rampart from the weak side and burned 20 Japanese airplanes and withdrew secretly.
c) Dress like the enemy to attack them.
For example, a guerrilla unit that belonged to the Eighth Route Army dressed like Japanese soldiers to attack a small rampart in Xiyang. When they went to the Japanese bastion, the sentry could not recognize them, welcomed them, and let them enter. After they entered, the guerrillas suddenly attacked and then withdrew immediately.
d) When the enemy goes out of his bastion, the guerrilla ambushes him and attacks his bastion.
The way to cope with enemy raids.
The guerrillas always conduct raids to kill the enemy. The guerrillas should not allow themselves to be attacked by the enemy. Therefore, they must take precautions to win in case our forces are attacked by the enemy.
When living in a place for a long period of time, especially in a village, the guerrilla units must carefully organize their guards. People should not be allowed to enter or leave the village. The guerrilla units should have plans to respond to enemy raids. If the guerrilla is attacked, the main guerrilla force should immediately retreat and then conduct a surprise attack to help the troops who have been left behind. It is easier to attack the enemy if he thinks that our guerrilla force has run away without any attempt to conduct a defense.
Chapter 5: Ambush
An ambush means hiding in a place, waiting for an enemy force to pass, and then making a surprise attack on the enemy force. It is easier to succeed at an ambush than a raid. Therefore, guerrilla units, especially the new, less experienced, and less well-trained units, should pay more attention to the ways of conducting ambushes.
We must pay attention to the following when laying an ambush: reconnaissance and choosing the best ambush location, and after the ambush has been executed, wiping out the remaining enemy soldiers, transportation convoys, cavalry units, vehicles, and trains.
1. Reconnoitering the enemy situation.
To assure the success of an ambush, we must reconnoiter the enemy situation. If we do not do this, we will face danger. When reconnoitering, the commander must accurately assess the following:
a) Departure times, routes, and destinations of enemy convoys.
b) The number of enemy troops, type of service, equipment, capabilities, vehicles, and operation targets.
c) The enemy’s methods of communication, speed of march, and methods of reinforcement.
All reconnaissance information must be kept secret. Only the commander responsible for the ambush is allowed to know it.
2. Choosing an ambush site.
When choosing an ambush site, take notice of the following:
a) Choose a good hiding place from where we can clearly observe the ene-my, but the enemy cannot see us.
b) Choose the place with advantageous terrain from where we can easily attack the enemy, but the enemy, especially with heavy equipment, cannot attack us.
c) Choose a location with good terrain that allows us to easily withdraw, but where it is difficult for the enemy to attack us.
d) Choose a place that is not under enemy control. If we find a good place for an ambush, but in range of enemy forces, we must leave it to choose another site.
e) Choose one or two observation posts that allow us to easily observe the enemy and communicate quickly among ourselves.
Here are some prominent ambushes made by the Eighth Route Army guerrilla units at Đông Dương323 road, an important enemy transportation route in North China. The Chinese guerrilla units have conducted many ambushes against Japanese forces along this road. After being ambushed, the Japanese forces adopted an interesting tactic. They spread a rumor about the time when a Japanese transportation unit would pass on the road and, at the same time, they secretly sent troops to occupy vulnerable places on the road. Their objective was to wait for the guerrilla unit to come to the site to lay an ambush. Unfortunately for them, with the people’s help, the guerrillas discovered this plan, but kept silent about it. The Japanese waited for two days, but the guer-rillas did not come, so the Japanese had to withdraw. Later, when Japanese troops attempted to use the same tactics, the guerrilla unit had already sent troops to hide before the Japanese troops arrived. When the Japanese troops arrived they found that they had fallen into an ambush and were routed by the guerrillas.
3. Moving to the ambush site.
a) We must carefully plan the route to the ambush site. The route must be kept secret. It is better to choose a completely new route and to avoid a muddy road.
b) We should send armed reconnaissance groups in civilian clothes ahead of the main body of troops. When troops pass through populated areas, they must wear civilian clothing.
c) At the ambush site, troops must be silent. They may not smoke, chat, or make noise.
4. Conducting an ambush.
a) Our ambush force must divide into two parts. The first part, normal-ly one-third, is used to stop the enemy, while the second part of the ambush force is used to fight the enemy. The commander must stay in a convenient place from where he can clearly observe the enemy situation. From this position he can signal our troops to attack the enemy.
b) Each unit and each guerrilla must thoroughly understand the mission, and the commander must correctly execute the plan to lead the troops in battle.
c) If the enemy is few in number, we can block his advance and withdraw-al routes and wipe him out. But if the enemy has a larger number of troops, we must divide them into two parts or three groups. Then we must attack the second or third groups to ensure success.
d) When attacking the rear part of the enemy convoy, we must have some guerrillas harass the front and both sides of the convoy. If it is possible, we can destroy the roads and bridges to create disorder for the enemy and interrupt the mutual support between the front and rear groups.
e) To begin the attack, we must do so in a consistent, rapid, and lightning manner. This is done so the enemy cannot respond. First, ignite a series of explosives or open strong small arms fire on the enemy convoy, then attack with knifes and falchions (swords). This attack will cause the ene-my to panic and he will not be able to resist. The commander must have a detailed, specific, and careful plan for the operation in order to reduce our human losses to the minimum. It is of no value if we win but lose many human lives.
5. After the ambush succeeds.
After the ambush has succeeded, we must collect all our wounded men, war booty (and help the military prisoners), and quickly withdraw to avoid the enemy’s reinforcements, especially if we were not able to wipe out the entire convoy.
The guerrilla unit not only waits for the enemy to come, but it also actively finds ways to attract and trap the enemy in its ambush.
For example, Japanese forces, garrisoned in Lưu Trang village, Xiyang Coun-ty, North China, were harassed by the Uông’s guerrilla unit squad, which fired a few bullets then withdrew to the ambush position. The Japanese forces ran after them and quickly fell into the trap. Almost all were killed. After receiving a report of this defeat, the Japanese sent 400 reinforcements to relieve the unit; again, they were caught in a snare on the way from Xiyang to Lưu Trang. The guerrillas had anticipated the Japanese actions.
If it is impossible to execute the ambush—for example, we may be ready to attack but find that the enemy is larger in number and has already taken strong positions—then, after opening heavy fire at the enemy, we must with-draw quickly and steadily without wavering. We should not finish the ambush if it will cause valued losses. In this case, the commander must be decisive to deliver quick and clever orders.
6. Ambush the enemy’s isolated troops.
Permanently stationed enemy forces usually send out their communicators and suppliers who can easily be caught or killed by our ambushes. Sometimes we can gather valuable information from them. In some cases, we can use traps to attract them to secret and vulnerable places to be ambushed.
7. Ambush the enemy’s transportation and food-collection convoys.
Ambushing enemy transportation convoys usually achieves success easily because these convoys are always heavy and slow. When conducting an ambush against these convoys, we must pay attention to the following:
a) Choose places where the convoy will be vulnerable because it must climb or descend a slope, cross a river, pass through a curve, or drive blind alley roads.
b) The object of ambushing the transportation convoy is to gain the supplies, not to wipe out enemy troops, so we must separate the transportation group from the escorts in order to easily wipe out the escorts.
c) While attacking, we must direct heavy fire at the front and rear parts of the convoy in order to cause panic and disorder. Then we must wipe out all the enemy escort troops and gain war materiel.
d) In case our troops are fewer in number than those of the enemy, we must cleverly disperse the enemy forces by shooting from everywhere in order to spread the enemy out, then we move to wipe them out individually.
e) After the successful ambush, and if we assess that enemy reinforcements cannot come immediately, we can stay longer to collect war booty, take what we can, and destroy what we cannot take.
Utilizing this method of conducting ambushes, guerrilla units can deprive the enemy of lots of war materiel.
For example, one Japanese report stated, “Near the district of Dương Truyền at Bảo An and Quách villages,324 Red Army troops (called by the Japanese “The Eighth Route Army”) secretly contacted the local people and made several surprise attacks on our forces. They [the guerrillas] wiped out the escort and seized all the food, munitions, clothing, and military equipment. Such events have happened everywhere. It has created a real concern for us.”
There are three ways of ambushing the enemy’s food-collection convoys:
a) Ambush the convoy on the road before they load the food.
b) Wait for the food-collection convoy to stop at a village and for the troops to disperse to the houses to collect food, and then attack the weakest enemy group. Before assaulting the food-collection convoy, wipe out or arrest all escorts.
c) If we are fewer in number, the best thing to do is to wait until the food-collection convoy has finished its work and then ambush on its way back to base. This type of ambush is the easiest way to win a victory because when the trucks have been heavily loaded, the enemy cannot pay attention to everything.
8. Ways to ambush cavalry, vehicles, trains, and ships.
Ambushing cavalry.
When ambushing cavalry, one must pay attention to the following three issues:
a) Choose the narrow and vulnerable paths in order to make it difficult for the enemy to react.
b) First, shoot the horses. Then wipe out the dismounted soldiers.
c) The best time to attack is when the enemy cavalry has halted in a village. At that time, the soldiers are separated from horses and we can execute a surprise attack. To select the best time, we must send someone in civilian clothes to the village to decide the best time to make the attack and give the attack force a signal.
Ambushing vehicles.
When ambushing vehicles, one must pay attention to the following issues:
a) Choose the up and down slopes, the curves, and the paths with potholes or river crossings for the attack site.
b) Place obstacles: make holes or lay explosives to disrupt the enemy’s travel.
c) Attack the vehicles and escorts in the middle of the convoy. Then launch attacks against the front and the rear parts of the convoy. We can imprison or free enemy soldiers, but we must burn all vehicles.
This method has been used to gain success in vehicle ambushes. In North China, Japanese transportation convoys are ambushed every day.
The following is the example of the Dương guerrilla battalion’s ambush on the way from Quảng Linh to Linh Nhạc.325 Before laying the ambush, the guerrillas had destroyed a segment of the road at a vulnerable place. They then organized the ambush. First, about thirty transportation vehicles on the way from Linh Nhạc to Quảng Linh got stuck at that place. Then about forty other transportation vehicles, ten armored cars, and 78 tanks on the way from Quảng Linh to Linh Nhạc got stuck. At that moment, after a careful assessment of the situation, the guerrillas began their attack and caused many losses among the Japanese troops. After that, the Japanese sent a unit of reinforcements, including a cavalry unit and five guns, but because the guerrillas had chosen a good place and used effective techniques, the guerrillas had killed several hundreds of Japanese soldiers and destroyed several dozen vehicles. In exchange the ambush cost the guerrillas only a few dozen wounded.
Ambushing trains.
While ambushing trains, one must pay attention to the following:
a) Choose the entrances and exits of tunnels, the up and down slopes, the curves, the sides of up and down slopes, railways, and bridges.
b) Before the ambush, we must disassemble the ties and screws of the railway or set up obstacles like trees or stones on the railway.
c) When the train goes off the rails, it is time to assault. The guerrilla unit should be divided in three parts: the first one is to attack the escorts, the second part is to clear both sides of the train, and the third one is to clear the inside of the train. Our goal is to deprive the enemy of armament and equipment and to capture his troops.
d) Secretly contact our agents who work inside the train to determine the moment to carry out the outside attacks with internal support.
Ambushing wood vessels.
Attack the bow and stern when the vessels are close to banks or curves of the river in order to force the vessel to a harbor or to sink it. When the attack has been completed, collect everything and free the enemy or imprison him.
When attacking vessels, we must have a large number of troops and be care-ful. Specifically, we must have strong gunfire to destroy the vessel’s engine.
Assault enemy on the march.
a) While marching, a guerrilla unit must have an advanced reconnaissance group under civil cover. This group must move at a convenient distance in the daytime. At nighttime, the distance must be shorter. If they discover strange events or the enemy, they must return to report to the unit commander who must go ahead of the column in order to give quick orders in certain situations.
b) When meeting with the enemy, the commander must decide attack or withdraw without wavering. Because wavering at that moment is very dangerous.
c) If the enemy number is fewer than ours and they are weaker than us, we must decide to attack and quickly find hiding places to wait for the enemy to pass, then open fire strongly and go out to storm them. When the enemy runs away, we can pursue them for short distances.
d) If the enemy is greater in number and stronger or if we cannot determine the enemy’s real strength, we must decide to withdraw without wavering. In case the enemy sees us when we are withdrawing, we must strongly open fire at them, force them to hide, and then rapidly withdraw.
For example, one guerrilla cavalry unit was marching on the western route near Baoding District in North China; they suddenly received information that several hundred Japanese troops were approaching from the opposite direction. The guerrilla unit hid along one the roadside and waited for the Jap-anese to pass. When the Japanese arrived the guerrilla cavalry attacked them. Within about ten minutes, Japanese troops had been routed leaving behind a lot of weapons and munitions.
Harass the enemy.
Guerrilla units can send some guerrillas to harass the enemy by shooting at enemy garrisons in order to disturb the enemy.
For example, one guerrilla unit, which operated along the railway from Beijing to Wuhan, one day, exploiting the dark night, moved close to Tư dis-trict326 and killed two Japanese guards. The guerrillas then moved to Quang Lạc town327 to destroy the railroad. When the Japanese found out about the attacks, the Japanese forces from both Tu district and Quang Lạc town sent troops to hit the guerrilla unit, but, because of the darkness, the two units became confused and each thinking the other was the guerrilla unit, fired on each other all night. This mistake led to the deaths of several hundred Japanese soldiers.
One of the methods used to harass enemy troops is called “sparrow.” It means guerrillas hide in scattered places in the mountains and fire at enemy soldiers when they pass vulnerable points. This pushes the enemy into the dilemma of trying to determine from where we are firing and where they can go. Although this method cannot destroy all the enemy troops, it can cause them to panic.
Chapter 6: Defensive Measures
Defense means “hold out.” We stay in a fixed place; when the enemy comes, we “hold out.” As has been said previously, guerrilla tactics are to attack the enemy before the enemy attacks us. If we let the enemy attack us before we can attack him and we assume a defensive posture, we are at a disadvantage. But this can happen in some special cases, such as when our guerrilla unit is operating in enemy territory, and it is attacked by surprise. Or, after executing a surprise attack, we must conduct a defense in order to withdraw our main force. Additionally, we may need to conduct defensive operations to defend one of our revolutionary bases. These defense measures are conducted according to the principles of active defense. This means we are in a defensive posture, but we conduct offensive operations so that the enemy cannot freely attack us.
A. Defensive measures outside the guerrilla base.
1. The guerrilla unit must maintain strict and secret reconnaissance and guard operations.
The guerrilla unit that operates in areas outside the guerrilla base where the enemy is constantly present must be very careful to ensure that the enemy cannot discover and attack it. To do this, guerrillas must have close relations with the local people in order to recruit good people into the reconnaissance groups located around the enemy garrison and along the roads that the enemy frequently uses. The duty of these groups is to report any enemy moves to the guerrilla unit. At the same time, the guerrilla unit must organize a strict guard at all times around the garrison and its approach roads consisting of two or three layers.
2. Do not deploy troops in disadvantaged places.
Guerrilla units should not deploy troops in uncertain places that are difficult to defend. In specific cases we may deploy troops in those places, but we should generally position troops in conveniently situated houses where they can be organized in a strict guard operation. If there are reactionary and unpatriotic Vietnamese in those places, we must stop them from going in and out, and we may imprison them. But remember that the best way to guard a place is to base our actions on the help of the local people.
3. Be ready and dig trenches.
Reconnaissance defensive positions are not enough; guerrilla units should prepare to be attacked by surprise. Regardless of their location, guerrilla units must be ready to concentrate on dealing with the enemy. The commander and communicator of the unit must stay together at a reserve concentration place. Weapons must be ready. Signals for attack and withdrawal must be agreed upon in advance.
On the route to the assembly site, the guerrillas must have portable obstacles that are easy to store. We must dig trenches along both sides of withdrawal routes. Unused roads must be blocked. The guerrilla unit should organize two defensive lines of trenches.
4. Surprise attacks.
When the unit has been attacked by surprise, we must immediately make a decision to counterattack or withdraw. When withdrawing, we must deploy one group to delay the enemy. If we have been attacked while we are in garrison, we must quickly organize a counterattack and withdraw.
B. Measures to defend a guerrilla base.
The guerrilla base has important facilities such as stores, schools, and clinics. Don’t let the enemy easily invade our bases, but don’t die to defend these things either. To defend a guerrilla base, pay attention to the following:
1. Conduct an active defense with the active employment of our forces.
When the enemy carries out the attack on our guerrilla base, if we have enough force, we can send a small part to occupy vulnerable places and dig trenches in order to constrain the enemy. In this way our main force units can organize a surprise attack on the enemy.
When the enemy attacks our guerrilla bases, he usually comes along several roads and reunifies to conduct the attack. If our guerrilla unit is strong enough, we can send our troops to attack the enemy on different roads, and our main force can wipe out the isolated enemy. If they can assemble their forces, then our main force must choose the enemy’s weakest point to attack, attack from both sides, and divide the enemy forces into segments to wipe them out. This method can only be applied when we have enough troops. If we do not have enough troops, we must elude the enemy. If the enemy cannot find us, he cannot attack us. And, when the enemy is not alert, we can make a surprise attack on him, thereby destroying as many as possible.
2. Do all the best things to impede the enemy.
We must try our best to impede enemy movement. We must especially impede mechanized infantry and cavalry forces by destroying roads, bridges, and dams.
3. Apply the scorched-earth policy.
We must apply the scorched-earth policy in order to destroy the enemy’s food supply lines, holdings, and service troops.
4. Call upon the people to take part in the fight against the enemy.
To fight the enemy, the guerrilla unit not only carries out its own attacks, it also should call upon the people to take an active part in the fight. The people can destroy roads and bridges, cut barbed wire, execute the scorched-earth policy, reconnoiter the enemy situation, keep watch on enemy forces, and transport goods and wounded persons. In the next step, the people can organize their armed groups to help the guerrilla unit fight the enemy.
5. While the enemy is attacking our guerrilla base, we attack him at the rear.
This method aims to break off the connection of the forward deployed troops with the rear ones. We have to destroy roads and bridges, cut barbed wire, and conduct surprise attacks on enemy transportation convoys and reinforcements.
6. Apply the “sparrow” or “Mán” methods328
While the enemy is moving toward our guerrilla base, we disperse our force in different places like sparrows in mountains. They open fire at the enemy force, especially at their officers. This method cannot defeat the enemy, but it can cause them a lot of casualties and create disorder in their ranks. As a result, they will withdraw. For example, in northern China a Japanese force divided into six columns to attack the Chinese guerrillas located to the south of Chính Thái329 from six different directions. This force was attacked by the Chinese guerrillas using the “sparrow” method. Many Japanese were killed and they were forced to withdraw.
Chapter 7: Pursuit Tactics
When the enemy realizes he is losing and has to withdraw, the guerrilla must take advantage of the enemy’s difficulties in pursuing him and to wipe him out. However, do not pursue him for so long that you meet his reinforce-ments.
When the enemy has withdrawn, the guerrilla unit has to send some guer-rillas to clean up the battlefield by collecting all booty, aiding our wounded guerrillas, and dealing with the enemy prisoners. The main force of the guerril-la company must withdraw rapidly to prevent enemy bombardment. We can stay longer to carry out propaganda only when we are sure that the enemy reinforcements cannot come.
If the enemy is defeated near our guerrilla base, we must pursue him to wipe out his forces while urging help from the people.
Chapter 8: Withdrawal
It should be acknowledged that the method of withdrawal is important in guerrilla warfare because a guerrilla unit must withdraw immediately after fighting whether it has succeeded or failed to accomplish its mission. Some-times, it should withdraw at once and stop fighting because it is clear that the enemy is too strong.
Usually, there is no difficulty if our attacks against the enemy have been suc-cessful. Moreover, the guerrilla unit should be prepared to withdraw in order to avoid being defeated by the enemy. After it has withdrawn, the guerrilla unit can launch an offensive if it calculates carefully and realizes with 100% certain-ty that its attacks can succeed. In contrast, it shouldn’t fight if there is even a little doubt or hesitation that it may not succeed. This will avoid the problem of failing in an operation and then needing to conduct a withdrawal opera-tion. However, in some cases, such as an unlucky defeat followed by a forced withdrawal, or confronting a strong enemy and being unable to succeed, then having to withdraw and being chased by the enemy, the guerrilla leader should pay attention to the five following measures:
(1) First and foremost, it is necessary to choose some brave and smart pioneers in the guerrilla unit to fight against the enemy in order to support the withdrawal of the majority of the guerrillas. While withdrawing, the unit shouldn’t divide into small groups, because by doing so, the guerrilla soldiers can easily lose their will and, perhaps, they may lose their way as well. In some unavoidable situations, it may be necessary to divide into small groups; however, the unit must have a plan to move to an assembly area.
(2) The chief and vice chief for political affairs of the unit must strongly show their will, attitude, and leadership ability. The more difficulty and danger there is, the more these two people must volunteer and go ahead in order to lead their troops.
(3) Even if being chased or run after by the enemy, guerrilla units still have to maintain contact with the local people (or populace) and encourage them to support the guerrillas’ cause. They can help by supplying food, securing road guides, maintaining security, assisting in surveillance, safe-guarding people and places, and even fighting against the enemy.
(4) An appropriate plan should be made when withdrawing. Withdrawing troops (guerrilla men) must identify the way (or road) to be used, and they must calculate carefully and thoughtfully how they will withdraw. It is especially important to avoid attacks from the machine (mechanized) and cavalry forces of the enemy. When troops cross a road, the traces should be swept away. The route of withdrawal should follow the shortcut (road) and the operation should be conducted at night. Or the unit can go publicly one way then secretly make a U- turn and go another way. The unit can find a new way to go or make up and dress in clothes as the normal civilians or soldiers of the enemy while withdrawing. The withdrawing guerrillas may need to travel very fast and cover more than 50 km per day.
(5) When staying far away from the enemy, the guerrilla unit should find a good place and begin training for local people in order to make that place become a steady troop station (stop site). At the same time, the guerrillas must reorganize their unit for the next operations.
All the measures mentioned above are applied in case the enemy is so strong that it is impossible to fight against him, thus forcing a withdrawal. If the ene-my is weak, the guerrilla units can find a good place, hide, and ambush the enemy when he goes across the area, then withdraw. However, the guerrillas should be careful and never take risks.
The guerrillas should pay attention to the problem of withdrawing in a force that has some support people such as medical staff, engineers, etc., who support the guerrilla units; defending these people and helping them with-draw safely should always be a high priority. However, in peacetime, these people should be trained on how to respond to such a difficult situation as withdrawal. In particular, they must learn to maintain order, to keep calm, and to follow the predetermined plan.
Chapter 9: Sabotage
Sabotage is a vital part of guerrilla warfare. Sabotage may prevent the enemy’s machine (mechanized) and cavalry forces from conducting offensive operations, and it may delay his infantry forces.
Sabotage operations need the support and assistance of the local people. At the same time, only when the local people create a situation of “no-man’s-land” can the destruction be most effective. Wherever the enemy moves, all roads and bridges should be destroyed. The enemy will fall into a miserable situation of hunger and thirst (no food, no water).
A. The essential principles of sabotage:
(1) Before carrying out sabotage activities, the plan should be examined to determine how much damage or loss it will cause the enemy and what damage will affect our operations (against the enemy).
(2) Before conducting sabotage operations, it is essential to understand the local enemy situation. The roads and bridges that are to be the target of the sabotage operation should be examined and studied carefully in terms of their locations, their shapes, and their natures.
(3) During the sabotage process, a support group should be organized. This support group has the responsibility to protect the people who perform the actual sabotage mission. This support group must be located at the places where the enemy may come and go. If the enemy is weak, this group can resolve the situation itself. Or, if that is impossible, it can avoid the enemy who are not near the target location. This group must protect and help the people who do the sabotage mission to withdraw safely.
(4) Some factors of time, opportunity, and place should be considered:
a. Time: Sabotage operations should be conducted at night because it is easiest to keep the movements of the sabotage group secret.
b. Opportunity: When planning a sabotage operation, pay attention to the time when the action is to be carried out to ensure it occurs when it will create the most damage to the enemy while it provides the greatest benefits for us.
For example: We know the time and date enemy vehicles use a certain road. We organize an operation to destroy this road and its bridges before the next time and date the enemy will use it; therefore, we cause the damage to the enemy. On the other hand, if we know which road that the enemy will take to attack us, we destroy that road and hide near-by; when the enemy comes to the destroyed section of road, they will encounter trouble and difficulties. At that time, we suddenly ambush the enemy force.
c. Place: The place we choose for a sabotage operation should fulfill two requirements. First, the enemy does not patrol it vigorously; there-fore it can be easily destroyed. Second, the place must be important and very difficult of access. This will ensure that the damage will not be easy to correct or repair.
B. The sabotage methods:
1. For destroying iron wires (communications wire for telephone or telegraph systems).
The iron wires across a river, mountain, or T-junction crossroads should be selected for destruction because damage at these places is difficult to repair. When the sabotage action attracts the enemy and he comes and repairs it, we can launch a surprise attack (on the repair party). When we are conducting this operation it is important to choose a good place to hide.
After the destruction process has been completed, all the remains, such as telegraph poles and iron wire nets, must be removed in order to prevent the enemy from reusing these materials. The iron wires that we can take for salvage we should take; the ones that cannot be salvaged should be destroyed.
If we do not want the enemy to find out that we have sabotaged his wire in a certain place, we can connect the fuse-wire with the iron wire, then put the fuse-wire down to the land. If there is an iron pole, we can use the fuse-wire to connect the iron wire with the iron pole, thus creating an electric current that goes through the iron pole down to the land. If the iron wire has a rubber or plastic coating, we can cut it open and take a piece of the iron wire out, then cover the rubber or plastic to make it appear to be a piece of undamaged wire. By doing so, the enemy will find it difficult to determine the exact location of the break. Caution must be taken to avoid being electrocuted while engaged in the act of destroying the iron wire. Leather gloves should be worn and the work should be stopped immediately if there is a storm and thunder.
2. For destroying the bridges.
There are all kinds of bridges such as wooden bridges, bamboo bridges, or float bridges (multi-boat linkage), and there are many ways of sabotage. These include burning, disassembling the wood or bamboo into separate pieces, and disconnecting the boats. If the bridge is built of rock, destruction can be executed by digging or demolishing it with dynamite or other explosives. Similarly, if a bridge is made of iron, an engineer is needed to destroy it with explosives.
3. For destroying the railway.
The place chosen for destruction must be difficult to repair. The method of destruction is to pull out the screws or bolts (that hold the rails to the railroad ties). This will make the railway unusable. There are other ways that can be used to destroy a railroad if the sabotage party has an engineer and enough tools to do so.
4. For destroying roads.
There are several ways to destroy roads: First, select a place where it is easy to hide and organize a surprise attack or ambush to conduct the sabotage of the road. Second, if there is no need for hiding, a place that is difficult to repair should be chosen. A bend in the road, a place where the road goes uphill, a downhill grade on the road, or a place where the road crosses a river should be considered. Third, to deceive and harm the enemy, after the sabotage party has finished destroying the road section, boards can be used to pave the road. After the road has been “paved” soil can be spread over the boards to hide the damage from the enemy. When enemy vehicles reach this section of the road, they will be damaged immediately. Fourth, if the road goes between two mountains, it is possible to fill the roadway up with rocks. Fifth, if the road is located at low terrain, it may be possible to flood the road with water from a nearby dam.
5. For destroying a bastion, citadel, rampart, or other type of fortification.
Fortifications are the good places for the enemy to occupy to protect or fight against us, because they have high-quality guns. When we take over fortifications such as bastions or citadels, sabotage should be carried out imme-diately because we cannot use these places to fight against the enemy who has high-quality guns.
For example: In North China, guerrilla units under the Eighth Military Division330 usually organized the local people to destroy roads, railways, bridg-es, and all iron wires [communications wire] of the Japanese troops. In only one night, dozens of kilometers of road and railways have been destroyed; the Japanese had to spend large sums of money and assign many troops to repair the damage and overcome the problems. However, these facilities have been destroyed again and again.
Chapter 10: Information and Communications
In guerrilla warfare, information and communications should be arranged and organized quickly, firmly, and carefully. Without connecting information and communications with other units, the guerrilla unit would be isolated and thus not capable of doing anything.
Most of the information and communications of the guerrilla unit rely on local people. Guerrilla leaders should choose the people who are responsible for information and communications. They should choose people with nim-ble, reliable, and clever characters and qualities. These people should be able to walk through the shortcut, ride a horse, drive a personal vehicle, or travel by boat to deliver information. In some urgent cases, the information delivery should be carried out by many people, and they should use many different ways in order to ensure the information goes through because if one courier gets in trouble, the others can complete the task. Similarly, location and time of rendezvous should also be varied. The signal for a rendezvous should be predetermined. Here are some examples: Sound of a bird (if the rendezvous place is located near a mountain); the sound of a dog barking (if the rendezvous place is near a village). On the way to an operation, if marking a sign is needed, it is possible to mark the trunk of a tree if the unit is operating in the mountains. It is possible to mark a special sign on a wall if the operation is in a village. Communications with each other can be implemented by different signals at different points of time; for instance, at night it can be by lighting a fire, and during the day it can be by letting smoke out. When the guerrilla unit has grown, information and communication can be transmitted by the iron wire [telephone or telegraph] or wireless [radio].
Chapter 11: Operations
While operating, the guerrillas should ensure they understand the follow-ing factors: Light “luggage”: everything taken along with the guerrillas is very light; therefore, only necessary things can be taken; Quickness or Rapidity: guerrilla units must ensure that they move as quickly as possible.; Secrecy: operations must be kept secret from the enemy and the country people.
While operating, it is necessary to send a disguised scout ahead. This person must pay attention to:
(1) Reconnoitering the defenses and dispositions of the enemy in the area of operations.
(2) Examining and detaining suspected people who have been met on the route of the operation.
(3) Informing the guerrilla unit of the best way to avoid or secretly settle [neutralize] enemy sentries.
(4) Reporting immediately to the chief of the guerrilla unit information to decide whether to fight or not when making contact with enemy troops.
(5) Marking signs on the way to the operation to announce news and information needed for the upcoming operation. The last person must thoroughly erase all the signs.
While operating, if there are enemy troops in front of the guerrilla unit, the chief of the unit must go ahead and the vice chief for political affairs must go last. On the other hand, if there are enemy troops behind the unit, the chief of the unit must go last. If the enemy troops are on the left and right flanks of the unit, the chief of the unit must position himself in the middle of the unit.
Chapter 12: Garrison Operations (Bivouacs)
When establishing garrisons, the guerrilla unit should be careful to choose favorable places for rest and defense. If the site is far away from the enemy and it is located in difficult terrain, it is possible to establish a garrison in a village where the guerrillas will not need to worry about a surprise attack by the enemy. If this is not the case, the guerrilla unit should be very careful while garrisoning these locations.
(1) The guerrillas should not establish a garrison in a village; instead, they should move into the mountains and establish their garrison in the mountainous areas.
(2) It would be better to garrison one place for one night. If there is an urgent need, it is possible to change the garrison location several times in one night. When approaching the site of the garrison, the entry and exit of all people must be strictly controlled.
(3) Guards need to be cautious at all times.
Terrain study. Although garrisons can be established anywhere, the head of the unit has to study the terrain carefully. This includes finding the ways for moving forward or withdrawing, the way to respond if the unit is suddenly attacked by the enemy. At the same time, the head of the unit must decide the location for an assembly area and to have the place guarded.
During rest time. All guerrillas must gather in one place. They should not scatter the force in many places. Weapons and equipment must be close at hand; if needed, guns must be ready to fire.
Chapter 13: Guerrilla Base
While operating and fighting the enemy, the guerrilla unit should have some stopping places as bases. The guerrilla unit stores food, medicine, and ammunition in these places as reserves for its activities. Sometimes the unit goes there for rest and training. These places must be protected by difficult terrain with many obstacles and it should be hard to access these bases. Additionally, the guerrilla unit must be supported or helped by the sympathetic local people.
When the guerrilla unit grows strong and large, the first and initial base of the unit may become a permanent guerrilla base, particularly after the guerrilla unit sweeps the enemy away and establishes a revolutionary government in the area. If the regional (guerrilla) government is not established, the guerrilla base is hard to set up and can never be reinforced.
When there is a revolutionary government in the region and a permanent base, the guerrilla unit can develop its forces and become a regular army. A. regular army is organized with certain standards for staff, discipline, uniform, equipment, and living.
317 Phan Bội Châu and Phan Châu Trinh were both nationalist heroes (see footnote 1, p. 1). Mán trắng refers to the H’Mông, a national minority present in Southwest China. Bắc Sơn is a district of Lạng Sơn Province.
318 Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chap. 3, Paragraph 18: “Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
319 Possibly Pingding district, Henan Province.
320 Meaning in plain or ordinary clothes. 321 Unknown location.
322 A reference to a surprise attack by the Eighth Route Army on the Japanese airport in Yang-mingbu, Daixian County, Shanxi Province. On the night of October 19, 1937, the 3rd Bat-talion of the 769th Regiment of the Eighth Route Army’s 129th Division, supported by the 1st and 2nd Battalions and the local people, secretly crossed the Hutuo River and slipped into the Japanese airport in Yangmingbu. They mounted a sudden attack and, during one hour of fierce fighting, burned down 24 airplanes and killed over 100 Japanese aggressors.
328 The Mán are an ethnic people of Northern Viêt Nam. See footnote 317, p. 442.
329 Unknown Chinese location.
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