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Raids and ambushes:
Special forces units operate deep in the
heart of enemy-occupied territory, undertaking both active and passive missions.
A typical passive operation involves moving into position in the utmost secrecy,
setting up a concealed and secure observation post, and then passing information about
enemy troop strengths and movements back to HQ.
It may be months before the observers can be extracted or even re-supplied, so their training has to make them self-sufficient, allowing them to operate in the most hostile environments where one false move, day or night, could give the whole thing away.
Active operations such as raids and ambushes call for a different sort of courage. Daring instead of patience, decisiveness instead of caution. This second section of Special Forces Operational Techniques looks at the way active clandestine operations are planned and executed.
A Special Forces raid is a surprise attack on enemy
force or installation.
It brakes down into four parts:
1. Clandestine insertion.
2. Brief, violent combat.
3. Rapid disengagement.
4. Swift, deceptive withdrawal.
Raids may be mounted to destroy enemy equipment and installations such as command posts, comunication centres, and supply dumps; to capture enemy supplies and personnel; or simply to kill and wound as many of the enemy as possible. They may be used to rescue friendly forces or partisans, too, and can also serve to distract attention away from the other operations.
Organizing the raid:
The purpose of the mission, the type of target and the enemy situation will all
have a bearing of the size of the raiding party. But whatever its size it will always have
two basic elements - an assault group and a security group.
The assault group conducts the operation itself. They are the troops who go in and demolish installations, rescue the prisoners, steal the plans and code books or whatever the objective may be. As well as out-and-out fighting men, the group may include demolitions experts, electronic technicians, and whatever specialists may be needed - pilot, for example, if the object of the operation were to steal a specific enemy aircraft.
The security group is there to protect them, to secure the area and stop enemy reinforcements from becoming involved in the action, to stop any would-be escapers and to cover the withdrawal of the assault group.
Special Forces units have a well deserved reputation for aggressiveness. Not one man amongst them will want to be idling away his time, and so they are always on the look-out for potential targets. Before operational planning can begin, each one is assessed for importance, accessibility and recoverability, taking into account distance and terrain and the strength of the raiding party required.
Local repercussions:
Another important factor is the likely effect on friendly natives and others as a
result of the raid. There are countless examples of tens of local people being executed
for every one occupyong soldier killed. Planning for this possibility always forms part of
the back-up organisation to the raid, and psychological operations experts (psyops) will
also be ready to exploit any success to the full.
Keep it simple:
Although it should be accurate down to the last detail, the plan must be essentially
simple. If successdepends on a large number of factors coming together at the right time,
any one of them going wrong will probably blow the entire operation.
Time - of day and year - is a crucial factor in the plan. When the operation is straightforward and the physical layout of the target is well known, it's probably better to operate during the hours of darkness. Where intelligence is less complete, go for dawn or dusk.
Withdrawal:
Dusk is the best time for withdrawal; it gives you the advantage of the last minutes of
daylight to exit the immediate area of the operation, and darkness to slow the enemy down
during any follow-up. But in any event, choose the time very carefully to give yourself
the greatest possible advantage.
It may seem obvious, but it's impossible to over-stress the value
of accurate intelligence. There are three main sources:
1. Local agents.
2. Reconnaissance.
3. Satelite and high-level flights.
Local knowledge is of the utmost importance. Whenever possible, friendly locals should be recruited to act as guides, and may even be empoyed in the raiding party itself if security considerations permit.
In the movement towards the objective, take every precaution so as not to alert hostile troops to your presence. Aviod contact, but make sure that the enemy suffers one hundred percent casualties if the worst does happen.
Test your weapons:
Where conditions allow, conduct a weapons and equipment test before the assault
phase, replacing any pieces of kit that may be faulty. Personal belongings should be
'sanitized' at the same time, even down to removing clothing labels if necessary.
Well defended objectives sometimes demand large raiding parties, perhaps in battalion strength or greater. Surprise is just as important as in a smaller raid, but will be much more difficult to achieve. A large raiding party will usually split into small groups and move towards the objective over a number of different routes. That way, even if some components are defected, the enemy may still be in the dark as to the real target.
Control and co-ordination of a large raiding party is more difficult, too, especially with redard to timing. Only a high degree of training and excellent standardsof equipment operation can make it easier.
Withdrawal after a large raid can be conducted with the party split up into small groups. This denies the enemy a large target for an air- or ground strike, but an alert and aggressive enemy may be able to mop up the force one unit at the time.
In some circumstances it is safer for the entire party to stay together an operate as a fighting column, but it will all depend on the situation of enemy forces, the terrain and the distances to be covered. An overt withdrawal, with no attempt at security, will require a great deal of external support. There's very little chance that the extraction force, if there is one, will escape enemy attention.
Ambush:
An ambush is a raid on a moving target. The only real difference is that the
timetable of the operation becomes much sketchier and unreliable. Even excellent
intelligence sources can't really predict the enemy's operational delays, and so the
raiding party will often be in position for some time before the target comes along,
considerably increasing the chances of detection.
Ambushes are conducted to destroy or capture enemy personnel and supplies or block their movement. A systematic approach can channel the enemy's communications and re-supply operations, and force him to concentrate his movements on to main roads and railway lines, where they are more vulnerable to attack, especially from air strikes.
Railways themselves are always relatively open targets. Just removing the rails will bring the system to a halt. The attacking force tryes to derail as many wagons and carriages as possible, and leave the wreckage blocking the track. This maximises the damage to stock, passengers and material, and slows down the work of repairing and reopening the permanent way.
Destroying the track:
If the attack party is large enough they assault the train with automatic weapons
and grenades. Part of the raiding party's security element will remove sections of track
in both directions, some way away from the scene of the ambush. Explosive charges should
be used to destroy the level rail-bed itself. This will prevent any possibility of
reinforcements arriving unexpectedly.
Traffic on inland waterways - barges and smaller craft - can be disrupted in much the same way as railway trains, and the same technique is used against columns of vehicles on roads.
5 points for a successful ambush:
A night raid:
This is a typical night raid: blowing up the enemy's railway lines. Raids, especially if conducted at night, require metriculous planning and thorough rehersal. Every member of the team should know exactly what he has to do, where and when, and the 'O' Group (Order Group, or briefing) should cover all eventualities. Reherse everything, in the kit you will use on the job, preferably over similar terrain in a safe area. When planning the attack use all the available intelligence (INF), maps, air photographs, previous patrol reports and any locally-obtained INF. Practice in daylight, using the 'walk through talk through' technique; then do the whole thing again in silence.
Random frequency hazard:
If you decide to electrically detonate the charges, be aware of RF hazard: your
charges could be prematurely detonated by a radio transmission near your demolition
circuit. You could avoid the problem altogether by using safety fuses, but this is not
always tactically apropriate, so minimise the risk of keeping the radio well away from the
demolition circuit.
Cover group:
While the demolition team is about its task, cover groups should provide flank,
forward and rear protection.
Command detonation:
The site from which you detonate the charge should be in good cover, overlooking
the target and far enough away to be safe from the effects of the blast.
FRV (Final Rendez Vous) Group:
Pick an easily recognisable and defendable spot a efw hundred metres away on the
inward route to use as an FRV. You will withdraw here to regroupbefore you move off after
the raid. Leave it secure with an FRV party, who will alsoprovide rear protection. You may
be able to leave Bergensin the FRV containing heavy kit you don't need for the raid.
Fire group:
Make sure that the fire support group is in effective range for all its weapons.
It may be necessary to clear vegetation from fields of fire, but don't remove too much or
it may be noticed. Communication between groups must be reliable, and if possible
duplicated, i.e. radio and field thelephone and perhaps a communication cord.
Radio:
Don't use the radio until the attack is underway.
Camouflage:
When laying the wire to the charges, take an indirect path following natural
features or fence lines; a path of disturbed grass from the railway track to your position
across an open field will be easily spotted from the air, and the chlorofyll from the
crushed grass shows an infra-red line scan (IRLS). If there is a continous wire fence to
the target you may be able to connect up to that.
Hot contact withdrawal:
If you are attacked, you may have to withdraw to the FRV under fire. You should get away
fast using fire and manouvre tactics. Discourage the enemy from following you by liberal
use of white phosphorus, shortfused claymores, other mines and booby-traps. Make sure
everyone knows the safe route out!
Launching a raid:
1. Whatever the mission and
whatever the size of the raiding party, the principles of a guerrilla-style raid are the
same. The actual assault team must be protected
by security elements who will prevent enemy interference
with the operation.
2. As the explosive specialist lays charges underneath the
railway, on-the-spot security is provided by a small
team of Special Forces soldiers. This team will
take out any sentries on the objective, breach or demolish
obstacles, and provide close protection for the
main mission.
3. After the target has been destroyed the security group provide
cover on the flancs for the assault team to
retreat. If the enemy follow the raiders, one
security group should try to draw them away from the main
assault force.
