Jungle warfare
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Jungle warfare or woodland warfare is
The jungle has a variety of effects on military operations. Dense vegetation can limit lines of sight and arcs of fire, but can also provide ample opportunity for camouflage and plenty of material with which to build fortifications. Jungle terrain, often without good roads, can be inaccessible to vehicles and so makes
Jungle warfare has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Nicaraguan Revolution.
History
Pre-modern
Throughout world history, forests have played significant roles in many of the most historic battles. For example, in the
In the
Nicaragua guerillas
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World War II
Conventional jungle warfare
At the start of
In early 1942, the fighting in
The
After the first Chindits expedition, thanks to the training the regular forces were receiving and the example of the Chindits and new divisional tactics, the regular units of the
The lessons learnt in Burma on how to fight in the jungle and how to use air transport to move troops around would lay the foundations of how to conduct large-scale jungle campaigns in future wars.
Unconventional jungle warfare
Immediately after the fall of Malaya and Singapore in 1942, a few British officers, such as Freddie Spencer Chapman, eluded capture and escaped into the central Malaysian jungle, where they helped to organize and train bands of lightly-armed local ethnic Chinese communists into a capable guerrilla force against the Japanese occupiers. What began as desperate initiatives by several determined British officers probably inspired the subsequent formation of the above-mentioned early jungle-warfare forces.
The British and the Australians contributed to the development of jungle warfare as the unconventional, low-intensity, guerrilla-style type of warfare understood today. V Force and Force 136 were composed of small bodies of soldiers and irregulars, equipped with no more than small arms and explosives but were rigorously trained in guerrilla warfare-style tactics, particularly in close-quarters combat, and fought behind enemy lines. They were joined in Burma by American led Kachin guerrillas were armed and coordinated by the American liaison organisation, OSS Detachment 101, which led, armed, and co-ordinated them.
Another small force operating in the Far East was the Australian-led
Cold War
British experience during Malayan Emergency
After the war, early skills in jungle warfare were further honed in the Malayan Emergency, when in 1948 guerrilla fighters of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) turned against the Commonwealth. In addition to jungle discipline, field craft, and survival skills, special tactics such as combat tracking (first using native trackers), close-quarter fighting (tactics were developed by troopers who were protected only with fencing masks and stalked and shot each other in the jungle training ground with air rifles), small team operations (which led to the typical four-man special operations teams) and tree jumping (parachuting into the jungle and through the rain forest canopy) were developed from Borneo's native Iban people to actively take the war to the Communist guerrillas, instead of reacting to incidents that were initiated by them.
Of greater importance was the integration of the tactical jungle warfare with the strategic "
Cuban Revolution
Brazilian military government guerrilla
Portuguese Colonial War
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Portugal was engaged in jungle warfare operations in Africa against the independentist guerrillas of
Vietnam War
The British experience in counterinsurgency was passed onto the Americans during their involvement in the Vietnam War,[7] where the battlegrounds were again the jungle. Much British strategic thinking on counterinsurgency tactics in a jungle environment was passed on through BRIAM (British Advisory Mission) to South Vietnam headed by Sir Robert Thompson, a former Chindit and the Permanent Secretary of Defense for Malaya during the Emergency.[8]
The Americans further refined jungle warfare by the creation of such dedicated counterinsurgency special operations troops as the Special Forces (Green Berets), Rangers, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP), and Combat Tracker Teams (CTT).
During the decade of active U.S. combat involvement in the Vietnam War (1962–1972), jungle warfare became closely associated with counter insurgency and special operations troops.
However, although the American forces managed to have mastered jungle warfare at a tactical level in Vietnam, they were unable to install a successful strategic program in winning a jungle-based guerrilla war.[9][10][11] Hence, the American military lost the political war in Vietnam for failing to destroy the logistics bases of the Viet Cong and the Vietnamese People's Army along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
With the end of the Vietnam War, jungle warfare fell into disfavor among the major armies in the world, namely, those of the U.S.-led NATO and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, which focused their attention to conventional warfare with a nuclear flavor that was to be fought on the jungleless European battlefields.
American special operations troops that were created for the purpose of fighting in the jungle environment, such as LRRP and CTT, were disbanded, and other jungle-warfare-proficient troops, such as the Special Forces and Rangers, went through a temporary period of decline until they found their role in counterterrorism operations in the 1980s.
Central American Crisis
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Post-Cold War
The
Jungle warfare was reduced in scope and priority in the regular training curriculum of most conventional Western armies.[12] The nature of major military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia saw the need to put an emphasis upon desert warfare and urban warfare training in both the conventional and the unconventional warfare models.
Conflicts in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
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Chittagong Hill Tracts
Jungle units
The following military and police forces have specialized units that are trained and equipped to conduct jungle warfare:
- Argentina: the Argentine Army has four companies of Cazadores de Monte (Jungle Hunters).
- Parachute Infantry and Marine Corps are trained in jungle warfare too. The SOF of some State Military Police Forces, like the Military Police of São Paulo's Comandos e Operações Especiais, the Military Police of Minas Gerais's Batalhão de Operações Especiais (BOPE)/COMAF, the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro's Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais(which has an agreement with the CIGS) and the Military Police of Maranhão's Companhia de Operações de Sobrevivência em Área Rural (COSAR) has training or are specialized in jungle operations. Jungle artillery is made by the 1st and the 10th Jungle Field Artillery Group.
- Brunei: Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Forces.
- Colombia: Brigada de Fuerzas Especiales, Batallones de Selva.
- Ecuador: the Ecuadorian Army maintains three units composed of jungle troops: the 17th, 19th and 21st Jungle Infantry Brigades (Brigadas de Infantería de Selva). In addition, it has an independent jungle battalion with personnel recruited from the native population of the jungle: the 23rd Special Operations Training Battalion (Batallón Escuela de Operaciones Especiales 23, or BEOES 23). It has also a training school for jungle operations, the Escuela de Selva "Cap. Giovanny Calles".
- France:
- French Army
- the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment based in Kourou, French Guiana and 9th Marine Infantry Regiment in Cayenne along with Gendarmerie and other detachments.
- French Army
- Indonesia:
- Indonesian Army
- Counter-terrorismand other special operation tasks.
- Kostrad is the Indonesian Army's strategic command corps which has several Airborne infantry brigades that are Raider-qualified.
- Combat Reconnaissance Platoon (Tontaipur) are Kostrad's special unit which expertise in Reconnaissance operations, it is trained in jungle warfare in accordance with the terrain of the tropical country.[13]
- Guerrilla and Close combat operations).[14]Jungle warfare are its basic capabilities.
- Indonesian Navy
- Indonesian Marine Corps' infantry brigades are trained in jungle warfare
- Taifib is the Indonesian Marine Corps' elite-Amphibious reconnaissance unit which specializes both jungle and marine combat warfare
- Kopaska is the main frogman and Underwater demolition unitof the Indonesian Navy which also has abilities in conducting Jungle warfare, although it is not regarded as one if its primary tasks, recruits who join the unit are required to pass Jungle warfare training
- Indonesian Air Force
- air force infantry and special forces of the Indonesian Air Force which also have abilities in jungle warfare. Although it specializes in air-oriented operations and Airfield defense, it also conducts infantry operations for the Indonesian Air Force.
- Indonesian National Police
- Operation Tinombala.
- Indonesian Army
- India:
- COBRA (acronym for Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a specialized unit of the Central Reserve Police Force created to counter the Naxalite problem in India. This specialized CRPF unit is one of the few units of the Central Armed Police Forces in the country who are specifically trained in guerrilla warfare. This elite fighting unit has been trained to track, hunt and eliminate small Naxalite groups. There are currently 10 COBRA units.
- The Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School which is used to train domestic and foreign units in methods for countering irregular warfare. 21st Battalion of Parachute Regiment (India)were originally trained for use in jungle warfare.
- Indian Para SF is very good at jungle warfare and "21 para SF" is specially trained for jungle warfare and CI/CT duties. Para SF also conducted surgical strike into Myanmar in 2015. Indian Para SF has given us many jungle warriors : Col. Santosh Mahadik, Major Mohit Sharma, etc.
- The MARCOS, the special operations unit of Indian Navy is well trained in jungle warfare.
- Malaysia: has the following specialized units:
- Malaysian Armed Forces:
- Gerup Gerak Khas
- Royal Ranger Regiment
- Royal Malay Regiment
- Border Regiment
- Royal Malaysia Police forces:
- 69 Commandos of the Pasukan Gerakan Khas
- General Operations Force; including Senoi Praaq
- Malaysian Armed Forces:
- Mexico: Mexican Special Forces, Brigada de Fusileros Paracaidistas.
- 11 Luchtmobiele Brigade, Unit Interventie Mariniers and the Netherlands Marine Corpsare jungle trained
- Myanmar
- Myanmar Armed Forces:
- Philippines
- Philippine National Police
- Special Action Force
- Regional Public Safety Battalion
- Provincial Public Safety Company
- Philippine Army
- Philippine Navy
- Philippine Marine Corps
- Philippine National Police
- Thailand
- Royal Thai Armed Forces
- 21st Infantry Regiment
- 31st Infantry Regiment
- Royal Thai Army Special Forces
- Royal Thai Navy SEALs
- RTMC Reconnaissance Battalion
- Royal Thai Air Force Commando
- Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol Company
- Thahan Phran
- Royal Thai Police
- Border Patrol Police
- Naresuan 261
- Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU)
- SINGA Special Operations Unit (SINGA SOU)
- Border Patrol Police
- Royal Thai Armed Forces
- United Kingdom: the British Army has a Gurkha Battalion stationed in Brunei, where it can maintain jungle skills. Army infantry and Royal Marine units routinely attend courses and training, as do the Special Air Service.
- Germany: the amphibian assault platoons of the Kommando Spezialkräfte are trained in jungle warfare
- United States: The U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division is the primary jungle warfare unit in its size. The 25th Infantry Division also conducts military operations primarily in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jungle warfare training
India
The Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) located in Vairengte, Mizoram, India, is the primary jungle warfare training center for Indian forces.
Brazil
The Jungle Warfare Training Center (CIGS) in Brazil is the primary jungle warfare training center for Brazilian forces. They seek to copy the capacities of units of homologous commands.[15]
United States
The Jungle Operations Training Center (JOTC) located at Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii is the primary jungle warfare training center for American forces. Opened in its present rendition in 2013, JOTC is operated by the 25th Infantry Division and primarily trains personnel of the 25th Infantry Division, special forces, and foreign partners. Hawaii was chosen as the location for JOTC due to its climate, geography, capacity, and operational history in jungle training within the Pacific.[citation needed]
Jungle warfare training is not new to this organization in Hawaii or the United States. During World War II the JOTC, also known as the Pacific Combat Training Center, was established in Hawaii to teach soldiers survival and fighting skills in tropical environments. Over 300,000 U.S. military personnel were trained in jungle fighting prior to deploying throughout the Pacific. Between 1956 and 1965, this same installation in Hawaii was home to the Jungle and Guerilla Warfare Training Center followed by the Recondo School from 1971 to 1979. The U.S. Asia-Pacific Rebalance Strategy necessitated jungle warfare training for the U.S. military be increased in priority. JOTC's revival at its original location in Hawaii is in part due to closure of the Fort Sherman, Panama JOTC location in 1999.[citation needed]
Another jungle warfare training center, Camp Gonsalves, is operated by the United States Marine Corps on northern Okinawa Island, Japan.
Notes
- ISBN 978-1844156665
- )
- ISSN 2059-1632.
- ^ "The Amazon's head hunters and body shrinkers". The Week. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Cowley & Parker 2001, p. 511.
- ^ Cann, Jonh P., Counterinsurgency in Africa: The Portuguese Way of War, 1961-1974, Hailer Publishing, 2005.
- ^ "war & Armed Conflict". tamilnation.org.
- ^ Edward Reynolds Wright, Jr, Review of No Exit From Vietnam by Sir Robert Thomson (New York: David McKay Co., Inc., 1970), in The American Political Science Review, Vol. 65, No. 4 (Dec., 1971) pp. 1232-1234.
- ^ Master Sergeant James Donovan, USMC (ret.), "Marine Alternative to Search and Destroy," article, in Historynet.org and Leatherneck.com, 2004.
- ^ Major Frank D. Pelli, USMC, "Insurgency, Counterinsurgency, and the Marines in Vietnam," article, in GlobalSecurity.org, 1999.
- ^ General Sir Mike Jackson, British Army, "The Principles of British Counterinsurgency," audio file, in Hearts and Minds: British Counter Insurgency from Malaya to Iraq, Kingston University FASS Conference, held at RUSI, Whitehall, London, 21 Sep. 2007.
- ^ David Abel, "Closing Prized Jungle Warfare Base," in The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 1999.
- ^ "Inilah Tontaipur, Pasukan Spesial Angkatan Darat Indonesia yang Kemampuannya Luar Biasa". 24 September 2016.
- ^ S, Addy Mas A. (27 April 2017). "Kasad: Pembentukan Seluruh Yonif Non Mekanis Jajaran TNI AD Jadi Yonif Raider". siagaindonesia.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Brazil's Jungle Warfare Training Center Strengthens International Ties". Defesanet.com. June 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
References
- Cowley, Robert; Parker, Geoffrey (2001). The Reader's Companion to Military History (illustrated ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 511. ISBN 0-618-12742-9.
Further reading
- Newsinger, John (2015). British Counterinsurgency 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Baudrier, Michael (2005). Love & Terror in Malaya. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-4120-5171-1.
- Chapman, Spencer (2003) [1949]. The Jungle is Neutral. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press.
- Forty, George (1999). Japanese Army handbook 1939-1945. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing.
- Marchall, Brig. Gen. S. L. A.; Hackworth., Lt. Col. David H (5 February 2005) [1966?]. Vietnamprimer: Lessons Learned." Headquarters, Department of the Army, U.S. Army. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 5 February 2005.
- Taber, Robert (1965). War of the Flea: Classic Study of Guerrilla Warfare. London: Granada Publishing Ltd.
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100127142024/http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/remember.nsf/pages/NT00002F06 Jungle, Japanese and the Australian Army: learning the lessons of New Guinea]
- Combat Tracker Teams: Dodging an Elusive Enemy
- Jungle Survival tips
- U.S. WWII Newsmap featuring Jungle Warfare, hosted by the UNT Libraries Digital Collections
- Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS)India
- A 1989 U.S. Army news archive about the 7th Infantry Division (Light) participating in Jungle Warfare training.
- Praaq Special Forces