Conventional Operations & Tactics

Asymmetric Warfare< Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare >

vs.

Asymmetric Warfare< Guerrilla/Unconventional Warfare >

Case Study: Case Study:

North Vietnamese/Viet Minh Strategy & TacticsNorth Vietnamese/Viet Minh Strategy & Tactics

General Vo Nguyen GiapGeneral Vo Nguyen Giap

General Vo Nguyen GiapGeneral Vo Nguyen GiapChief of the Viet Minh forces fighting French Chief of the Viet Minh forces fighting French

colonial rule and later the Americans – colonial rule and later the Americans – Architect of Vietnamese strategy and tacticsArchitect of Vietnamese strategy and tactics

Giap’s Three Stages of Struggle

1) Building the Base1) Building the Base

2) Guerrilla Warfare2) Guerrilla Warfare

3) Mobile Warfare3) Mobile Warfare

Stage 1:Building the Base

Situate headquarters in mountainous, difficult Situate headquarters in mountainous, difficult terrain for meetings, supplies and refugeterrain for meetings, supplies and refuge

Viet Minh win hearts and minds of peasantryViet Minh win hearts and minds of peasantry Beat/Assassinate landlords/tax collectorsBeat/Assassinate landlords/tax collectors Redistribute land holdingsRedistribute land holdings Education/literacy campaignsEducation/literacy campaigns Help with farmingHelp with farming

Viet Minh gainViet Minh gain TaxesTaxes SuppliesSupplies IntelligenceIntelligence PortersPorters

Stage 2:Guerrilla Warfare

Pin-prick attacks meant to frustrate the enemy and incite overblown reprisals

Guerrilla “Pin-Prick” tactics Sabotage (road cutting, damage to vehicles, poison) Traps (homemade bombs, trip wires, pungi sticks, pit

traps) Terrorism (attacks on civilian targets, R&R sites) Camouflage (local vegetation, holes, tunnels)

Reprisals confirm VM propaganda and drive civilians to VM for support and guidance, increasing their popularity and strength

The biggest tunnel systems were in the Iron Triangle and the Cu Chi District, only 20 miles from Saigon. This map gives an idea of the extent of the tunnel system at Cu Chi--the orange lines represent major tunnels. The base area at Cu Chi was a vast network, with nearly 200 miles of tunnels

Note the row of rocks on top of bridge beam at the foot of the bridge….typical of the warning signs used by the

VC/NVA to warn of their mining activities.

Stage 3:Mobile Warfare

By 1949, China is equipping the Viet Minh with By 1949, China is equipping the Viet Minh with automatic weapons, mortars, howitzers, trucksautomatic weapons, mortars, howitzers, trucks

Allows for more conventional, regular forcesAllows for more conventional, regular forces Guerilla infrastructure allows for Guerilla infrastructure allows for Viet Minh to move Viet Minh to move more quickly and more quickly and more stealthily to more stealthily to carry out open warfare carry out open warfare

Stage 3 cont. Mobile Warfare

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Conventional Operations & Tactics

Offensive Forms of Maneuver

•Envelopment

•Turning Movement

•Infiltration

•Penetration

•Frontal Attack

ENVELOPME

NT

TURNING MOVEMENT

INFILTRATION

PENETRATION

FRONTAL ATTACK

The Operations Process

Full Spectrum Operations

The Operations Process