Guerrilla warfare especially in Vietnam and Afghanistan

Guerrilla warfare especially in Vietnam and Afghanistan. 

• Guerilla warfare is used when small military units want to avoid open battle with a larger, better-armed opponent - involving tactics such as raids and ambushes.

1. The Vietcong, the main fighting force against the USA in the Vietnam War (Nov. 1st 1955-Apr. 30th 1975), were very experienced in guerilla warfare. They were supported by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) - but they weren't a trained army. They weren't as well armed as US troops, but they turned out to be tough enemy to fight.
2. Guerilla warfare is what the Vietcong hoped would exhaust the US troops, lower their confidence, encourage desertion and encourage South Vietnamese soldiers to defect. The Vietcong wanted the Americans to leave so that they could unify Vietnam as an independent country.

-The Vietcong used a number of guerilla tactics that made fighting them very difficult:

1. They launched surprise attacks on the US and worked in small groups. They knew the land very well, so they could choose when and where to attack.
2. They placed hidden traps in the jungle to kill/injure US soldiers. For example, explosives triggered by tripwires and covered pits filled with bamboo spikes.
3. They hid in underground tunnels. These tunnel systems were very complex, and some even had army barracks and hospitals.
4. They blended in easily with Vietnamese villagers. This made it difficult for the US troops to identify Vietcong soldiers.
5. The Vietcong often returned to areas where the US had driven them out. American troops seemed to be making little progress.
6. Americans troops became paranoid that they would be killed by booby traps, or that a surprise ambush was incoming - they had no experience with guerilla warfare.

-Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89):

1. Afghans began to use very similar tactics that Vietcong used in the Vietnam War.
2. Russian troops were prepared for large attacks against a similar opponent, instead they got small and sporadic guerilla attacks.
3. Guerilla fighters were able to slip in and out of neigbouring Iran, where they were re-supplid by fellow muslims who sympathized with their stuggle.