RE: Vietnam and modern combat

--- Beth.Fulton@csiro.au wrote:
> > Conventional Forces operating with infiltration
> > tactics:  These are PAVN and NLF Main Force units
> > operating as batallion and larger elements using
> > terrain and ambush tactics to their advantage.  I
> do
> > not believe this is possible any longer, but it
> was
> > the major thrust of the Vietnam War...
> 
> Without any access to classified stuff its also what
> the Aussies APPARENTLY did at least in the early
> stages of their involvement in the latest round of

Yeah, during the first few weeks.  That stuff is
pretty unhealthy without the triple canopy to hide
under.	After all, how many Aussies were killed? 
Compared to how many hundreds of bad guys?

> I had D4 armour, crap weapons, green and yellow
> troops, mostly 2s and 3s. It can be done. He assumed
> I would have done one thing and I had done something
> else. That happens in war... ask the French in

Sounds like you are describing incompetence on the
part of the government commander.

> I had to pass tests to make sure it didn't happen...

Of course, my next question in the AAR would have been
"where was his flank security"?  Should have walked
more or less through your ambushing force.  Not
healthy, but would have woken up the main body.

> bit like the ghost soldier example given in another
> post. As to the tech justification, he didn't use
> his drones, they didn't spot effectively. Not

Geez. . . Sounds like he did EVERYTHING wrong.	I
guess I should add blundering around like a drunken
brontosaur to the list of things that enable effective
guerilla war.

> > I have three words for the senior NCO and the
> > commander of that force:
> > RELIEF FOR CAUSE.
> 
> Does that mean you wouldn't have let it happen?
> Given that the players knew an attack would come
> (its a game after all), but "in reality" it was a
> surprise attack why would the troops not have been
> letting their hair down, we've seen plenty of pics
> of Brits and Iraqi children playing soccer, for
> example.

Sure.  And it's truly irresponsible if no one is
pulling security while they do.  Perhaps not in the
pictures the newsies take, but some people should be
in gear and watching for people taking advantage of
the situation.

John

	
		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢
http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash