RE: Vietnam and modern combat

At 12:21 PM -0700 4/26/04, John Atkinson wrote:
>--- Ryan Gill <rmgill@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>>  I agree with this in part, but I have to point to
>>  the WWII German
>>  ability  for units that were previously broken and
>>  fragmented, to be
>>  reformed from what ever was at hand and almost
>
>Generally, as I understand it, that was at a higher
>level--brigade and division-sized, right?  The
>companies and platoons were rarely ad hoc.  That's

Its my understanding that even platoons and companies of different 
arms could be pushed together to make some kind of force for 
counterattack on very short notice. I might be wrong however.

>where the team cohesion is most important.  However,
>what's important in that level is standardized
>doctrine and officer training, so that when a colonel
>from the 4th Neblingen Nebelwerfer Brigade issues
>orders to the 2345th Provisional Panzer Platoon he
>doesn't have to explain precisely what he means in
>minute detail, just give an intent and a sketchy FRAGO
>and off they go through the Red Hordes a'slaying.

In one case or as it was, even more confounding for US and British 
troops after an Artillery Stonk blew the majority of a combined arms 
force to bits. They reform and counter attack with a spoiling effect 
when they had been forming up for an actual attack.

>
>There is a world of difference between a village full
>of restless unemployed and unemployable Ba'athist
>thugs tied to Saddamn by personal loyalty and blood,
>and a bunch of Shi'a who, OK maybe aren't 100% happy
>about things since the war, but overall are thrilled
>to not have the al-Tikriti clan in charge of the

Granted, however the tactics in the early phases as I've seen them 
and what they're using now, tends to leave them dead 75% or better of 
the times.

>country.  The US deliberately puts troops from our
>client sta--"loyal allies" in lower-threat areas.
>Lessons from Basra are not necessarily applicable in
>Samarra or Fallujah.

OH, most granted. Basra is a different place than Fallujah. However, 
I suspect we had to have made some sort of conciliatory gesture. 
Though, given how much spin Al Jazeera is putting on it, I have to 
wonder why we haven't put them out of business.

If lord Haw Haw had been transmitting from the Republic of Ireland, 
I'd suspect a flight of mosquitos would have been detailed to put the 
transmitters down and out.
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