MASS TACTICS COURSE {MT}

Part 1 - History and basics of tactics

Throughout history, humans have been at war with each other, be it over land, money, women, or anything that humans deem worth fighting for. No matter the cause or the reason for wars and battles, the basic principles of the tactics used stay the same:

• To out fight the enemy with minimum loss to yourself
• To trick the enemy
• To gain an ‘unfair’ advantage over your enemy
• To employ new technology against the enemy

These principles are what make up tactics, and must be used to help create new ones effective against the enemy.

Tactics have evolved over time, to allow for new technology, weapons, and people. As tactics evolve, they become better, or more specialized in their function. They might even become obsolete with new innovations. However, we can learn from old tactics, no matter how obsolete they are.

In the beginning of large-scale battles and wars, melee weapons and animals were the implements of war. Battles and wars during this time were famous, and inspired the youth to join the army. These wars were rife with tactical maneuvers.

A famous example of tactics used to assist an army in making a decisive difference in the battle was the Battle of Isandlwana, in 1879. Isandlwana was one of the greatest blows struck against the forces of 19th-century imperialism; events there reminded the colonial powers not to underestimate the capabilities of indigenous opposition. Initially cowed by British Fire power, the Zulu warriors then advanced rapidly towards the British lines and overwhelmed it in a savage wave of hand-to-hand fighting. At this time, the colonial powers stood unchallenged, their firepower and strength making their colonies obey them. But, this all changed with Isandlwana.

On the morning of the 20th of January 1879, Lord Chelmsford, the British General in charge of eradicating, left his base camp at Isandlwana, taking half of his forces with him, and leaving the rest to maintain the camp. This proved to be a fatal error. A force of 20,000 Zulu warriors attacked the camp the following morning, attacking a mere 2,400 British troops. There was a difference in tactics between the two forces: The Zulus used a tactics that Shaka Zulu himself had devised for his Impies (Regiments) to use, called the Bull-head attack, while the British opted for a tried and tested method of beating back fast attacks, which doesn’t really have an official name, but is most often referred to as a Stalwart defense (Both of these tactics, and several others are explained later).

On this day, the Zulu army claimed victory, through superior tactics and numbers. The British were not ready to defend against such an attack, and could not vary their tactics to suit the tactics of their enemies.

Part 2 - Sections of tactics:

The sections of tactics are what make up a tactic; they also help a tactician find weaknesses in his enemy’s attacks or defenses, and to counter his enemies tactics. The main sections are:

• Positioning
• Information
• Troops
• Equipment
• Terrain
• Morale

These sections are extremely important, and can make or break any attack or defense. They are explained in more detail below:

Positioning:

This is the way in which your troops are placed. There are basic mistakes that even the lowest Trooper can’t make. For Example: An Artillery Battery is not a good frontline unit. This may seem obvious, but this is crucial. Troop placement can mean the difference between a powerful flank and a broken one. A group of troopers that have experience with anti-tank assaults should be used for that purpose. Positioning has to do with considering your trooper’s attributes carefully and assessing the best possible place to put them.

Information:

This has to be one of, if not the, most important principles of tactics. This can range from simple sightings by sentries, to special Intel surveillance reports. One of the best advantages to have is good information on your enemy’s movements and tactics. Although this information will be difficult to get, because any commander worth his rank will have put up strong anti-espionage defenses. It cannot be stressed more of the importance of information.

Troops:

This is important to any situation: Generally, more troops means you’re more likely to win. But a small, but elite, highly equipped force can overcome hordes of green (novice/inexperienced) soldiers that are poorly equipped. It will be rare that you will have an elite force or a massive one, so you must try to manage your troops in such a way that they are protected from as much of the enemy as possible, with the lowest causalities sustained, while being able to strike at the enemy with enough force to defeat them. For example: Anti-tank units are good against tanks, so placing them to counter an infantry unit would be a waste of resources. Knowing the skills and strengths of your troops (Information pops up again) will give you an advantage over your enemy.

Equipment:

Equipment is what weapons, vehicles and systems you have at your disposal. This is important because certain weapons are more effective against certain targets. Arming your troops with mini torpedo launchers makes them more capable at destroying tanks for example.

Terrain:

This can affect the outcome of any battle, or skirmish. Terrain as you should know, is the land, and all its features: Mountains, forests, lakes, swamps etc. The effect of terrain is not only a physical problem to a fighting force, it is mental problem too. The land can be tough to travel through or be boggy etc, but this affects the morale of the troops (see late entry). Terrain gives distinct advantages, and disadvantages:

Advantages:

• Large pieces of terrain (Mountains, lakes) can be used to disrupt enemy maneuvers, making it harder to sustain an attack.
• Small pieces of terrain (Outcrops of rock, rivers) could be used to slow the enemy’s advance, or to make their attack falter.

Disadvantages:

• These pieces of terrain can be used against you, in the same way that you used it against your enemy.

Morale:

This must be one of the hardest principles to maintain. Morale is how the troops feel about being on the battlefield. This can affect how they fight and how well the fight. Troops with low morale should be given a break from the battlefield (If possible. If not a token of achievement like extra rations), and if these troops are on the field with low morale, they are more likely to break when attacked. Morale and leadership are intertwined because if you were a good leader, leading from the front, praising your troops for the battles they fight, then the morale would be high. But if you are a bad leader, hiding away in a bunker 5 miles behind the reserve lines, getting awards but not awarding your troops, then the morale would be low.

Some examples of morale boosting acts:

• Extra rations
• Extended leave
• Rest for a day
• Entertainment

Remember, a happy soldier is a loyal soldier.

Part 3 - Tactics, tried and tested

Now, to the tactics themselves. Here are several tried and tested tactics out of history. The Section after this will look at basic methods to counter the following tactics (The tactics shown are attacks, the counter-tactics are the defense against those attacks).

Section 1: Ground Infantry attacks

Bull’s head Attack



The bull’s head attack has three sections to it.

• The head: The head is the main body of your troops, mainly infantry, and heavy vehicles. This section will be doing the most fighting.
• Upper horn: The upper horn is the one of the flanking bodies of the attack. This horn will circle around the enemy’s position, using as much terrain and cover as possible so that it sustains minimal losses by the time it reaches the enemy. This will allow this horn to make a flanking attack on the enemy, taking full advantage of the enemy’s preoccupation with the head of the bull attack.
• Lower horn: This horn will do exactly the same attack as the Upper horn, but on the other side of the enemy.

So, once the battle has begun, the Horns will spread out quickly, around the enemy. The main body will attack the positions of the enemy, engaging their attention, and men. This will give the Horns the cover that they would need to make it around the outside of the battle. The Horns, once they have reached roughly two-thirds of the way around the enemy position, will stab in, hitting the flank of the enemy. The tip of the Horn will attack the flank of the enemy, while the body of the Horn will spread out, to fill in the gaps between the tip of the Horn and the Head and around the rear of the enemy. The force of the movement of the Horn should stun the enemy, and push the rest of the Horn into the gaps. In the end, the enemy should be surround completely on all sides, and their only means of escape would be a breakout (See next section). But a breakout at this time would be unlikely, due to the weight of the enemy’s losses.

Wedge Attack

The wedge attack is designed to be hard hitting, able to break enemy formations with the weight of the attack. The units that are involved in a wedge attack must be fast moving and strong. The French army, during the 100-year war used this attack to break the English infantry. The French gathered their cavalry, especially the heavily armored Knights, into a long wedge shape. Then they would charge down towards the English infantry, making them scatter, or break under the force of the attack. But, in the case of the French cavalry, they rarely reached the English infantry. As the cavalry charged, the English bowmen, armed with powerful Longbows and the newly developed steel-tipped arrows, launched volley after volley of arrows into the French ranks, completely decimating them in minutes.

The previous illustration shows what should happen when a wedge attack hits a block of enemy troops. The front section of the enemy block has been broken, and scattered, making the inner troops come to the front line. The attack now, instead of only continuing forward, it is now assault sideways, opening the hole that the original wedge had created. This will allow more room to move, and allow even more troops to be sent in to attack. Once more troops have been sent in, the enemy will break, and/or flee.

Section 2: Ground Defenses

Stalwart Defense

Stalwart defense is known as the most Imperialist tactic to use when defending. Imperialists are countries and people that wish to have, maintain or increase their empire. A classic example of an Imperialist is the Emperor. The major empires of the world during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods were the Empires of Britain and France. These Empires were extremely powerful, and their armies were vast, and included many different races, Australian, Canadian, Indian, and South African troops were all members of the British Army.

The tactics of Stalwart defense has been a part of traditional British defensive doctrine, since the British Army was established. A simple example of this form of defense is during the hundred years war. Britain and France were locked in a bitter feud, fighting over Northern parts of France. Major battles of many thousands of men were fought all over France. Each side had their own strengths. France had her large amounts of heavy cavalry, in the form of Knights. Britain had her row upon row of infantry, and more importantly, archers. British archers had been equipped with the newest bow technology: long bows, huge bows that were nearly as tall as the men that used them, and had huge range capability and a powerful impact, and iron-tipped arrows, which pierced thick, steel armor with deadly effect. These advantages would mean the triumph for one side, and the decimation of the other.

In almost all the large scale battles up until the appearance of Joan d’Arc were fought in the following way:

• French heavy cavalry would form the Wedge Attack (See previous sections) and charge at the British ranks, leaving their infantry to stand and watch.
• The British infantry would line up in long ranks, melee armed infantry in front of the archers. The archers would wait until the French heavy cavalry was in range, then firing in disciplined waves, into the French cavalry, the first volley taking at least a 10th of the French cavalry out. The following volleys would further destroy the charging cavalry, until the attack falters, or collided with the British lines, which would not make a large amount of damage due to the severely decimated French cavalry.
• The French lost battle after battle, always using the same tactics all the time, and being beaten by the same tactics time and time again. Changing tactics will help you succeed on the battlefield, and that is what happened when Joan d’Arc arrived. The French changed tactics and started winning the war.

One must consider the terrain in which these battles took place. Northern France is a very wet, fertile area, with very few mountainous parts. These battles would have taken place on long stretches of uninterrupted farmland, flat and muddy. This middy battlefield would make heavy weapons such as cannons, or catapults useless, because they would not be able to be moved. Plus, the Knights of France were heavy, and the hooves of the horses would sink into the wet soil, drastically decreasing the speed of the knights.

Morale for the French would be low too. They had suffered defeat after defeat to the British, and a neighboring country, Burgundy, had sided with their enemy. The French king was considering surrender until Joan d’Arc came to him.

Stalwart defense was used in the Imperialist defense of Khartoum, the US Civil war, all the way through the First World War, and often during the Second World War, in city battles, like Stalingrad or Moscow. However, it has died off, because the leaders of the world are not as ruthless as in the past, and most of the major empires are now independent states.

Refused Flank

This is bastion form of tactic. Bastion tactics are tactics that are last hope tactics, or are tactics in which the troops have to hold their ground to protect something, or someone. The flank is usually the least defended section of your position, because troops are required in the center to protect major installations, or command staff. The flanks are usually guarded by light infantry, who can travel fast, so that if there is a flanking attack, they can fall back quickly, and often with few losses. However, this is not a strong defense, and would shatter if it were ordered to hold. However, in most cases, the inner troops will be strong enough to repel the attack, or they will be able to retreat away from the attack.

But, a refused flank has different circumstances to the normal flank. A refused flank is a supremely strengthened flank, used to repel enemy attacks. The circumstances in which refused flank is used make this tactic a bastion tactic. A Refused flank is used when there is an obstacle between you and retreat (A mountain, lake or other large impassable landmark). It is a last stand tactics.

The elements of a refused flank are simple. If you find that your army in his predicament, the first actions that must be taken is recon. Recon will allow you to find how close you enemy is, and if there is any chance of escape before the enemy arrive. If both of these variables are against you, your only option is refused flank. The refused flank has three sections to it:

• Outer defenses: These are the front-line defenders, and should be equipped with heavy weapons, in case of enemy vehicles.
• Inner Defense: This is made up of any vehicles and other infantry units that are not on the front line. This will be the reserves for the front line and be fire assistance if required.
• Command and Aerial defenses: This section is vital to this tactics. Command staffers will need to find a way to get out of this tactic, so that they wouldn’t be slaughtered. Also, Aerial defense are needed, because an unmoving target is easy to attack from the air.

But remember, no matter now strong your army is, or how good it’s commanders are, a refused flank is not a good place to be in. Often the only means, by which an army can get out of a situation like that, is by using a break out move.

Breakouts are when you need to escape, and the only way you can do this is to attack the enemy and make a gap through their defenses. This is achieved by the following:

• Recon: Recon must be used to probe the defenses of the enemy, finding any and all weak points that could be exploited in a break out. Good recon is crucial to the effectiveness of the breakout.
• Planning: This needs to be carefully devised so that minimum losses are sustained during the breakout, and so that the break out is effective.
• Powerful thrust and execution: This is where the attack is made at the weakest section of the enemies defenses, and forces it’s way out of the refused flank. This is usually fast, and powerful, but heavy losses are sustained.

Part 4 - In the end

In the end, one must always remember:

• Tactics are never foolproof. They will not always go according to plan.
• Never assume that the enemy will use a certain tactics.
• Always prepare a back up plan.
• Never go to battle without some sort of plan and auxiliary plan ready.
• Always consider the principles of tactics, because they will keep you alive in a battle.
• Explore every alternative to fighting.

Finally, you must always be ready to be daring, cunning, and come up with new ideas. Don’t just use the tactics that you have learnt about. New tactics win battles. Ingenuity is one of the human race’s greatest gifts, and should be used when possible.