Quite correct TR. I was trying to justify Solid's one year statement. Me thinks I'll go back and edit.:o

My statement was way off due to poor date retention. How did Air Mobile warfare change the concepts of Guerrilla Warfare and counter GW? I think I have some idea, but find this subject interesting as it seem that modern wars often involve GW or UW in some way.

Thank you,

Solid

How do you think it changed it?

My understanding, limited because all I've read is Che:
Che seems to envision enemy advances into G territory as a salient extending from non-G territory. The salient (specifically vanguard forces) must directly overcome numerous ambushes and fixed-position defences, along with flanking maneuvers. Air Mobile warfare allows the enemy to drop into G territory, strike, and go, or sustain their presence using helo resupply. This ability could have been obtained through the use of paratroopers, but 'ideal' G territory is rugged enough to prevent parachute insertion. However, helicopters using various methods can insert soldiers into more diverse terrain.

The enemy ability to strike anywhere within G territory denies the Gs a solid base of resupply or operations, which is considered key in Che's version of GW. An air defence system, as in Vietnam, may limit helicopter insertions, but SOG demonstrated that this made insertion more difficult, but not impossible.

Am I on the right track?

Thank you,

Solid

This ability could have been obtained through the use of paratroopers, but 'ideal' G territory is rugged enough to prevent parachute insertion.

SOG did insert a few teams by HALO

Maybe that's why Che met his demise. Chairman Mao saw things differently. The insurgent has to win the hearts and minds of the people. It sounds trite but came from Mao. Insurgents without popular support were, in his words: "As fish out of water." There was no "G territory". That was the major problem in RVN. Where was the "G territory"? Che tried to start insurgencies throughout Latin America but by and large failed.

FTIW: I attended an awards ceremony for two SF members of the 8th SFGA who participated in the demise of Che. They hounded him for ten years just as we will OBL until his demise.

My understanding was that these insertions were not made into heavily jungled areas, instead nearer the Cambodian coast. I understand, however, that there are parachute insertion techniques for jungle insertion through canopies (developed by the SAS in Borneo, I believe). I don't think that these techniques work for large numbers of people, certainly not the number that could be inserted via helo.

Solid

EDITED TO ADD:

QRQ my understanding of Che is that he too fostered the idea of winning hearts and minds, and that his 'g territory' developed out of this. Having not read Mao, I am not sure about how this compares. As far as I know, however, didn't Mao advocate the creation of "G territory" during the 'defensive' period of insurgency?
Does RVN refer specifically to the S. Vietnam area of operations, or include Cambodia, N. Vietnam, and Laos?

Solid: About all I can say about that is WRONG!!! I bvelieve the MMF may have made one drop. or two.

As for rough terrain jumping I taught it in Panama - enough said.

People in the puzzle palace were enamoured with HALO -- not the people who were to do it. They insisted on pushing HALO re-supply onm my team but I prevailed. I have a picture of a practice HALO which turned out to be HANO.

If I've understood correctly, MFF or para-insertion in general is too risky for mass-insertion and resupply, but is pushed by the government?

Would this mean that I'm right in saying that airborne insertions in general don't threaten 'g territory' significantly?

Thank you,

Solid

Eternal blue skies and fair winds for those who died in that jump.

I think I'll cut this threan now.

It wasn't too dangerous. IMO it wasn't tactically feasible. A recon team needs to be close together not scattered. When the Mike Force jumped they were daisy chained together.

By puzzle palace I mean various S-3/G-3 offices above the team level. To them HALO was a toy. To us it was a tool and there were better tools available. My team was airborne qualified and prepared for a deep insertion. However we rode in. We finally got our resupplies via low level drop at night. We didn't use chutes, water bladders did the trick.

QRQ- Thank you for the clarification.