Ambushes
In a barroom the TV is flashing like a fire,
and warning of the future like a prophet from the past,
the radio is blaring like a siren in the corner,
and telling you to prepare for an all out attack,
the newspaper reads like a page from the bible
and tells us a tale of impending doom,
but blind, deaf and dumb are we
and all we really care about is who can drink the most
before he goes to the bathroom
--Blindsided, The Systematics
__________
and warning of the future like a prophet from the past,
the radio is blaring like a siren in the corner,
and telling you to prepare for an all out attack,
the newspaper reads like a page from the bible
and tells us a tale of impending doom,
but blind, deaf and dumb are we
and all we really care about is who can drink the most
before he goes to the bathroom
--Blindsided, The Systematics
__________
It must be the cycle of the moon, but for some reason Ranger cannot flush the obtrusive thoughts of ambushes out of mind.
The present kill ratio is +/- 19,000:3,750. This is an unacceptable figure, indicating U.S. forces are getting killed at an unacceptable rate in spite of upgraded vehicle aand body armor, training and combined arms tactics.
So why the casualty rate? It must be due to ambushes. The IED employments are obviously explosive ambushes, and are deadly killers. Ambushes can be near or far infantry-type ambushes, and further, hasty or prepared. All are deadly if properly employed by the adversary. And obviously, they are being properly employed.
Generally the prepared ambush should be the most deadly and difficult to counter. The main body of the ambush force will create a deadly kill zone. They will have near and far security to seal off the kill zone and to delay reaction forces until the main body leaves the zone of action and returns to their objective rally point.
But the point is the kill zone will be beaten by small arms fire and possibly covered by explosives, and definitely RPG fire. So U.S. forces are always fighting against the odds. The fear factor favors the ambushes and possibly this is why the kill ratio is jacked up.
The U.S. is facing planned ambushes on a frequent basis. They can plan and distribute their fire in the most efficient manner, and can command and control their elements for maximum effect. In other words, they are operating right out of the Ranger Handbook.
If Ranger were an urban guerrilla, then far ambushes planned in advance would be the order of the day, with kill zones in depth. There is nothing secret here.
Only the answer to why the U.S. is electing to sustain these expected and brutal attacks on a daily basis.
Labels: ambushes in iraq
posted by rangeragainstwar at 4:54 PM
6 Comments:
The DOD notices that bring me names give causes of death (well, sort of...sometimes maddeningly opaque) and "IED" is the most commonly given cause for the last year or more. And then, there are those events where the IED blows hell out of something/one and then they wait to shoot whoever rides to the rescue.
the thing i remember most about living with the threat of ambush is the tension. unrelenting, totally neccessary tension. even knowledge gained on what to look for and how to avoid ambush did not allay that tension in the slightest. the enemy was always, always, evolving, the levels of sinister intent were always deepening. and while some experiences would provide valuable lessons learned, that evolution of thought and tactics made sure that not many of those lessons were concrete or even very long lasting.
and that tension and vigilance stays with one. one of the first lessons to learn in ambushland is that there is not any such thing as safe. the safer something might seem the more attractive it becomes as a site for ambush.
the other side of the conflict, taking that type of war to the enemy is also a very dark place. it requires diving headfirst into that vicious and sticky slime of war. it never washes off. ever.
we still talk about the guerilla actions our forefathers participated in during the revolution and the civil war for a reason. that type of war stays with you, and in very uncomfortable ways.
i truly fear for these lads. truly.
MB,
It's important for us to remember that the enemy to whom we are taking the battle are the citizens of Iraq. So this makes the equation even nastier. We're conducting a CI vs. the people that we are there to free.
We are killing them b/c they want to be free of U.S. occupation. They want sovereignty, which we are unwilling to give them.
Hence the ambushes, which are so dangerous b/c the attackers have the support of their population.
Not a winning game plan for U.S. forces.
labrys,
Yes, the "secondary ambushes" are quite deadly. The fact that we still walk into these secondaries is indicative of our deficient state of training -- a result of forces being stretched to the max.
The NVA. VC, and IRA are masters of secondary ambushes. The literature is there; this is no secret. I used to teach this concept 20 years ago.
the people's army is a school of fish that swims in the ocean of the people.
chairman mao
MB,
Yes, and the Iraqi resistance hasn't even yet transitioned into an effective and cohesive military force.
The indicators are that they are evolving along these lines. This bodes ill for the occupying powers.
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