1. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Guerilla war?

    Discussion in 'Research' started by Lifeline, Jan 31, 2016.

    Hi there,

    I was wondering if any of you can point me to good resources regarding guerilla warfare. Historical accounts, no fiction please. Any part of the world. Interaction with civilians, communication, chain of command, logistics...

    Books, websites, DVD (okay with DVD I would be glad for tips to movies as well).

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. BrianIff

    BrianIff I'm so piano, a bad punctuator. Contributor

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    War in the Shadows, a book. I have it, if you have a specific question about it. Have only "looked through it" myself.
     
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  3. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Hi there,
    just looked at it on amazon and it looks certainly like a good starting point. Not sure how in-depth the analysis is as a lot of topics are covered (I noticed that at roughly 700 pages more than 70 chapters/historical wars are covered - so that gives you less than 10 pages per war) and the focus seems to me to depict historical events more or less in a bullet-point fashion. But.. definitely a starting point!

    Maybe after that I can sort which kind of events I am actually interested in :rolleyes:. My backbrain needs to chew and stew..
     
  4. X Equestris

    X Equestris Contributor Contributor

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    Mao wrote a book on it. "On Guerilla Warfare". You can get it on Amazon Kindle fairly cheap.
     
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  5. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Thanks, will check it out!
     
  6. nippy818

    nippy818 Senior Member

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    Che Guevara wrote a book on gorilla warfare as well. I think it is literally called Gorilla Warfare.
     
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  7. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    I already found that one and I believe a work collegue has a copy :D Will ask him tomorrow morning!
     
  8. Robert Musil

    Robert Musil Comparativist Contributor

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    I'm sure I know some resources you could use, but can you be a bit more specific with the question? Are you looking for an account from the insurgents waging a guerrilla war, or the conventional forces fighting against one? Or from civilians or some other point of view?
     
  9. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    As of this moment this is research for a WIP down the road. I am still head down in my current one and have not spent much thought on it to be honest. But my protagonists will be at different sides, fighting in the opposing forces. It would be a more or less unorganised army against the populace (or whatever) of the invading guys.

    Sorry for not being able to be more specific, but the viewpoint would definitely be from the ones doing the fighting. I have a picture of a mountainous region in my head but that is not set in wood ;)
     
  10. nippy818

    nippy818 Senior Member

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    History channel has this new show, Live to Tell, that interviews coalition forces, mostly american, fighting insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. they go into detail about the insurgents. Any Vietnam documentary and the movie Restrepo is about the most dangerous valley in Afghanistan near the begining of the war.
     
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  11. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    I will have to find DVD's. Don't have regular TV, and cannot watch online either. But the movie tip is good, thanks :)
     
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  12. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    If you play video games, try looking into Black on the PS2/X-box. You spend a lot of time hiding and sneaking around, and running like hell, in simulated Guerrilla tactics. Occasionally you get a pair of squad mates, but mostly your on your own. You could always watch The Patriot, Red Dawn (New or Original). Rambo first one though it is a bit over the top gore fest. Die Hard is kinda on par with what you're looking for but not military (1 & 2 are best examples). Predator. Aliens (the second from the original trilogy). Soldier (Personal fave on this list). Sniper (1 & 2). That is all the movies I can think of off hand. Good Luck :D
     
  13. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    'Die Hard'? 'Rambo'? Seriously?? I have them at home but they are nothing like reality :( Oh they are good films for their genre, but guerilla tactics is a bit different I'd imagine (speaking from my very glancing acquaintance to this stuff in previous years)

    And sorry :D I don't play video games. I am looking for real world stuff, if you have any good suggestions here I would be glad of it ;)
     
  14. Ben414

    Ben414 Contributor Contributor

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    Secrecy and Insurgency: Socialites and Knowledge Practices in Guatemala covers the social and institutional structures of the Guatemalan guerrilla groups. It provides a contemporary example and looks very in-depth. If you don't mind academic writing and the price tag, here's a link.
     
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  15. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    I have absolutely no issues with academia. But I am not sure of worthyness for this price. I have no idea of the content (the content is not really described), I would have been glad for a sample page :(
    Have you read it? Is it worth the price?
     
  16. Ben414

    Ben414 Contributor Contributor

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    Unfortunately, I haven't read it so I can't speak to how much content it has. If you click on the book's image to get a preview, you can see a list of the chapters and a synopsis of the chapters. That, combined with the fact that it's 272 pages, should give you some idea of whether it would be worth it for you.
     
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2016
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  17. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    Your best real world application of such things, you would do well to reach out to the Military community and you will more than likely get some real stories of what goes down under the tactic your trying to research. When in doubt ask somebody who might just know the things that you don't. But that would require you to do some real research, and that is scary. I ask my brothers all kinds of Military related questions because they have been there. So try speaking with those who would have applicable knowledge to what you want to know. That is what a serious person would do, when they are looking for info on something they really don't know. Movies are not going to solve or explain what you want to know realistically. Take the plunge and you might meet some interesting people along the way. Good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for. :)
     
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  18. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Thanks! I had only found the acknowledgement and figured it the end of the book. I didn't scroll far enough down!
     
  19. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Will do :)
     
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  20. Historical Science

    Historical Science Contributor Contributor

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    The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin is a great read. It's about his life as a whole but guerrilla warfare on the United States as well as neighboring tribes was what made him such a legendary leader so they spend a fair amount of time on it.
     
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  21. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Thanks, that looks interesting not only for this specific research! :)
     
  22. Greenwood

    Greenwood Active Member

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    I think you may find this one interesting. It covers guerilla warfare from ancient times up until the 2000's Afghanistan wars. It's been published in the UK, so it should not be too difficult to come by.

    Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present
    http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21569681-fighting-insurgency-requires-patience-restraint-and-good-public-relations

    It's available on Amazon, I see here.

    I don't think it will give you an in-depth view on the actual warfare itself, but it's written by a military historian, so any recurring tactics, strategy and cause-effect information should be covered.
     
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  23. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    The article is certainly well written, thanks! :)
     
  24. X Equestris

    X Equestris Contributor Contributor

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    I just recalled the old TV series Battleplan, which took a look at various facets of warfare by focusing on two examples. Here's the episode on Guerilla warfare which someone put on YouTube:

     
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  25. JadeX

    JadeX Senior Member

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    I've come across a wealth of PDF files on the deep web about guerilla warfare, militias, resistance movements, etc. I'll send some of them to you in a message.
     

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