   jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. it has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for both sides in many conflicts, including world war ii and the vietnam war. the jungle has a variety of effects on military operations. dense vegetation can limit lines of sight and arcs of fire, but can also provide ample opportunity for camouflage and plenty of material with which to build fortifications. jungle terrain, often without good roads, can be inaccessible to vehicles and so makes supply and transport difficult, which in turn places a premium on air mobility. the problems of transport make engineering resources important as they are needed to improve roads, build bridges and airfields, and improve water supplies. jungle environments can also be inherently unhealthy, with various tropical diseases that have to be prevented or treated by medical services. likewise the terrain can make it difficult to deploy armoured forces, or any other kind of forces on any large scale. successful jungle fighting emphasises effective small unit tactics and leadership. ==history== ===nicaragua guerrilla===   ===world war ii=== ===conventional jungle warfare=== thumb|left|australian anti-tank gunners firing on japanese tanks at the muar-parit sulong road. at the start of the war in the far east the japanese were able to advance on all fronts. in malayan campaign time and again they infiltrated through the jungle to bypass static british positions based on road blocks so that they could cut the british supply line and attack the british defences from all sides. in early 1942 the fighting in burma at the start of the burma campaign took on a similar aspect and resulted in the longest retreat in british military history. most members of the british and indian army left burma with the belief that in the jungle the japanese were unstoppable. the first action to start to dispel this myth of invincibility would come from the actions of the chindits. the chindits were a special force of 3,000 which in february 1942 launched a deep penetration raid, (code-named operation longcloth) into japanese occupied burma. they went in on foot using mules to carry supplies. the operation was not a military success, but was a propaganda boost for the allies, because it showed that allied forces could successfully move and fight in jungle terrain well away from roads. on the back of the propaganda success, orde wingate, the eccentric commander of the chindits, was given the resources to increase his command to divisional size and the [
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