Evening star., 1962-07-31
Wet Cong Use
Mao Ideas for
Guerrilla War

UueT1IId war
TOKYO. July 80 CAP).-Mac
Tze-tung used Just IS Chinese
characters to spell out his
principles Of guerrilla warfare.
When the enemy advances,
we retreat" he said two decades
ago. when the enemy settles
down, we harass him; when the
enemy Is tired, we attack him;
when the enemy retreats, we
pursue him"
These injunctions are car
ried out by Wet Cong rebels in
the steamy jungles. jagged
mountains and ricefields Of
South Wet Nam.
United States advisers to
President Ngo Dinh Diem's
forces study the Communists
texts to find a way Of meeting
the challenge they pose.
New Light on Pattern
The Chinese, who rarely keep
their activities secret, have re-
Gently thrown new light on
guerrilla warfare in their pat
tern. An article in the Peiping
Peoples's Daily aimed at stimu-
lating greater interest in the
Chinese militia, said:
Zone of the most important
methods Of fighting regularly
employed by the militia was the
Sparrow War It was basically
characterized by the sudden
concentration and dispersal of
militiamen. their sudden ap-
pearance and withdrawal, their
ability TO attack a point where
the enemy least expected it,
and their undetectable move
ment."
The guerrillas, some in
groups Of two or three, some
times In companies, would
move through mountainous
areas and forests or lurk in the
streets, on roof-tops, in fields
Of sorghum, and by the road
side.
Bide Their Time
Like sparrows pecking up
grains, the militiamen would
patiently bide their time, move
in when the enemy least ex-
pected them, and deal him
quick blows" the daily said.
Before the enemy had recov-
cred from its surprise, they had
vanished.
But when the enemy was
tired and returning to his
quarters. war cries and rifle
fire would come from all sides" !"
In general. sparrow warfare
relies on three methods: raids
against o stationary enemy,
ambushes against O moving
enemy column and sniping at
Stragglers.
In carrying out another
phase. encirclement, enemy
troops are prevented from
making raids-small parties
annihilated, large ones har-
assed and their communica-
tionS cut. Another aspect Of
this phase is to evacuate peo-
pie and supplies from an area,
leaving 1t barren. Still another
device is to kill off sentries,
burn enemy stores, and upset
morale by psychological war.
The Use Of Mines
The article also listed mines
that could be exploded at a
distance by an attached string;
contact mines, time mines,
double mines, jumping mines,
rolling and flying mines.
One way to conceal mines
was to print wheel tracks over
q concealed mine.
Another tactic was to dis
turb the earth in places where
no mines existed. or place
signs saying beware Of mines" !"
Soldiers who took this warning
lightly often found real mines
buried under the signs.
Tunnel warfare" involved
digging giant systems Of sub
terranean tunnels linking
homes In village and one vii
lage to another. In the winter
Of 1944-5. the Chinese Reds
dug miles Of tunnels in the
Central Hopei Plains. These
included false tunnels for trap
ping the unwary.
Wfecking Crews
Sometimes, the Peoples Daily
said. thousands upon thous-
ands Of militiamen and civil
tans. armed with tools Of all
descriptions, would go to the
enemy's railways and highways,
wreck the roadbeds, take away
sections Of steel rails, burn the
bridges, demolish enemy forts,
pull down walls and cut tele-
graph and telephone wires.
"The tactics used by the
militia were diverse. brilliant
and ever-changing. Their basic
characteristic was dispersion
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