The reality is that the military of the Chinese Communists has been phenomenally successful whether the liberal democracies and their militaries in the West like it or otherwise. The record of success, despite being embellished undoubtedly by propaganda, is quite plain to see. In many operations of the 1948-1949 campaign, the communists were able to smash vast and American-equipped KMT armies. In the guerilla campaigns of Mao, Lin Biao and others, the communists were able to time and again, defy KMT offensives while maintaining support among the populace.
The communists had understood the political dimensions of warfare and that it could not be separated from military operations.
4 comments:
Have you read Mao's book on guerilla war? It's a great read.
Tim, I have not read that one nor Che Guevara's.
A great read? Do you think it offers any lessons to the modern counter-insurgency warrior?
Have you read the latter? What do you think?
I have not read Che's book. The main thing I took away from Mao was the importance of being polite to the populous. Never be rude, always thank them for lodging, wipe your feet, etc. The tactics were very much a mixture of Sun Tzu and Confucian maxims.
Essentially, respect for the people one is trying to win over, right?
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