Wikipedia

Long-range penetration

Along-range penetrationpatrol, group, or force is aspecial operationsunit capable of operating long distances behind enemy lines far away from direct contact with friendly forces as opposed to aLong Range Reconnaissance Patrol,a small group primarily engaged in scouting missions.

History

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Though the concept of long range penetration is as old as war itself, in the modern era it is recognized as starting withMajorRalph Alger Bagnoldwith his 1940Long Range Desert Group(LRDG) in theWestern Desert.The LRDG carried out operations ofreconnaissanceandsabotagefar behind the enemy's lines in the Libyan Desert. Bagnold was an experienced desertexplorerwho had his LRDG trained in desert driving, navigation through using the sun and stars as well as a compass, and knowing their territory. They were supplied by all the equipment that their trucks could carry.

In 1942, several BritishSpecial Operations Executive(SOE) personnel who hadescaped from Singaporeto Australia, formed the AlliedServices Reconnaissance Department(SRD) for special operations in theSouth West Pacific theatre.[1]Z Special Unit( "Z Force" ) was organised under its auspices to conduct commando-style operations behind Japanese lines.[1]The long distances to all potential targets made unconventional, long-range penetration tactics a requirement for Z Force. It recruitedAustralian,British,New ZealandandDutch East Indiespersonnel and, later, amongst indigenous resistance fighters. InOperation Jaywick(September 1943), a detachment led by CaptainIvan Lyontravelled on a small Indonesian fishing boat, from Australia to the vicinity ofSingapore,where folding kayaks were used to approach ships and attachlimpet mines.These sank or seriously damaged 39,000 tons of shipping, as the raiders returned to Australia.[2]In September 1944, Lyon led a second raid on Singapore,Operation Rimau,which resulted in the deaths of the entire raiding force. During 1943–45, other Z Force operatives conducted intelligence gathering and guerilla operations throughout the Southwest Pacific, including preparations for Allied landings inthe PhilippinesandBorneo campaign.[3][4]

BrigadierOrde Wingate, a professional soldier famous for his unconventional behavior and ideas, had created and ledguerrillaunits inPalestineandEthiopia,before being transferred, in 1942, to theSouth East Asian theatre.Wingate had ideas of deep penetration operations that could be made possible through improvements in the range of communication devices and airborne supply by long range aircraft. At theQuebec Conferencein 1943, Wingate explained his ideas toWinston Churchill,Franklin D. Roosevelt,and many other leaders. Wingate proposed creating strongholds in enemy territory that would be supplied by air and be as effective against the enemy as conventional troops. Wingate was given command of the77th Indian Infantry Brigadethat acquired the name ofChinditfrom a suggestion byCaptainAung Thin of theBurma Rifles.The name was a corruption of the mythical beast that guardsBuddhist templescalled 'Chinthé' or 'Chinthay'. The unit was supported by theUnited States Army Air Forces1st Air Commando Groupand carried out two major operations. The first was entering Burma on a 200-mile mission in February 1943 with 3,000 troops, with mules and some elephants for the carrying of supplies. Wingate thought the operation a success, butField MarshalWilliam Slimthought the operation a failure.[5]

In 1943, GeneralJoseph Stilwellrequested the deployment of US Army special forces to support theChinese Armyregular forces under his command. GeneralGeorge Marshallauthorised a "Long Range Penetration Force", recruited from US Army troops trained injungle warfarein Panama and the continental United States, as well as personnel with recent combat experience in theSolomon IslandsandNew Guinea campaigns.The unit was formally named the5307th Composite Unit (Provisional),but became famous as "Merrill's Marauders";it carried out operations in Burma in 1944.[5]Survivors of "Merrill's Marauders"combined with members of the124th Cavalry Regiment(Special),Texas National Guardbecame the5332nd Brigade (Provisional)and continued operations in Burma until 1945.[6][7]

Shoulder sleeve insignia(SSI) worn by members ofMerrills Marauders,5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) in Burma.
Shoulder sleeve insignia(SSI) worn by members of theMARS Task Force,5332nd Brigade (Provisional) in Burma.

Post World War II

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After World War II, long range penetration operations were primarily conducted by small units of men often varying in size from five to thirty men. Sabotage, surveillance, and seizure of strategic locations were the primary objective carried out deep behind enemy lines. Most notable are the BritishSpecial Air Service(SAS), The IsraeliSayeret Matkal,theAustralian Special Air Service Regiment,theNew Zealand Special Air Service(NZSAS), theRhodesian Special Air Service,theSouth African's 32nd Battalion operations after theAngolan Civil War,and theSri Lanka Armylong range penetration units operations during the Sri Lanka Civil War.[8]

Vietnam War

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In April 1968 members of the 2nd Platoon, Company E, 52nd Infantry, 1st Air Cavalry Division,Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol(LRP), commanded by Captain Michael Gooding and Lieutenant Joseph Dilger, conducted one of the most daring long-range penetration operations of theVietnam Warwhen they seized the strategic 4,879-foot mountain peak ofDong Re Lao Mountain,dubbed"Signal Hill"by headquarters duringOperation Delaware.Signal Hill was deep in enemy territory in the heavily fortifiedA Shau Valleybordering Laos. After intense fighting against troops of the North Vietnamese Army, the mountaintop was secured, providing a vital communications relay site and fire support base for massive air assault operations to proceed in the valley by the 1st and 3rd Brigades,1st Air Cavalry Division.Since satellite communications were a thing of the future, those brigades, hidden deep behind the towering wall of mountains would have been unable to communicate with headquarters near the coast at Camp Evans or with approaching aircraft.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abDennis, Peter et al. (2008).The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History(2nd ed.), Melbourne, Oxford University Press (2008), p. 508.
  2. ^Courtney, G.B.Silent Feet: The History of 'Z' Special Operations 1942–1945.Melbourne, R. J. & S. P. Austin (1993), pp. 3–4.
  3. ^Horner, DavidSAS: Phantoms of the Jungle-A History of the Australian Special Air Service.Sydney, Allen & Unwin (1989), p. 26.
  4. ^Ooi Keat Gin, "Prelude to invasion: covert operations before the re-occupation of Northwest Borneo, 1944-45",Journal of the Australian War Memorial,no. 37, 2002 (October).(11 June 2015)
  5. ^abOgburn Jr, CharltonThe Marauders(1956)
  6. ^Sacquety, Troy (2009)."RANGERS HISTORY- Over the Hills and Far Away: The MARS Task Force, the Ultimate Model for Long Range Penetration Warfare".U.S. Army Special Operations Command History Office.Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2024.RetrievedJanuary 1,2024.
  7. ^Rottman, Gordon; Volstad, Ron (1987).US ARMY RANGERS & LRRP UNITS 1942-87.UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 21–23.ISBN0850457955.LCCN87214020.
  8. ^James N. Rosenau, Subversion and Insurgency, Rand Publishing, (2006).
  9. ^Robert C. Ankony, "No Peace in the Valley,"Vietnammagazine, Oct. 2008, 26-31
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