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Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare

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Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare.

In the last post, I looked at the Fog of War and previously discussed Open and Close Units of soldiers. Formal Warfare, the familiar wars, like WWII have been depicted in various media. Also, Irregular Warfare has been popular: Tom Clancy's works are a good example. So, how does Warfare for Writers - Irregular Warfare affect the writer?

These types of units are rarely under efficient direct control of a military commander, which can lead to CHAOS!

Many times, these units of irregular forces come from cultures where  men go armed, all the time and are made up of:

Privateers (navy) with letters of Marque and Reprisal.

Mercenaries are paid units from elsewhere.

Guerrilla Warfare are in support of war, especially by part-timers: The Arab revolt that made T. E. Lawrence famous. (Yes, Lawerence of Arabia was a real person!)

Private units and armies, like Muqtada Al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in Iraq.

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What does this mean for a writer?

If your characters are engaged in irregular warfare, what tensions does it cause for military commanders and the characters themselves? How well are they fitting in?

Note: this information was taken from lectures by Timons Esaias with his permission.

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Warfare for Writers - Fog of War

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Warfare for Writers - Fog of War

Unfortunately, Hollywood, TV, and yes, a few authors have privates and sergeants knowing the overall situation of a battle. Audie Murphy who played himself in the movie To Hell and Back won the Congressional Metal of Honor and was the most decorated soldier in WWII. He didn't know what was happening a mile away in most cases and such is Warfare for Writers - Fog of War.  Have this uncertainty effect your characters and the plot! Have it get on their nerves, and in some cases they may  become irrational. It is definitely a good plot device.

Soldier Deployment:

Historically, soldiers and troopers have been put on the battle field in one of two ways: Close Order or Open Order.

Close Order:images

Close order is where warriors are more or less shoulder to shoulder and within an arm's reach of the warrior ahead or behind.

Benefit:

Soldiers are psychologically supported by direct, even physical peer pressure. Your "buddy" is helping with his actions and words to lead you forward.

It puts a lot of power in one place and ready to strike.

The warriors in the trenches during WWI would be considered in close order as would warriors in columns or lines.

Cons:

Projectiles or artillery would kill more warriors when rained down on the warriors head or even nearby in a hard-to-miss target. A lot more people would die.

Open Order:unequal-battle-18937280

A formation which is spread out in either groups of two or three men, if not, singly.

Benefits:

There will be reduced casualties.

Cons:

Psychologically, the warrior is on his own to face the fears and indecisions of the situation.

Communications with the leaders may break down and with other groups of men.

It requires more training.

Summary:

If you have a warrior in battle, you should have some sense of what formation they are in, what they can and can't do, along with what they can see. Also, the unit's purpose must be clear. These factors will effect the warrior psychologically.

Note: This information was taken from a lecture by Timions Esaias with his permission.

 

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Warfare for Writers -

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This is the 6th installment of WARFARE FOR WRITERS - 6 Fog of War graciously permitted by Timons Esaias.

Warfare or Writers 6 deals with common mistakes writers make when writing about war, battles and et cetera.

The thing that is screwed up the most, is having warriors know too much, too accurately and too quickly. The truth of war is that nobody knows what's happening and half what they think is wrong. There are few truth commissions sorting through the facts while war is happening, so ignorance of what happens accumulates over time. One example: The American public didn't know what happened at Pearl Harbor for the entire war. We still aren't quite sure.

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR WRITING?

Don't do that

Have the uncertainty of the situation get on your characters' nerves

Use it as a plot device.images

 

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