Modern warfare, lessons for DAM team

[sasha]

Lets have some lessons of modern warfare applied to Arma

Two recent battles I will quote - Afghanistan Anaconda operation 2002 and Lebanon war 2006.

First about Anaconda en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Anaconda

Read it, and I will use some quotes:

"In eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda starts. US special operations forces infiltrate the area and set up observation posts. "
LESSON - SET UP OBSERVATION POSTS (SNIPERS)

"While attempting to reach their post, two snipers from Mako 31 observed a group of Taliban standing by a group of tents with a DShK machine gun position. This gun was emplaced in a position that would have allowed it to engage the Chinook helicopters bringing in the first wave of U.S. troops which would have been disastrous to the operation. Plans were made to destroy this emplacement at D-1 hour."
LESSON - SET DSHK IN MNTN AGAINS CHOPPERS/SPOT DSHK AND DESTROY TO PROTECT CHOPPERS

"The road was in poor condition and difficulties ensued. Several soldiers were injured after their jingle trucks overturned, the commanders ordered the trucks to use their headlights, destroying any element of surprise."
LESSON - TURN OFF LIGHTS AT NIGHT

"Instead of 150-200 fighters in the valley as expected, post assessment held that the area contained up to 1,000 enemies dug in on the high ground around the valley."
LESSON - IN DEFENCE MAN MOUNTAIN SLOPES AND SUMMITS

"...circumstances led the SEALs to choose the peak itself as the insertion point... At around 0245 hours, Razor 03 landed at the LZ and was immediately struck in the left side electrical compartment by an RPG..."
LESSON - DONT CHOOSE OBVIOUS LZ (AT LEAST TRY SEVERAL DECEPTIVE LANDINGS AND DO IT AT NIGHT)

"Australian SASR soldiers had infiltrated the area prior to the first helicopter crash undetected as part of a long range reconnaissance mission when the Chinooks went down. They remained undetected in an observation post through the firefight and proved critical in co-ordinating multiple Coalition air strikes to prevent the al-Qaeda fighters from overrunning the downed aircraft, to devastating effect."
LESSON - USE LONG RANGE WALKING TO INFILTRATE AND SET UP OBSERVATION POST

"By 1030 am local time, the men arrived completely exhausted, with the enemy at the top of the hill a mere 50 meters from their position. As the ten men of Razor 02 arrived, the Rangers prepared to assault the enemy positions. As the Air Force CCT called in a last airstrike on the enemy bunkers and with two machineguns providing suppression fire, seven Rangers stormed the hill as quickly as they could in the knee-deep snow - shooting and throwing grenades. Within minutes, the Rangers took the hill, killing several Taliban fighters".
LESSON - USE MGs AS BASE OF FIRE AND ATTACK WITH GRENADES AND RIFLES

"Master Corporal Graham Ragsdale of the Canadian Forces was the commander of the Third Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry sniper team attached to the 101st Airborne of the U.S. Army during Operation Anaconda in the Shah-i-kot Valley, Paktia Province, Afghanistan in March, 2002. The sniper team recorded more than 20 priority target confirmed kills including the long distance record combat kill of 2430 metres set by Corporal Rob Furlong. Master Corporal Ragsdale with selfless disregard for his own personal safety operated his sniper team through extreme weather conditions at high altitude while under direct and indirect (mortars) enemy fire aiding the success of the mission by identifying and neutralizing enemy targets and saving allied lives."
LESSON - USE SNIPERS EXTENSIVELY, THEY ARE EFFECTIVE, AND SNIPERS ARE A SEPARATE TEAM, NOT A PART OF INFANTRY SQUAD

Now to Lebanon war.

[sasha]

It was an Israely attack on Hezbollah held territory in 2006.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lebanon_War
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayta_ash-Shab
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maroun_al-Ras
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bint_Jbeil

Quotes:

"An Egoz company attacked a suspicious vehicle, apparently transporting wounded Hizbullah fighters to nearby town Bint Jbeil. The unit was then noticed by Hizbollah units in Bint Jbeil, which attacked the Israelis with a volley of Sagger (old antitank wire guided missiles), killing a senior officer, Major Benjamin Hillman, and two soldiers. Another Egoz company where sent in to evacuate the dead and the wounded but were targeted by another volley of Sagger missiles leading to further casualties... As a member of the Egoz later told: "What can you do when a missile is being fired at you other than say your prayers?" On the last day of the fighting, an IDF force at the Abu Tawil hill in the northern part of the town was hit by an anti-tank missile. Four soldiers were killed and 20 wounded."
LESSON - USE LONG RANGE AT MISSLES AGAINST INFANTRY

"Since the painful experiences of the Egoz unit at Maroun ar-Ras, Israeli forces were not allowed to advance in daylight."
LESSON - IF ENEMY HAS NO NIGHT VISION MOVE AND ATTACK AT NIGHT

"The must painful lesson that the IDF learnt at Maroun ar-Ras was the deadly effectiveness of Hezbullah "Nature Reserves" (deep dug in bunkers and fortified positions). After the battle the head of IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Udi Adam forbade any further attacks on Nature Reserves. "A nature reserve can swallow an entire battalion," he said. This prohibition would remain in force throughout the war and would to a large extent determine the outcome of the war. The well entrenched Nature Reserves were not vulnerable to artillery or air bombardment."
LESSON - ENJOY THAT ENEMY DIGGING IN IS NOT POSSIBLE IN ARMA

"A report on the war written by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee sharply criticized the decision not to attack Nature Reserves and claimed that it "played into Hezbollah's hands"
LESSON - IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE YOU MUST ATTACK EVEN THE STRONGEST FORTIFICATION

"Five Golani soldiers were wounded by friendly fire, and two tanks were sent to evacuate them. The first was hit by a missile, killing the platoon commander and wounding two of the crewmen. The second tank, a Merkava IV, ran over a powerful remote-controlled mine and rolled over from the blast. One of the crew was killed and the commander of the 52nd battalion, Lt.-Col. Guy Kabili, as well as his deputy, was wounded. An armor-plated D-9 bulldozer that attempted to rescue the casualties was forced to retreat after being hit by a missile. The wounded were finally evacuated under the cover of a smoke-screen"
LESSONS - EVEN STRONGEST TANKS ARE VULNERABLE TO AT MISSLES AND MINES. IF UNDER FIRE SCREEN WOUNDED BY SMOKE

"Platoon commander Merchavia and two of his men were killed immediately as they entered the olive grove surrounded by high wall. One Hizbullah unit attacked the Israeli force in the grove while a second unit fired at the reinforcements from positions in the upper stories of buildings with small arms and anti-tank rockets. Most of the soldiers from the platoon that entered the olive grove were eventually killed or wounded."
LESSONS - EVEN MOST ADVANCED INFANTRY IS VULNERABLE AT CLOSE COMBAT. IF YOU ARE TECHNOLOGICALLY WEAK DEFEND IN TOWNS AND AMBUSH ENEMY WHO ADVANCES INSIDE

"The IDF sent in reinforcements to provide covering fire while the casualties were evacuated."
LESSON - USE COVERING FIRE NOT ONLY WHEN ATTACKING BUT ALSO WHEN RETREATING

"Finally, Israeli Air Force Blackhawk helicopters managed to land under heavy fire and fly the wounded to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The commanders decided not to risk pilots to evacuate the dead; they were carried out under cover of darkness by a company from the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion."
LESSON - FOR LOW PRIORITY TASK DONT USE CHOPPERS IN ENDANGERED AREA, USE LEGS

"The following night Israeli paratroopers infiltrated Bint Jbeil from the west and took up positions in a number of large villas in the Talat Mas’ud neighborhood overlooking the town. "
LESSON - USE NIGHT TO INFILTRATE, DONT USE DAYLIGHT ATTACKS

"According to the Israeli commander, the clashes started when two Hizbullah fighters were killed while approaching a building occupied by the paratroopers. Then, at least seven Hizbullah cells attacked the soldiers, employing anti-tank rockets and RPGs. The commander claimed that "our forces were well prepared and gunned down cell after cell. We saw them falling".
LESSON - IN TOWN ATTACKING FORCE SHOULD SEEK GOOD DEFENSIVE POSITION AND FIGHT ON FAVORABLE TERMS

"Two Israeli tank crew members, including a senior officer, were killed and two others injured when their tank was hit by an anti-tank missile.

Only 70 meters into Lebanese territory, a Merkava heavy battle tank drove over a remote-controlled mine. The tank was destroyed and its four crewmen were killed instantly, and the mission to capture the access roads to the town was quickly abandoned. Hizbullah fire prevented the extraction of the destroyed tank and the remains of the four soldiers just inside Lebanese territory for several days. A fifth soldier was killed and two soldiers wounded in the effort. Defence Minister Amir Peretz, who watched the tank exploding live on his monitor, was stunned.

Aware of the seriousness of the antitank threat, he says that the IDF should have left the vulnerable tanks at home and stayed away from built-up areas – "no tanks and no houses" – and to operate in a more guerrilla like type of warfare."
LESSON - MODERN TANKS ARE VULNERABLE, INFANTRY CAN DEFEAT THEM WITH WIRE GUIDED MISSLES AND MINES

"The other force, the 890th Paratrooper Battalion, attacked the Old Town from the north and advanced towards the mosque. The battalion came under fire, and its forces got separated as they took cover. Israeli soldiers were shocked by the ferocity of the fire and several stopped functioning. The attack was aborted and reinforcements were called in to extract dead, wounded and shell-shocked soldiers."
LESSON - WELL DEFENDED TOWN IS VERY DANGEROUS

"The Israeli soldiers would advance into a neighborhood and seek cover in a building when exposed to fire. The fighters would then target the building with remote-controlled missiles or rocket-propelled grenades. Most of the casualties sustained by the IDF were caused by rockets or missiles... An Israeli unit, belonging to the 8219th Engineering Battalion, took up positions in a house on the outskirts of Dibil. The house was hit by two anti-tank missiles fired from Ayta ash-Sha'b (about 4 kilometers away) and the building collapsed. Nine soldiers were killed and 31 wounded, many of whom were buried under the ruins."
LESSON - USE RPG AND MISSLES TO HIT BUILDINGS WHERE ENEMY IS HIDING

"After the top floor of the house was hit by a missile strike the IDF soldiers took shelter in the most secure part of the building, the first floor bathroom, and remained there for 36 hours."
LESSON - CAMP INSIDE BUILDING AT ITS MOST STRONG AREA

"On July 14 the civilian inhabitants of the town were warned through loudspeakers to evacuate the town. The great majority of the population therefore left.
LESSON - TO EMPLOY AIR AND ARTILLERY SUPPORT ON DEFENDED TOWN LET CIVIL POPULATION OUT

"When Israeli forces retreated the fighters would generally take cover in tunnels or shelters to avoid the shelling or bombardment from the air that would usually follow. When the shelling stopped the fighters would emerge to face the expected Israeli advance."
LESSON - HIDE WELL TO LIVE ENEMY ARTILLERY AND AIR STRIKES

"The over 5,000 IDF soldiers laying a siege around the town were faced by little more than 100 Hizbullah fighters. The IDF failed to conquer the town or to make any other tangible operational achievements. According to Kober the Israeli withdrawal was "correctly interpreted by Hizballah as a great victory for the organization".The IDF forces participating in the battle were vastly superior, both in terms of numbers and of firepower. According to Israeli estimates the towns were only defended by a company-sized force (100-140 men) and yet Hizbullah fighters succeeded in holding four IDF brigades at bay. "
LESSON - IF YOU ARE OUTNUMBERED AND TECHNOLOGICALLY WEAK DEFEND YOURSELVES IN TOWNS. EVEN BEING 20 TO 1 OUTNUMBERED AND ENEMY PLANES AND CHOPPERS OVERHEAD YOU CAN WIN IF YOU FIGHT

"Veteran Israeli war correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai claimed that the problem was not limited to the commanding officers. He claimed that a "crybaby culture" had developed among the soldiers of the Israeli army. Almost every Israeli offensive operation in the war, including those in Ayta ash-Sha'b, were called off as soon as resistance was encountered and casualties were sustained, even though IDF in almost every clash enjoyed superiority, both in terms of numbers and firepower. Soldiers often abandoned their missions and focused all efforts on evacuating casualties from the battlefield rather than pursue their objectives"
LESSON - DONT CARE TOO MUCH OF WOUNDED - PURSUE YOUR OBJECTIVE IN FIRST PLACE - KILL ENEMY

"The Carmeli Brigade pulled a battalion out of the town, after one of its soldiers was killed, in what was described as a "tactical retreat". The performance of the Carmeli Brigade was afterwards singled out (together with another unit, the 366th Division) for particular harsh criticism. It displayed a "lack of determination, an unnecessary retreat and a misunderstanding of the bigger picture."
LESSON - DONT BE COVARD, WAR IS A FIGHT

[bravonovember]

Those wire guided missiles are insane.

[MO]

hey bro , i like ur lesson's. its good thing. just please start this kind threads in JOINT OFFICER SECTION , so guys can find it and read it as lesson they need to learn.

[sasha]

What was the history of Takistan before US marines came?

Something like this:

Battle of Jalalabad
Part of Civil war in Afghanistan (1989–1992)
Date March 5, 1989 - 16 May 1989
Location Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Result ANA/Soviet victory
CIA/ISI Operation failed
Mujahideen reached a government agreement
Director of ISI was sacked by the Prime minister.
Belligerents
Mujahideen:
Hezbi Islami
Ittihad-i Islami

Strength
10,000 15,000
Casualties and losses
3,000 † unknown.
12,000 - 15,000 Civilians killed.

By the spring of 1989, the Afghan government showed no signs of falling apart, and the American and Pakistan supporters of some of the mujahideen decided to hasten its demise. An operation was planned, under the impulsion of U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Robert B. Oakley, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, to capture Jalalabad. The Americans and the Pakistanis both wanted a conventional victory, each for their own reasons. The Americans wished to humiliate the Marxists, and send them out of Afghanistan "clinging to their helicopters", and thus avenge the American defeat in Vietnam. Pakistani wished to retaliate against the Soviet Union as the latter had long unconditionally supported the former's regional rival, India. Upon conclusion of the battle, Pakistan intended to install a new government under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar with its provisional capital based in Jalalabad.[11] The Pakistan-backed Afghan Interim Government included Gulbuddin Hekmatyar as Prime Minister and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf as Foreign Minister. The central organizer of the offensive on the Pakistani side was Lieutenant-General Hamid Gul, Director-General of the ISI.

Battle begins
Involved in the operation were forces of Hekmatyar's Hezb-i Islami, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf's Ittihad-i Islami and Arab fighters, totalling 10,000 men. The attack began on March 5, 1989, and went well at first for the mujahideen, who captured the village of Samarkhel and the Jalalabad airfield. When government troops started to surrender, however, they, along with unarmed civilians, were tortured and executed by Hekmatyar's and Sayyaf's forces, making the option of surrender impossible for the communists who then fought harder.[citation needed] Consequently, the attacking forces were soon blocked by the main Afghan army positions held by the 11th Division, that were protected by bunkers, barbed wire and minefields. The government troops could count on intensive air support, as the Afghan air force flew up to 100 to 120 sorties a day over the battlefield. An-12 transport aircraft, modified to carry bombs, flew at high altitude out of range of the Stinger missiles used by the mujahideen; cluster bombs were used intensively.
Three Scud firing batteries, deployed around Kabul and manned by Soviet troops fired more than 400 missiles in support of the Jalalabad garrison. Despite their imprecision, these weapons had a severe effect on the morale of the mujahideen, who could do nothing to prevent them.[12] By the middle of May, they had made no headway against the defenses of Jalalabad, and were running low on ammunition. In July, they were unable to prevent the Afghan Army from recapturing Samarkhel, and Jalalabad was still firmly in the hands of Najibullah's government. The mujahideen suffered an estimated 3,000 casualties during this battle.[13] An estimated number of 12,000 - 15,000 civilians were killed, while 10,000 had fled the fighting.

Aftermath
Contrary to U.S. and Pakistani expectations, this battle proved that the Afghan Army could fight without Soviet help, and greatly increased the confidence of government supporters. Conversely, the morale of the mujahideen involved in the attack slumped and many local commanders of Hekmatyar and Sayyaf concluded truces with the government.[15] In the words of Brigadier-General Mohammed Yousaf, an officer of the ISI, "the jihad [meaning the plans for Hekmatyar to be installed as prime minister] never recovered from Jalalabad".[12] Both the Pakistani and the United States governments were frustrated with the outcome. As a result of this failure, General Hamid Gul was immediately sacked by Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and replaced with General Shamsur Rahman Kallu as the Director-General of the ISI. Kallu pursued a more classical policy of support to the Afghan guerillas.[12] The government forces further proved their worth in April 1990, during an offensive against a fortified complex at Paghman. After a heavy bombardment and an assault that lasted until the end of June, the Afghan army, spearheaded by Dostum's militia, was able to clear the mujahideen entrenchments.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_war_in_Afghanistan_(1989-1992)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Civil_War_(1992-1996)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_war_in_Afghanistan_(1996%E2%80%932001)

Any lessons? Not many. The one we already know - to capture commanding heights and position long range weapons there:

The men of Mohammad Fahim, who was in charge of special operations, contacted a number of the Shia commanders and obtained their co-operation. This allowed the artillery to be pre-positioned in advance of the battle, with a Z0 23 gun and 30 men being positioned on Aliabad hill, with the purpose of targeting the Central Silo, Afshar, Kart-iSeh, Kart-iChar and Kart-I Sakhi. The forces allied with the government began to bomb the area around Afshar before troops began to move in around 4.00 am on February 11. Troops moved from Badambagh to the top of Radar hill, which was part of the Afshar ridge.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afshar_Operation