The Guerillas

Department of HumanitiesPsychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief EngineerSubject:: Tactics of Organized Chaos

An interesting outgrowth of the combat tactics of Acheronian militaries is the guerilla campaign. Units of superior skill but of inferior numbers make up guerilla parties normally. How is it an application of Organized Chaos in a plane of law? War is inherently chaotic. Laws of war govern the planning and operations of the military forces combined with the standards the military organization imposes upon itself.

Commonly known as the blitzkrieg, the guerilla campaign holds true to the literal translation of blitzkrieg: "lightning war". The guerilla unit acts just like lightning, they never strike the same place twice. Combining the tactics of screening like the scouts to mask their true numbers, the guerillas rule the cluttered battlefield. The cluttered fields offer excellent cover and provide the guerillas with an additional feature: confusion.

This is where the chaos of war comes into play. The object of the guerilla unit is to cause mass confusion, under the cover of darkness or any other low light levels; the guerillas can instill panic in nearly any force. With the chaos gripping the larger force, seven troopers can destroy one hundred men. The chaotic elements which grip the force cause them to turn upon one another in their panic to escape or defeat the invisible enemy they perceive to be within their midst.

All the guerillas need to employ in the masking of their numbers are a few well-placed arrows, campfires, and brief exposure to the enemy and noise. These four elements give the guerilla unsurpassed offensive capabilities on the battlefield. The enemy force is put in a position of believing that they are outmatched, surrounded and close to being overran and overwhelmed by a larger and seemingly superior force.

Such are the general tactics of the guerilla. In the arts of war, they are the true masters of Organized Chaos.

Calix Arvandus, Shaper 2.