Welcome back, fellow survival enthusiasts! In the initial segment of our tactical exploration, we navigated through indispensable strategies such as recon patrols and security measures, equipping you with the knowledge to fortify your preparedness against potential threats. The journey continues, and as promised, we now embark on the second chapter of our tactical odyssey.
In this installment, our laser-focused lens turns towards the art of ambushes and raids—strategies that hold pivotal roles in both defensive and strategic initiatives. Building upon the foundational insights from our earlier discussions, we are about to unravel the intricacies of these tactical maneuvers, providing you with a comprehensive understanding that seamlessly extends our exploration.
So, settle in and stay tuned as we delve deeper into the realm of survival tactics. The stage is set for a closer examination of ambushes and raids, unveiling the nuanced strategies that can make all the difference in the face of adversity. Get ready for an insightful journey that continues to sculpt your understanding of the art of survival.
Ambushes
According to military manuals, an ambush is characterized as a surprise assault against a moving or temporarily halted enemy. In our context, envision facing looters or raiders. These strategic surprise attacks can be executed on various terrains, such as roads, trails, or city streets—anywhere the group anticipates the movement of potential threats.
Concealment is paramount for the success of an ambush, demanding meticulous camouflage to ensure that the attackers remain undetected until the opportune moment.
The choice of ambush location in relation to the terrain holds significant weight. Once initiated, the ambush must unfold with unrelenting force and the entirety of firepower at the group’s disposal, emphasizing the conservation of ammunition.
Success is often discerned swiftly, with a lack of return fire signaling triumph. Comprehensive observation of the kill zone is essential, although challenging terrain may pose limitations, necessitating strategic positioning by the ambush leader.
Essential Components for a Successful Ambush:
Undetected Initiation: The ambush must remain concealed until the opportune moment.
Maximum Accurate Firepower: The assault should be launched with the utmost accuracy and force.
Complete Surprise: The enemy should be caught entirely off guard.
Terrain Alignment: The chosen terrain should strategically support the ambush position.
Security Measures: Adequate security should be in place to safeguard the ambush site.
Furthermore, the ambush plan should encompass left, right, and rear security, with all members familiarizing themselves with the withdrawal route and a designated rally point. In a survival scenario, the ambush team is advised to confiscate all weapons, ammunition, and equipment from those ambushed. While it might be less likely to encounter a reaction force of looters or raiders, maintaining security during the weapon and equipment collection process is crucial.
Training for ambush scenarios is best conducted under the guidance of ex-military combat arms members through paintball exercises. The rationale here is clear—if you can’t execute it with paintballs, mastering the same maneuver with live ammunition remains doubtful.
Historically, ambushes have taken the form of either single-point or area ambushes, where multiple ambushes are strategically placed on different trails or roads in the same vicinity. Communication, ideally through radios, plays a crucial role. In the absence of such technology, group leaders must maintain control and devise signals to prompt necessary actions. The initiation of the ambush is typically signaled by gunfire, prompting all members to unleash their firepower into the kill zone.
While one hopes for some semblance of order post-disaster, past world and national histories provide a less-than-confident outlook. The unpredictability of human behavior underscores the importance of meticulous training and preparation for potential ambush scenarios.
Training for ambush scenarios becomes not only advisable but imperative during an SHTF (Shit Hits The Fan) event. In the chaos and uncertainty of a survival situation, the likelihood of encountering hostile forces, such as looters or raiders, significantly increases.
Ambushes serve as a strategic response to potential threats, ensuring the group’s safety by preemptively neutralizing or deterring adversaries. The reasons for being ambushed in such scenarios are multifaceted and often stem from the desperate pursuit of resources, territory, or power in a post-disaster landscape.
Reasons for Being Ambushed During SHTF Events:
Resource Scarcity: Ambushes may occur due to competition for scarce resources such as food, water, and supplies. Desperation can drive individuals or groups to resort to aggressive tactics to secure vital necessities.
Territorial Disputes: Control over specific territories becomes crucial during survival situations. Ambushes may be initiated by groups seeking dominance over strategic locations, creating potential flashpoints of conflict.
Power Struggles: In the absence of established authorities, power vacuums emerge, leading to rival factions vying for control. Ambushes may serve as a means to eliminate or weaken competing groups in the quest for dominance.
Opportunistic Attacks: Individuals or groups with malicious intent may seize opportunities presented by vulnerable targets, launching ambushes to exploit the chaos and lack of organized defenses.
Information Gathering: Ambushes may be orchestrated based on intelligence gathered about the movement, resources, or vulnerabilities of other groups. Information becomes a valuable commodity in a survival scenario.
Training for Ambushes During SHTF Events:
Conducting training exercises for ambush scenarios is paramount during SHTF events for several reasons:
Realistic Preparedness: Ambush training equips group members with practical skills to respond effectively to potential threats. It fosters an understanding of ambush dynamics, enhancing the group’s overall readiness.
Communication and Coordination: Training scenarios facilitate the development of communication protocols and coordinated responses, crucial for successful ambush operations. It ensures that every member understands their role in the event of an attack.
Terrain Familiarity: Ambush training involves familiarizing the group with different terrains and practicing maneuvers accordingly. This prepares them for varied environmental conditions, enhancing adaptability during real-life situations.
Decision-Making Skills: Training helps group leaders and members hone their decision-making skills under pressure. The ability to make quick, informed choices is invaluable during an ambush situation.
Equipment Familiarization: Ambush training allows group members to become proficient in the use of their equipment, ensuring that firearms, camouflage, and other gear are utilized effectively during an actual ambush.
In essence, training for ambushes serves as a proactive measure, enhancing the group’s survival capabilities and minimizing vulnerabilities during SHTF events. The chaotic nature of such scenarios demands a strategic approach, and ambush training becomes an integral component of comprehensive preparedness.
References for further reading:
“The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien
“U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook” by Department of the Army
Raids
Raids, deeply ingrained in the annals of human history, represent one of the most ancient tactics employed by diverse entities ranging from individuals and tribes to entire nations. This tactical approach, tracing its roots back to the era when humanity dwelled in caves, has been a consistent thread woven through the fabric of civilizations.
Raids, as a strategic maneuver, have served multifaceted purposes over time, encompassing the destruction, occupation, or pillaging of specific sites. In the context of a prolonged survival scenario, the specter of looters and raiders executing raids on survival locations looms ominously.
When confronted with the grim reality of diminishing resources, survival groups may find themselves compelled to resort to raids upon discovering areas with available food and water, owned by others. The desperation and ruthlessness exhibited by individuals and groups in life-threatening situations underscore the harsh and unpredictable nature of a post-disaster world.
Requirements for a Successful Raid:
Knowledge of the Raid Location: A comprehensive understanding of the target location is imperative for the success of a raid.
Strategic Tactical Plan: The formulation of a well-thought-out tactical plan is critical to the effectiveness of a raid.
Undetected Arrival: The raiding force must execute a covert approach to the location, ensuring that their presence remains undetected.
Surprise Element and Firepower: The success of a raid hinges on the element of surprise and the deployment of maximum firepower when initiating the attack.
Training for raids emerges as a pivotal aspect of group preparedness, and practical exercises using paintball simulations prove to be effective in honing the skills required for such tactical maneuvers. During the preparatory phase for potential disasters, allocating specific training days becomes essential, dedicating half of the day to raid and ambush exercises and the other half to patrol training.
A comprehensive approach involves both daylight and nighttime training sessions to ensure adaptability to various scenarios, with a particular focus on urban environments where these tactics may find heightened relevance.
Surviving in a tactical and strategic manner, especially in the face of armed and trained adversaries, demands a level of preparedness that transcends our current way of life. In the stark reality of a prolonged survival situation, groups may find themselves compelled to adopt raiding tactics to secure essential resources.
Survivalist Benefits of Learning These Tactics:
Defeating Unorganized Threats: These tactics underscore the vulnerability of unorganized armed mobs, lacking dispersion and control, when faced with organized groups. Historical evidence, including contemporary conflicts in Syria and Iraq, reinforces the importance of training in such scenarios.
Facing Trained and Armed Groups: As societal structures crumble over time, survival groups may encounter trained and armed adversaries, including ex-military personnel, preppers, and criminal entities such as drug cartels and street gangs.
Long-term Survival Dynamics: In the protracted aftermath of a disaster, the distinction between raiders and looters blurs, emphasizing the necessity for groups to adapt to evolving circumstances.
In urban areas, criminal organizations may emerge as formidable forces, posing a threat to all citizens, whether prepared or not. As food and water become scarcer, these groups may transition from looters to raiders, employing recon patrols to identify vulnerable targets. Ultimately, the groups best equipped with training, weaponry, and a survival mindset stand a better chance against these evolving threats.
Survivalist Strategies When Leaving a Survival Location:
Dispersion and Cover: Leaving a survival location demands good dispersion between group members, with the rest of the group providing cover from within the location.
Observation Before Departure: Before departure, binoculars and scopes should be employed to detect potential ambushes. Any movement in the vicinity should be treated with suspicion, with rifles equipped with scopes maintaining vigilant observation.
Siege Mentality: Constant threats may lead to a siege mentality, restricting group members from venturing outside the survival location. This, however, jeopardizes the group’s access to essential resources, necessitating a decision on either defending the location or raiding to secure supplies.
Decision-making on Raiding: If raiding becomes a consideration, critical factors such as the fortification of the target site, the group’s ability to breach those fortifications, the armament of the occupants, and the group’s capacity to execute the raid must be carefully weighed.
Decisions in these circumstances are arduous, shaped by factors that may force groups to either remain and defend or embark on an uncertain journey to a new location. As government control and law enforcement collapse, the unforeseen future becomes the stark reality, compelling groups to navigate uncharted territories in their quest for survival.
References for further reading:
“Raid!: The Untold Story of Patton’s Secret Mission” by Richard Baron
“Raider: The True Story of the Legendary Soldier Who Performed More POW Raids than Any Other American in History” by Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts
Concluding
The intricacies of ambushes and raids unfold as vital components in the repertoire of survival tactics, drawing from historical precedents and military wisdom. From the silent precision of an ambush to the calculated maneuvers of a raid, these strategies underscore the harsh reality of navigating a post-disaster world. The art of ambushing demands meticulous planning, undetectable execution, and an unrelenting commitment to firepower, echoing the importance of preparation and stealth in the face of potential threats.
Simultaneously, the concept of raids, deeply embedded in human history, emerges as a timeless tactic employed by individuals, tribes, and nations alike. As survival groups confront dwindling resources and evolving threats, the necessity of raids becomes a stark reality. The training and adaptability of groups, especially in urban settings, play a pivotal role in their ability to navigate these challenges.
These tactical maneuvers, while rooted in survivalist necessities, transcend mere confrontations. They become profound lessons in organization, adaptability, and strategic thinking. Whether facing unorganized threats or armed adversaries, the groups best equipped with training, a survival mindset, and a cohesive strategy stand a better chance of securing their survival in the unpredictable landscape of a post-disaster world.
In the ongoing narrative of survival, where the distinction between looters and raiders blurs, the learning curve involves not just mastering these tactical maneuvers but also understanding the ever-shifting dynamics of human behavior and societal breakdowns.
As we delve deeper into the complexities of urban survival and the evolving threats that characterize it, the journey toward preparedness takes on a new dimension—one that demands not only physical prowess but also a keen understanding of the human condition in times of crisis. The ability to navigate these challenges with resilience, adaptability, and strategic acumen will ultimately define the success of survival groups in an unforeseen and unpredictable future.
You may also want to check these:
Detailed Strategies For Surviving An Ambush
Learn how to Safeguard your Home against Looters
10 Strategies For Communication Security – Don’t Betray Yourself When SHTF