New Rules of War

[William F. Owen]

To all---and where you all when the discussion around "swarming" and "open source warfare" (OSW) broke in of all times 2004 WHEN it was how many months after we entered Iraq? Here is a portion of that article.

Tuesday, 18 May 2004
GLOBAL GUERRILLA SWARMING

...and? That article is mostly wrong.
Swarming is merely what multiple attacks looks like to an observer who has a very limited view point. Nothing new here.
The Mongols were described as "hordes" for the same reason, and they explicitly did not "swarm" or do anything like it.

[Rifleman]

Swarming is merely what multiple attacks looks like to an observer who has a very limited view point. Nothing new here.

So, does it boil down to this?:

"Find the bastards. Then pile on." - George S. Patton III - Commander, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

[davidbfpo]

From Firn's post (No.126)

Jan Breytenbach has a number of interesting reviews of many actions and operations of the border war. He gives some good insight why units like the 32. Batallion were so successful in the smaller, guerilla and larger, more conventional phases of the war.

Firn found a lengthy interview in German alas in the Austrian Defence Forces publication: http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/omz/oemz2009_01.pdf

Whilst the main website has the option for an English version finding the publication in English eluded me: http://www.bmlv.gv.at

Jan Breytenbach's book on 32 Batt. has appeared before on SWC in late 2009:

'They Live By The Sword: 32 'Buffalo' Battalion - South Africa's Foreign Legion' by Col. Jan Breytenbach (Pub. Lemur 1990). A unit formed in 1975 from black Angolans, with South African (white) officers and NCOs. Formidable reputation as mainly COIN fighters and suggested as a non-US / non-Western example. Note Eben Barlow (Executive Outcomes) was an officer in them.

Few copies about if Amazon is correct: http://www.amazon.com/They-live-swor...9129763&sr=1-1 . Republished in 2003 as The Buffalo Soldiers: The Story of South Africa's 32 Battalion 1975-1993.

The unit's website; http://www.32battalion.net/index.htm