Guerilla Warfare...in Mountains

[Centerfield97]

What features would a mountain range have to contain in order to make guerrilla warfare effective? Caves? Valleys? Chokepoints? Would there have to be a certain amount of brush or cover?

Also, what tactics would said guerrilla fighters need to employ to remain hidden, and fight effectively?

 

[Codey Amprim]

Well all of the above, really. More often that not, the guerillas will be very knowledgeable of the land they are fighting in. In a mountainous scenario, their targets will be constricted to narrow passages, limiting their usage of numbers. They will also be conditioned to the terrain more than their targets most of the time.

But yes, they would be most effective in any of those areas mostly due to their knowledge of the area and that they should be able to utilize the area far more efficiently than others. They'd probably set traps in narrow gorges or choke points and attack them from an elevated position. They'll strive anywhere that massive numbers wouldn't.

 

[Kit]

I'd roll boulders down on my enemies, and build big piles of dirt and rocks and crap that I could loose at will to start slides.

 

[SeverinR]

I'd roll boulders down on my enemies, and build big piles of dirt and rocks and crap that I could loose at will to start slides.

flat dunes with no cover is the hardest to be effective, but all others can be worked with. The best is limited routes of travel, so you can predict where your target will go and have the best traps laid in wait. Best place for an ambush type of thing.

If dealing with a band of people, try to split the force(small trench filled with flamables ignited when half the force is past), in mounted forces: panic the horses(hard to defend or fight when horse is dancing under you, bucking, or galloping off.), if attacking a wagon train disable lead and tail wagon, to prevent fleeing or defensive manuevers with the wagons. Best ambush kills or injures alot quickly, instills panic and disorder, demoralizes the force and is over quickly, before counter attack can happen.
Frequent quick attacks will wear a force down quickly.
Give us an idea of attackers and defenders, mode of transport, type of weaponry, how well either knows the terrain, and what terrain you decide on.

 

[sashamerideth]

Sent to me by a Brit friend. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/clips/p00g1zyt hiding in camouflage on a hillside to ambush is one technique, especially if fear of the supernatural is used as well. Frighten the enemy, use small forces to harass them and wear them down... pits, traps, if engineers are good, orchestrate an avalanche to trap troops, generally make life miserable without full scale assault

 

[SeverinR]

Nothing demoralizes troops in the security of a large force, then to have people dying or maimed randomly with no one enemy to face. The people in front and rear expect the attack, the people in the middle not so much. So this is the best place to hit when demoralizing the troops is the goal.
It also undermines the leadership when they can't confront an enemy to avenge a death, or to make troops feel safer.

 

[Devor]

What features would a mountain range have to contain in order to make guerrilla warfare effective? Caves? Valleys? Chokepoints? Would there have to be a certain amount of brush or cover?

Also, what tactics would said guerrilla fighters need to employ to remain hidden, and fight effectively?

It doesn't need anything if the defenders have time to build them. Artificial caves, earthenworks, even shrubbery can be planted. With the right resources, even an innocent looking hill could be a trap in disguise.

Guerrilla warfare is about scattering your forces and blending with the background. It doesn't matter if the background is natural. Good guerrilla fighters will build their own traps and cover if they need to.

 

[Butterfly]

If both sides are using bows and arrows - those on the hillside will have the advantage of a greater range than those in the valley below. Your guerillas in the mountains can launch volleys and kill or incapacitate many enemy attackers long before their longbows would be in range and able to launch an attack uphill themselves. They would run straight into hails of arrows, given enough archers. Basically, how Owain Glyndwr won the battle of Bryn Glas, among other factors.

 

[Telcontar]

Mountains by their very nature are conducive to guerrilla warfare, because it is difficult to watch much of them at once.

Guerrillas need room to move and targets to attack that are lightly defended. This means lots of lightly-guarded space to operate in. Because of their ruggedness, you can slip about with little chance of being seen. Because they generally cover a lot of area, you can usually find a spot to attack that isn't defended well.

I suggest reading up heavily on guerrilla warfare (shouldn't be too hard, as recent major wars involved it heavily) to learn the importance of terrain, local popularity, and supply.