Armored Warfare In The Jungle Environment

By Major Kevin S. Wimmer

This study examines armored warfare in a jungle environment. The focus is to determine if there is a role for ground mounted armored forces in jungle warfare. This study explains how armor was used in past jungle conflicts and examines current doctrine and applicability of employment of armor in the jungle.
The first portion of the research focuses on discerning how armor was used in past jungle conflicts. The Pacific campaign of World War II and the Vietnam War are examined to determine the historical role of armor in a jungle environment. Early employment of armor in these two conflicts is examined to determine the criteria for use of armored forces in the jungle and examines the tactics, techniques, and procedures that were developed during these conflicts.
The second portion of this study focuses on the feasibility of current employment of armor in a jungle environment. Current Army and Marine armored doctrine is examined and interviews are conducted to determine if current armored systems could and should be employed in jungle warfare. Additionally, officers from foreign countries are interviewed to determine how armored forces are employed in the jungle areas of their countries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Normanby Press
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782895923

Major Kevin S. Wimmer

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Text originally published in 1991 under the same title.

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THE ROLE OF ARMOR IN A JUNGLE ENVIRONMENT

by

MAJ KEVIN S. WIMMER, USA.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

ABSTRACT 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 6

CHAPTER ONE — DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM 7

Background 7

Problem Statement and Research Questions 12

Assumptions 12

Definitions 12

Limitations and Delimitations 13

Significance of the Study 13

Methods and Procedures 13

CHAPTER TWO — REVIEW OF LITERATURE 14

Army Doctrinal Manuals 14

World War II, Pacific Books 16

Historical Military Reports 17

The Vietnam War 17

Books 17

Historical Military Reports 18

Military Studies 18

CHAPTER THREE — A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE 20

WORLD WAR II PACIFIC 20

Buna 20

Tarawa 22

Biak 22

Peleliu 23

Iwo Jima 24

Okinawa 25

The British in Burma 26

Summary 27

THE WAR IN VIETNAM 27

Search and Destroy Operations 28

Security Operations 30

Armored Reaction Forces 32

Additional Operations 33

Summary 34

CHAPTER FOUR — CURRENT ARMORED DOCTRINE AND APPLICATION 35

Examination of Current Army Doctrine 35

Examination of Current Armored Application 40

An Armored Perspective 40

A Cavalry Perspective 42

United States Marine Corps 44

Examination of Marine Doctrinal Concepts 44

FMFM 1. Warfighting 44

Tank Employment/Countermechanized Operations 45

OH 6-1 48

Additional U.S. Marine Corps Armored Doctrine 49

Current Application of Marine Armored Doctrine 49

A Foreign Army Perspective 51

CHAPTER FIVE — CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 53

Conclusion 53

Recommendations 55

Recommendation for Further Study 55

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 57

BIBLIOGRAPHY 58

BOOKS 58

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY DOCUMENTS 59

Periodicals 61

Interviews and Letters 61

ABSTRACT

THE ROLE OF ARMOR IN A JUNGLE ENVIRONMENT by MAJ Kevin S. Wimmer, USA.

This study examines armored warfare in a jungle environment. The focus is to determine if there is a role for ground mounted armored forces in jungle warfare. This study explains how armor was used in past jungle conflicts and examines current doctrine and applicability of employment of armor in the jungle.

The first portion of the research focuses on discerning how armor was used in past jungle conflicts. The Pacific campaign of World War II and the Vietnam War are examined to determine the historical role of armor in a jungle environment. Early employment of armor in these two conflicts is examined to determine the criteria for use of armored forces in the jungle and examines the tactics, techniques, and procedures that were developed during these conflicts.

The second portion of this study focuses on the feasibility of current employment of armor in a jungle environment. Current Army and Marine armored doctrine is examined and interviews are conducted to determine if current armored systems could and should be employed in jungle warfare. Additionally, officers from foreign countries are interviewed to determine how armored forces are employed in the jungle areas of their countries.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

There are many people who provided ideas and encouragement for this thesis. To all of them, I am personally grateful. I especially want to thank Mike McMillion for all the encouragement he provided during the project and to Mike Zarate for getting me started in the program.

I also want to acknowledge my committee for the valuable assistance they provided. A special thanks to my chairman, John Reichley, for his assistance and dedication throughout the project.

Finally, I want to thank my wife, Teresa, who provided the morale and steadfast support I needed to accomplish this project. The key to success lies in teamwork.

CHAPTER ONE — DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM

Background

Until October 1989, the Army's main focus was preparing to fight a war in Central Europe against Warsaw Pact countries. The main focus of planning and resource allocations has been on fighting a war in the European theater. Based on the threat of the Soviet Union attacking into the West German plains, the Army has built an armored force that is designed to fight a high intensity conflict using heavily armored forces. The United States Army has prepared numerous contingency plans outside the European theater and executed three of these in the recent past in Grenada, Panama, and the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm. The role that armor played in the first two conflicts was limited to only the employment of one light armored battalion during the Panamanian conflict, Just Cause. Both Panama and Grenada were extremely short in duration which did not allow for the employment of additional armored assets, but did demonstrate a need for the Army to look beyond the European theater to additional areas of the world in which it might be deployed.

Many people feel that October 1989 signaled the end of the Cold War in Europe between the United States and the Soviet Union. Since then, not only has the Berlin Wall fallen, but East and West Germany have united after forty- five years of separation. Many Eastern European countries have begun to withdraw from the Warsaw Pact, and even the Soviet Union is moving toward a more open, democratic-type society.

Because of these events in Europe, some members of Congress suggested that the United States should immediately reduce the defense budget and significantly decrease the size of the Armed Forces. One specific recommendation included removing all the Army's tank forces from the active Army and placing them in the Reserve Components. This suggestion focused on the premise that the Army's tank force was primarily oriented toward Europe. Congressmen argued that with a reduced European threat, the United States would not have a need for heavy armored forces in the active Army component. Additionally, the cost to operate an armored unit in the active Army is significantly more than in the Reserve Components. Subsequent to these Congressional discussions of active duty armored reductions, the United States deployed two heavy corps to the Middle East in reaction to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. United States armed intervention in this theater of the world had been a possibility for many years due to the instability of the countries in the area and the growing demand for the abundant natural resources in this part of the world. The deployment of armored forces in reaction to the Iraqi threat to United States' interests demonstrated the need to fully understand the total role armored forces have in the Army, both active and reserve, especially in light of down-sizing all military forces by 1995.

Considering the locations the United States has been in conflict in this century and the role armor performed, it is important to closely examine the role of armor today. Armored forces are