War In The Heart And Mind: The Moral Domain Of The Guerrilla Warrior

By Major Daniel L. Zajac

This monograph seeks to determine if the moral detrain of battle for guerrilla soldiers is different from that of conventional soldiers.

The works of classical and contemporary military theorists address various factors that impact on the moral domain of battle for the individual soldier. These works discuss the moral domain almost exclusively from the perspective of conventional soldiers. As the United States faces the challenges of the post-Cold War world, the likelihood of military intervention in conflicts involving guerrilla warfare may increase, if established moral domain theory does not apply to guerrilla warfare then new paradigms addressing the guerrilla merit investigation. Understanding what motivates the guerrilla soldier in combat will assist the U.S. Army in the development of tactics, techniques and procedures to defeat guerilla movements.

This study focuses on rural-based guerrillas in combat at the tactical level of war. The evidence includes a review of theory on the moral domain and case studies on the guerrilla forces of the Yugoslavian Partisans (1941-44) and the Viet Cong (1960-75). Classical and contemporary theories describing the moral domain of conventional soldiers provide a base line for comparisons with guerrilla fighters. The monograph employs Anthony Kellett’s “factors affecting combat motivation” as criteria in a comparative analysis of the guerrilla’s moral domain. Those factors are: importance of the primary group; unit esprit; manpower allocation; socialization; training; discipline; leadership; ideology; rewards; preconceptions of combat; aspects of combat; combat stress; and combat behavior. The monograph concludes that Kellett’s factors and much of the classical moral domain theory do apply to the guerrilla. However, while the basic construct is applicable, the nature of some factors is significantly different. The Monograph explores these differences and their implications for counterguerrilla doctrine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tannenberg Publishing
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781782899945

Major Daniel L. Zajac

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Text originally published in 1992 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

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Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

WAR IN THE HEART AND MIND: THE MORAL DOMAIN OF THE GUERRILLA WARRIOR

By

MAJ Daniel L. Zajac, USA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

ABSTRACT 5

I. — INTRODUCTION 6

The Moral Domain 6

Conventional and Guerrilla Warfare 7

II. — THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE MORAL DOMAIN OF THE CONVENTIONAL SOLDIER. 9

Importance of the Primary Group 10

Unit-Esprit 11

Manpower allocation 12

Training 12

Discipline 14

Leadership 14

Ideology 14

Rewards 15

Preconceptions of Combat 15

Aspects of Combat 15

Combat Stress 16

Combat Behavior 17

III. — ANALYSIS OF THE MORAL DOMAIN OF THE GUERRILLA 19

The Yugoslavian Partisans. 1941-44 19

The Viet Cong. 1960-75 20

Factors Affecting the Moral Domain and the Guerrilla Importance of the Primary Group 22

Unit Esprit 23

Manpower Allocation 23

Socialization 24

Training 24

Discipline 25

Leadership 26

Ideology 26

Rewards 27

Preconceptions of Combat 28

Aspects of Combat 28

Combat Stress 29

Combat Behavior 30

IV. — CONCLUSIONS 31

V. — IMPLICATIONS 33

Appendix 1 (Organization of the People’s Liberation Armed Force) 35

Appendix 2 (Organization of the People’s Liberation Armed Force) 36

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY 38

Government Publications 38

Books 38

Reports 41

Journal and Magazine Articles 43

Unpublished Dissertations. Thesis and Papers 43

Interviews 43

ABSTRACT

This monograph seeks to determine if the moral detrain of battle for guerrilla soldiers is different from that of conventional soldiers.

The works of classical and contemporary military theorists address various factors that impact on the moral domain of battle for the individual soldier. These works discuss the moral domain almost exclusively from the perspective of conventional soldiers. As the United States faces the challenges of the post-Cold War world, the likelihood of military intervention in conflicts involving guerrilla warfare may increase, if established moral domain theory does not apply to guerrilla warfare then new paradigms addressing the guerrilla merit investigation. Understanding what motivates the guerrilla soldier in combat will assist the U.S. Army in the development of tactics, techniques and procedures to defeat guerilla movements.

This study focuses on rural-based guerrillas in combat at the tactical level of war. The evidence includes a review of theory on the moral domain and case studies on the guerrilla forces of the Yugoslavian Partisans (1941-44) and the Viet Cong (1960-75). Classical and contemporary theories describing the moral domain of conventional soldiers provide a base line for comparisons with guerrilla fighters. The monograph employs Anthony Kellett’s factors affecting combat motivation as criteria in a comparative analysis of the guerrilla’s moral domain. Those factors are: importance of the primary group; unit esprit; manpower allocation; socialization; training; discipline; leadership; ideology; rewards; preconceptions of combat; aspects of combat; combat stress; and combat behavior. The monograph concludes that Kellett’s factors and much of the classical moral domain theory do apply to the guerrilla. However, while the basic construct is applicable, the nature of some factors is significantly different. The Monograph explores these differences and their implications for counterguerrilla doctrine.

I. — INTRODUCTION

Throughout history prominent military theorists and practitioners have stressed the importance of understanding the relationship between people and war. Despite the emphasis that many theorists place on the moral domain of battle, few of them addressed the subject in different forms of war. Guerrilla warfare is one form of war escaping differentiation in theory of the moral domain. If generally accepted theory of the moral domain does not apply to the guerrilla, then