CENPA-005~17 |
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UNITY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER I967 - 16 - WHAT IS A GUERRILLA? This is a pertinent question. Today there is a lot of talk about guerrilla warfare and guerrilla fighters. It therefore becomes necessary in the interests of clarity to give some definition of what a guerrilla is. Our definition comes from none other than the internationally recognised leader of the guerrilla movement, the late Major Ernesto Che Guevara, V/e are indebted to Granma (December 3, I967) for this article, which we publish here in full: "The guerrilla is a liberation fighter par excellence: elected of the people, vanguard combatant in their struggle for liberation. Guerrilla warfare is not, as often thought, a small-scale v/ar, a war conducted by a minority grouping against a powerful army. No, guerrilla warfare is v/ar by the entire people against the reigning oppression. The guerrilla movement is their armed vanguard; the guerrilla army comprises all the people of a region or a country, ^hat is the reason for its strength and for its eventual victory over whatever power* tries to crush it; that is, the base and grounding of the guerrilla is the people. "One cannot imagine small armed groups, no matter how mobile and familiar v/ith the 'terrain, surviving the organised persecution.; of a well-equipped army v/ithout this powerful assistance. The tpst is that all bandits, all brigand gangs, eventually succumb to the central power - and one must bear in mind that for the inhabitants of a region these bandits often represent more than mere brigandage: they represent a liberation struggle, though the sheerest caricature of. one. , . "Each member of the guerrilla army, the people's army par excellence, must embody the qualities of the best of the world's soldiers. The army must observe strict discipline. The fact that the formalities of orthodox military life do not correspond to the guerrilla movement, the fact that there is no heel-clicking or snappy saluting, no kowtowing explanations to superior officers, does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that there is no discipline. Guerrilla discipline is within the individual, born of his profound conviction, of the need to obey his superior, not only so as to maintain the effectiveness of'the armed group of which he is a part, but also to^defend his own life, Any slight carelessness by a soldier in a regular army is controlled by his nearest comrade. In guerrilla warfare, in which each soldier is a unit within himself, an error is fatal. No one can be careless. No one can commit even .the smallest slip, as his life and those of his comrades are at stake. "This informal discipline is often not apparent. For the un- uniformed, the regular soldier, with a whole complex system for show-. ing recognition of superior officers, seems far more disciplined than a guerrilla, any guerrilla, following his chief's instructions v/ith simple and stirring respect, Moreover, the liberation army is a pure army v/ith no room for even the smallest of man's v/eaknesses; it has no repressive apparatus, no intelligence service to prevent individuals from falling victim to temptation. Self-control is the operative force. Rigid awareness of duty and discipline. "Besides being a^disciplined soldier, the guerrilla is very agile, physically and mentally. "One cannot conceive of static guerrilla warfare. Night is the setting. Depending on his knowledge of the terrain, the guerrilla moves at night, takes position, attacks the enemy and withdraws. /.
Object Description
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Title | CENPA-005~17 |
Filename | CENPA-005~17.tiff |
Full text | UNITY NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER I967 - 16 - WHAT IS A GUERRILLA? This is a pertinent question. Today there is a lot of talk about guerrilla warfare and guerrilla fighters. It therefore becomes necessary in the interests of clarity to give some definition of what a guerrilla is. Our definition comes from none other than the internationally recognised leader of the guerrilla movement, the late Major Ernesto Che Guevara, V/e are indebted to Granma (December 3, I967) for this article, which we publish here in full: "The guerrilla is a liberation fighter par excellence: elected of the people, vanguard combatant in their struggle for liberation. Guerrilla warfare is not, as often thought, a small-scale v/ar, a war conducted by a minority grouping against a powerful army. No, guerrilla warfare is v/ar by the entire people against the reigning oppression. The guerrilla movement is their armed vanguard; the guerrilla army comprises all the people of a region or a country, ^hat is the reason for its strength and for its eventual victory over whatever power* tries to crush it; that is, the base and grounding of the guerrilla is the people. "One cannot imagine small armed groups, no matter how mobile and familiar v/ith the 'terrain, surviving the organised persecution.; of a well-equipped army v/ithout this powerful assistance. The tpst is that all bandits, all brigand gangs, eventually succumb to the central power - and one must bear in mind that for the inhabitants of a region these bandits often represent more than mere brigandage: they represent a liberation struggle, though the sheerest caricature of. one. , . "Each member of the guerrilla army, the people's army par excellence, must embody the qualities of the best of the world's soldiers. The army must observe strict discipline. The fact that the formalities of orthodox military life do not correspond to the guerrilla movement, the fact that there is no heel-clicking or snappy saluting, no kowtowing explanations to superior officers, does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that there is no discipline. Guerrilla discipline is within the individual, born of his profound conviction, of the need to obey his superior, not only so as to maintain the effectiveness of'the armed group of which he is a part, but also to^defend his own life, Any slight carelessness by a soldier in a regular army is controlled by his nearest comrade. In guerrilla warfare, in which each soldier is a unit within himself, an error is fatal. No one can be careless. No one can commit even .the smallest slip, as his life and those of his comrades are at stake. "This informal discipline is often not apparent. For the un- uniformed, the regular soldier, with a whole complex system for show-. ing recognition of superior officers, seems far more disciplined than a guerrilla, any guerrilla, following his chief's instructions v/ith simple and stirring respect, Moreover, the liberation army is a pure army v/ith no room for even the smallest of man's v/eaknesses; it has no repressive apparatus, no intelligence service to prevent individuals from falling victim to temptation. Self-control is the operative force. Rigid awareness of duty and discipline. "Besides being a^disciplined soldier, the guerrilla is very agile, physically and mentally. "One cannot conceive of static guerrilla warfare. Night is the setting. Depending on his knowledge of the terrain, the guerrilla moves at night, takes position, attacks the enemy and withdraws. /. |
Archival file | chilunpub_Volume49/CENPA-005~17.tiff |