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Raid (military)
Type of military tactics and operational warfare / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raiding, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare "smash and grab" mission which has a specific purpose. Raiders do not capture and hold a location, but quickly retreat to a previous defended position before enemy forces can respond in a coordinated manner or formulate a counter-attack. Raiders must travel swiftly and are generally too lightly equipped and supported to be able to hold ground. A raiding group may consist of combatants specially trained in this tactic, such as commandos, or as a special mission assigned to any regular troops.[1] Raids are often a standard tactic in irregular warfare, employed by warriors, guerrilla fighters or other irregular military forces. Some raids are large, for example the Sullivan Expedition.
Raid | |
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![]() British commandos watch as an ammunition dump burns during Operation Archery, Vågsøy 27 December 1941. | |
Battlespace |
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Strategy | Operational |
The purposes of a raid may include:
- to demoralize, confuse, or exhaust the enemy;
- to ransack, pillage, or plunder
- to destroy specific goods or installations of military or economic value;
- to free POWs
- to capture enemy soldiers for interrogation;
- to kill or capture specific key persons;
- to gather intelligence.