Best WW2 weapons for counterinsurgency

[Maur]

Some works I've read on Soviet counterinsurgency in WW2 would disagree with that. A lack of restraint can be just as bad as too much restraint, as it leads to abuses which drive the population into the hands of the rebels. Soviet strategy from 1944-47 was definitely effective at reducing the UPA's overall strength. But it came at the cost of heavy losses in the RKKA, NKVD, and the local Party and the alienation of the local population. The moderated startegy adopted from 1947 onwards proved to be more effective and economical. It involved a carefully targeted repression campaign aimed only at insurgent and their families, propaganda to discredit the UPA among the rural populace by showcasing atrocities, and the intensification of collectivization efforts. The collectivization campaign was particularly important because it forced the UPA to carry out larger and more indiscriminate reprisals against those who joined the kolkhozy. This in turn alienated the population and caused them to withhold supplies from insurgents, deny them shelter, and form Soviet-organized "destruction battalions" to defend local communities and hunt down UPA fighters.

Mass violence and terror isn't the end all be all in authoritarian counterinsurgency. A balanced approach is the more cost effective way to weaken insurgents, destroying their base of support without alienating the majority of the population.

Indeed. And that means that the answer for OP is a bolt-action rifle, with some SMG sprinkled in. Nothing more, no heavy weapons, certainly, because they tend to be non-discriminating, and they will get used if they are available.

 

[cracou]

Instigate Hearts and Minds ops - ie find out what the villagers (or potential support base for the need and supply it.

And don't do it the "American way"

Example: on TV I could see a guy in Irak who was going to meet Irakian people in the street for a "heart and mind" discussion. At the begining he put on a plastic glove "to protect against disease"...

Epic Fail: shaking hand with a glove is a big no-no in all cultures. As they are not stupid they will get the "protect against disease" thing so they are going to be even more infuriated as the not so subtle meaning is "you have a disease and I don't trust you".

 

[Cryhavoc101]

And don't do it the "American way"

Example: on TV I could see a guy in Irak who was going to meet Irakian people in the street for a "heart and mind" discussion. At the begining he put on a plastic glove "to protect against disease"...

Epic Fail: shaking hand with a glove is a big no-no in all cultures. As they are not stupid they will get the "protect against disease" thing so they are going to be even more infuriated as the not so subtle meaning is "you have a disease and I don't trust you".

The other one I saw was a progame about a British based Private Security company in Afganistan - they all grew beards, used /worked with lots of locals, used Local weapons, Pickups, dressed like the locals as far as possible and learned the lingo and talked to the local leaders.

They were not being attacked as they had effectively merged with the population.

Another company driving big black brand new SUVs, wearing Gucci sunglasses and the latest high speed low drag equipment. They had M4s with every concievable add on hanging off the end and the operators looked like they slept at the Hilton - they were being attacked regularly.

The annoying thing is that the US have been quite capable of conducting such ops in the past - even in Vietnam - but it was only done by their SF units living with tribes in the west of the country (and very sucessfully so).

 

[Salamander]

Anything in the British inventory, they pretty much wrote the book on both insurgency & counter-insurgency tactics.

 

[CalBear]

The Best Weapons?

Gas and Chemical Weapons. Every area there is an attack, kill a whole village.

Or even Atomic Bombs, we will bomb a city intill you surrender all fighting. Like what the Empire planned to do with the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance.

Uh... Ya'

Advocating mass murder is a violation of Board policy.

Cease & desist.

 

[Maur]

Uh... Ya'

Advocating mass murder is a violation of Board policy.

Cease & desist.

Isnt it a technical discussion, though? I mean, there is a difference between one and the other.

 

[President Farrakhan]

I was able to grab Turtledove's The Man with the Iron Heart in a Dollar Store and it was so depressing I felt physically ill at certain points and skipped a bunch of chapters lol. He totally turns the occupation of Germany into "The Iraq War + Nazis" and its heart-breaking. Thank God that nobody in the OTL Nazi hierarchy decided to put that much effort into preparing for a guerrilla campaign.