Page:On Guerrilla Warfare (United States Marine Corps translation).djvu/29

Mao Tse-tung on Guerrilla Warfare marked, not entirely facetiously, that guerrillas must be expert at running away since they do it so often. They avoid static dispositions; their effort is always to keep the situation as fluid as possible, to strike where and when the enemy least expects them. Only in this way can they retain the initiative and so be assured of freedom of action. Usually designed to lure the enemy into a baited trap, to confuse his leadership, or to distract his attention from an area in which a more decisive blow is imminent, "running away" is thus, paradoxically, offensive.

Guerrilla operations conducted over a wide region are necessarily decentralized. Each regional commander must be familiar with local conditions and take advantage of local opportunities. The same applies to commands in subordinate districts. This decentralization is to some extent forced upon guerrillas because they ordinarily lack a well-developed system of technical communications. But at the same time, decentralization for normal operations has many advantages, particularly if local leaders are ingenious and bold.

The enemy's rear is the guerrillas' front; they themselves have no rear. Their logistical problems are solved in a direct and elementary fashion: The enemy is the principal source of weapons, equipment, and ammunition.

Mao once said: