Raid (military)

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. 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
British commandos watch as an ammunition dump burns during Operation Archery, Vågsøy 27 December 1941.
Battlespace
  • Land
  • Air
  • Sea
StrategyOperational

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.
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