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 |
|
Strategy | Operational |
Part of a series on |
War |
---|
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.