K. This is the 1st working draft of vol. VI. It still ... - From Marx to Mao

BASIC TACTICS
CHAPTER VII
SURPRISE ATTACK
1. POINTS THAT SHOULD BE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED
REGARDING OUR TASKS BEFORE A SURPRISE ATTACK
When a guerrilla unit has finished concentrating for an attack,
and when plans for scouts, courier service etc., have all been satisfactorily
completed, and one is preparing a surprise attack on a certain
inhabited place, the commander of the guerrilla unit must first
FROM MARX
TO MAO
form a clear idea about each of the following points.
⋆
(1) What is the strength of the military forces defending the
given inhabited place? How are they deployed? How are they
armed? What is their fighting capacity? How many scouts to sound
a warning have they sent out?
(2) Is there any other enemy nearby? If there is, how far away
is he? Can he quickly come to the aid of the defending forces? Can
we imagine how he would come to aid them? From what direction
he would come?
(3) What sort of roads are there that could be followed by the
guerrillas and by the enemy? NOT What FOR hidden roads are there in the
vicinity of the place we intend to attack by surprise? What route
will we take to get to the place we are attacking? The preceding
three points are not COMMERCIAL
only things we should know in view of carrying
out a surprise attack; we must also not fail to consider them with
reference to our withdrawal after the attack.
(4) As for fixing the time of a surprise attack, it is best to carry
it out at night, for, DISTRIBUTION
under the cover of darkness, even if the attack
should fail, it can still inspire panic in the enemy. But we can attack
at night only if we are thoroughly familiar with the terrain, and
have clearly understood the enemy’s dispositions or have extremely
good guides. Otherwise, we should choose instead to carry out such
surprise attacks at daybreak. If a surprise attack is to be directed
against a supply depot, it should be carried out in the dead of night,
for the men, horses, and military equipment in such a depot will be
on the move again very early, at daybreak.
(5) Can the population of the given inhabited place aid the enemy
or not? How can we prevent the population from bringing
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