Training - Convoys: Route Planning

Route planning for a guerrilla convoy (2-6 vehicles, 4-12 members) involves selecting paths to ensure safe, timely movement while minimizing exposure to threats.

It requires identifying primary and alternate routes, analyzing terrain, and incorporating guerrilla-specific tactics like using backroads and avoiding predictable patterns to evade detection and ambushes.

Primary and Alternate Routes

The primary route is the most efficient path to the destination, balancing speed, safety, and terrain suitability.

Alternate routes are pre-planned backups to use if the primary route is compromised (e.g., due to roadblocks, ambushes, or enemy activity). Planning involves mapping both routes to ensure flexibility and rapid adaptation.

How to Plan

• Primary Route: Choose a path with reliable roads, minimal chokepoints (e.g., bridges), and access to cover (e.g., tree lines). Use maps, GPS, or local knowledge to plot the shortest, safest route to the objective, such as a supply drop-off.
• Alternate Routes: Identify at least one backup route, ideally diverging early from the primary route, with different terrain or landmarks to avoid overlapping threats. Ensure alternates are viable for vehicle types (e.g., SUVs can handle gravel roads).
• Example: For a 20-km supply run, the primary route might follow a secondary highway with open fields for visibility, while the alternate route uses a parallel dirt road through a forested area for concealment.

Terrain Analysis

Terrain analysis evaluates the physical environment to identify opportunities and risks, such as cover, concealment, or obstacles. It informs route selection by assessing how terrain affects mobility, visibility, and enemy threats.

Check for elevation (e.g., hills that slow vehicles), road conditions (e.g., paved vs. muddy), and chokepoints (e.g., narrow passes prone to ambushes). Use maps or scout reports to note areas for concealment (e.g., forests) or exposure (e.g., open plains).

Example: Avoid a valley with steep sides (potential ambush site) and prioritize a route with rolling hills offering cover and multiple escape paths.

Guerilla Considerations

• Using Backroads: Guerrilla convoys favor backroads (e.g., rural tracks, service roads) to avoid enemy-controlled highways or checkpoints. Backroads reduce visibility, blend with local traffic, and offer escape routes in dense terrain. For example, a dirt trail through farmland might conceal a convoy better than a main road near a town.
• Avoiding Predictable Patterns: Repeated use of the same routes or schedules makes convoys predictable, increasing ambush risk. Guerrillas vary routes, times, and vehicle types to confuse enemies. For instance, alternating between morning and night movements or using different entry points to a safe zone disrupts enemy surveillance.
• Reasoning: With limited firepower and no external support, guerrilla convoys rely on stealth and unpredictability. Backroads enhance concealment, while varied patterns reduce the chance of enemies anticipating movements, aligning with the course’s emphasis on low profile and evasion.

This approach ensures guerrilla convoys can navigate hostile areas effectively while prioritizing survival.