150 Questions To A Guerrilla

General Alberto Bayo

• Editorial: Hauraki Publishing
• Año: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781786254948
• Categoría: Storia
• Categoría: Storia russa

General Alberto Bayo is possibly the one individual most responsible for Fidel Castro's military successes against the Batista regime. Find the answers to such questions as: What is the most efficient size of a guerrilla unit? How will new volunteers be trained? What should be done if the enemy fire on us by surprise?

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY QUESTIONS TO A GUERRILLA

By Alberto Bayo Giroud

1. In order for a guerrilla to succeed, exactly what preconditions should exist?

To be right in your struggle against the injustices which a people suffer, whether from foreign invasion, the imposition of a dictatorship, the existence of a government which is an enemy to the people, an oligarchic regime, etc. If these conditions do not exist, the guerrilla war will always be defeated. Whoever revolts unrighteously reaps nothing but a crushing defeat.

2. Who should take part in a guerrilla unit?

Primarily only young men and women who are firm in their convictions, cautious in their dealings, have proven their spirit of self-sacrifice, personal courage, patriotism, and great dedication to the cause of the people should take part in a guerrilla war.

3. In addition to these moral qualifications what else must one who intends to join our guerrilla organization do?

He must truthfully and in detail answer questions on a questionnaire which includes such information as the applicant’s full name; place and date of birth; marital status; names of parents; names of spouse, children, etc.; places of work since the age of eighteen; names of friends in the Revolutionary Movement; whether he has ever been arrested; and many other questions which our Movement has worked out. The applicant must give a history of his political position. After completion of the questionnaire and our obtaining a favorable impression from the investigation of the data supplied, he will be admitted to the appropriate guerrilla unit.

4. If the results of the investigation of his questionnaire reveal the applicant to be an informer or spy who intends to enter our ranks to betray zips, what shall we do with him?

He will be judged by the Summary Court Martial as a traitor to the revolution.

5. If in spite of all steps we take, a despicable spy infiltrates the organization, what shall we do with him?

Once his status has been verified as such, he will be judged by Court Martial and without pity sentenced to death. We can pardon a political enemy who fights for an ideal which in our estimation is wrong. but never a spy. Such a man deserves no consideration even though to the enemy he may be a hero or martyr. The accused should be given every right which his situation warrants, especially since he may really be an agent working for us who was ordered by his supervisors to engage in counterespionage.

6. How many guerrillas work in a guerrilla unit?

The ideal number is between ten and twenty. The fewer the men, the greater the mobility.

7. How fast does a guerrilla unit make an amphibious landing and how is it achieved?

The unit is only as fast as the slowest of its members. To effect a landing everything must be planned and rehearsed in advance so that as soon as the unit hits the beach every member moves quickly, silently, well disciplined and well briefed in his particular task. Those who are assigned to take the hills commanding the beach move off to the left flank; those who are to take and hold the center run forward and assume their positions, then rapidly unload the material from the boat as quickly as possible, maintaining discipline and absolute silence as though they were a group of deaf mutes, not even being able to signal to one another.

8. What is done with guerrillas who cannot withstand long marches?

They are brought together to form slower units within which, however, everyone has to keep up.

9. Who should captain a guerrilla unit?

The captain should be the one who because of his special qualifications of command ability, character, intelligence, caution, zest for combat, etc. is nominated for the position.

10. Should a guerrilla be informed of the higher command organization?

Yes, he should know it and abide by it so that when there are casualties there will be no disagreement as to who is to command a unit. Vacated positions are taken over by the person with the next highest authority and who will be respected and obeyed by all subordinates.

11. What weapons should a guerrilla unit carry?

The unit should be equipped with the same type of rifles to facilitate the supply of ammunition, and in addition, it is good to have a light machine gun which is always useful in our operations. Each guerrilla should always carry his own first-aid kit, canteen, a watch synchronized with the unit leader’s, and many need field glasses. A guerrilla should also wear as a belt a rope some six feet long which can be used at night by a companion who holds on to one end thus not losing contact with his unit. This “tail” is worn wound around the waist. The part left over is what his companion, following behind, holds on to. No one is ever lost this way, no matter how dark the night is. It can be used in scaling peaks, crossing rivers, and for tying up bundles of firewood.

12. How should the guerrilla unit be equipped?

Its men should have good heavy shoes with thick soles and count on one good compass per unit. These are indispensable. Maps of the sector should always be available in order not to have to ask directions of any peasant. But if necessary he should only be used to confirm data already on the map.

13. How should a guerrilla unit be organized?

Exactly like an army corps, with its staff, its different positions and responsibilities filled by guerrillas so all the work does not fall on one man. Therefore the guerrilla unit is composed of the following sections: intelligence, operations, sabotage, recruiting, training, armament, munitions, quartermaster, sanitation, and propaganda.

14. What are the duties of each of these sections?

Intelligence should compile all the information it can on all members of the guerrilla unit, all enemies, those indifferent to the movement; on the location of water, springs and rivers; on roads, highways, trails, bridges; on the conduct of the guerrilla members; on sympathizers who wish to join the unit; on soldiers, informers, spies, etc. At the same time it will obtain or make maps of the terrain and the principal targets in the sector assigned to the unit. It will conduct espionage and counterespionage activities, keep records on unit personnel regarding all combat performance whether outstanding or unimpressive; and carry on cryptographic work (coding and deciphering messages, documents of courts martial, etc.).

The Intelligence Section should be under the direction of the second in command of the guerrilla unit, who should himself possess a high degree of intelligence, wisdom, and caution.

The Operations Section will supervise all attacks and other missions the unit undertakes and will evaluate the results of these endeavors. It consults with the comrades responsible for carrying out the missions, keeps the commander posted on the development of projects so he can make the final decision as to whether the operation will be put into effect. When the captain is unable to command a unit because of wounds, severe illness, or necessary absence, the head of Operations takes over his command, filing all data required for operations, both proposed and ready for accomplishment, along with different scale maps of the sector.

Leadership of the Sabotage Section, the main one of the ten composing our staff, falls to an active officer, extraordinarily dynamic, extremely intelligent and clever, having a creative imagination, adaptability, and a real vocation for his assignment. He must conduct his missions so that all types of sabotage are exploited to the fullest; if possible hitting new objectives daily.

The Recruiting Section obtains personnel to fill out our ranks or replace our losses. It will list names of young volunteers separating them into three groups. In the first group will be those who are to replace our casualties; in the second, those who can serve as machete men or demolition agents; and the third group, used only for the construction of fortifications and other such tasks.

The officer in charge of training will supervise the training in handling firearms and close order drill, literacy courses for peasants, and all educational and cultural programs of the guerrilla unit.

The Armament Section is concerned with the maintenance of the unit’s weapons; with the shotguns of the shotgunners serving with our forces as well as with our hand guns.

It will keep lists of instructors and armorers and their assistants, providing for the acquisition of replacement parts needed to maintain our arms in good repair.

The Munitions Section is in charge of everything pertaining to the guerrilla unit’s ammunition. It trains civilians who are to pass cartridges on to the guerrillas, and furthermore maintains small caches of cartridges and spare parts so that in no encounter will the guerrilla be without munitions.

The Quartermaster Section, because of its vital importance, will be the province of one of the most responsible men in the unit. This section sees to it that food is never lacking for the troop, rationing intelligently whatever it has, and assuring by its negotiations, orders, and purchases the feeding of the unit.

The Sanitation chief doesn’t have to be a doctor or nurse, although it would be helpful if he were. This section has the responsibility for keeping a complete stock of medicine, and whatever else is needed to bring our comrades back to health. This includes the addresses of doctors and nurses in our sector who will either voluntarily treat our men or who will be forced to do so when called upon.

The man in charge of Propaganda will make known all our successful exploits in newspapers and magazines throughout the country; and if that is not possible, then by means of letters, mimeographed bulletins, etc. This publicizing of our military accomplishments will raise the morale of our people and wear down the morale of our enemies.

In Combat

15. What physical training should a guerrilla hare before going on missions?

He will engage in even longer marches until reaching a total of fifteen hours duration with only a short rest of ten minutes every four hours; besides, he will practice night marches of seven hours, at least.

16. How should one move about in the field at night?

One should walk as though riding a bicycle, lifting the feet high each step in order not to trip over stones, tree trunks, or other objects in your way. Use your compass at least every hour to check your directions. If you have no compass you can orient yourself by the polar star whose location you will learn in our manuals. On starless ni...