Riverine Operations
Riverine Operations (English for river warfare operations ) represent a special variant of amphibious warfare , which fall from Seelandemanövern different. Although, z. For example, the necessary equipment is close to classic amphibious landings , but there are also clear differences, especially since the operations usually take place over a longer period of time. In contrast to landing operations, there is usually no support from larger combat ships in inland waters . In the English military terminology, the term Brown Water Navy has therefore also been formed for coastal and inland operations versus the Blue Water Navy , the deep-sea fleet.
Historical development
Until the middle of the 19th century, the regular naval forces were mostly also responsible for operations in river basins. Outside of the canals navigable by seagoing vessels, one could only fall back on very weakly armed rowing boats. The first large combat ships designed for long operations on rivers were steam-powered gunboats . This was the only way to ensure the maneuverability of larger ships in a confined space. During the Civil War , the monitors became the first armored river combat ships. There were extensive deployments of ironclad ships on rivers, for example. B. in the Russian Civil War and in the Soviet Union in World War II .
In the Pacific War against Japan, mostly patrol torpedo boats ( PT Schnellboot ) and sometimes landing craft were used to support operations in river and swamp areas .
Formation of special units for river warfare
1st Indochina War
The need for a more comprehensive approach to conducting major operations in areas heavily traversed by rivers arose during the French War of Indochina . The French army primarily founded small flotillas of various types of landing craft , which they referred to as divisions navales d'assaut , or Dinassauts for short , most likely to translate as "sea storm departments", and with which patrols and convoys, but above all also rapid relocation larger infantry units and their fire support in the large river areas of Indochina should be made possible. Extensive missions were carried out in the Red River Delta in Tonkin and in the Mekong Delta .
A particular challenge was the coordination between the river units of the Navy and their infantry support from the army.
2nd Indochina War
At the beginning of the US intervention in the Republic of South Vietnam in 1965, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) also faced the problem of having to control the extensive water zone of the Mekong Delta. The French experience of a river-based task force was remembered and a similar composition began to be formed.
In order to ensure operational capability over longer periods of time, floating bases were built to meet the logistical challenge of supplying river-based units. Barracks, repair and supply ships formed the organizational backbone of the combat units, which consisted of Navy, Army and air support elements in the form of helicopters. The planning staff worked continuously on the structure of the Mobile Riverine Forces (MFR) during the missions . A close coordination of the participating units of different branches of the armed forces, as well as with the troops of South Vietnam, was the crucial task that led to some disputes about the respective jurisdiction. Interestingly, the United States Marine Corps played no role in the concept, while support from the United States Coast Guard existed by securing the deeper waters directly in the coastal area with their seaworthy patrol boats ( Fast Patrol Craft ). The area of operation in the widely branched Mekong Delta led to extensive developments of special watercraft. While the fast patrol boats were primarily used to prevent the smuggling of weapons by the Viet Cong and to quickly transport small commando units, armored transport ships were equipped with extensive armament in order to give landing infantry the necessary fire support. For the first time, armed air cushion vehicles ( Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle ) were used, and the concept of armored monitors ( LCM (6) monitors ) was resumed. There were also floating landing platforms for military helicopters and floating artillery bases that could be pulled into position by other ships.
Although the concept of the MRF was viewed as relatively successful militarily, the Nixon Doctrine led to the dissolution of these associations and the transfer of large parts of the equipment to South Vietnam as part of the so-called Vietnamization of the war .
Developments since the Vietnam War
Since the end of the Vietnam War, associations explicitly focused on river warfare have existed almost only in states that have to control extensive river basins due to their geographical location, e.g. B. in Brazil and Peru in the Amazon basin . As part of the trend towards increased global interventions, the US armed forces have developed a more extensive deployment concept in the form of littoral warfare (beach warfare ), which is again more strongly oriented towards amphibious landing operations, but also the hinterland near the coast and the direct approach to the coastal waters involves. Even if the focus of the planning is again on the marines, as the classic amphibious force, the integration of all armed forces in this concept was retained, which not least corresponds to the general development towards network centric warfare .