Fantastic features of future warfare

Media

Part of Philippine Armed Forces Journal

Title
Fantastic features of future warfare
Language
English
Source
Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 6) April 1956
Year
1956
Rights
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Fulltext
PHILIPINES ARMED FORCES JOURNAL Fantastic Features of Future Warfare By lie utenant Colonel Robe rt B. Rigg, Armor H \•; atomic ag.., is pmducin,;; 1•.-uduct i~ a IL\'" furm of lightr,rn~: cunnu~ mihtary cnd·IH<.,Iuct, ~·cl war : ;1-IJurr~nsronal hlittkr ;.,~ toni) a ft·w p~r~nn,:; aro· cnr1sc"'u~ uf \\'hilt· rh,. wor-ld •nil 4anrl in lrv ,,,. llrrlh and hc!('umrngs. Thi.~ nH mg ~lt('ad nf atomrc wa tfatt·, and lit;rn •·m\ product r~ not a h:.r- r•ro- nation~ will cnntrnul' lu )!tnl fur rts f\uct ht·caOSI il will "'N\'\' not on\~ pn~sibilitres, thrs rll'"-' f<Jnn uf hlrh:· tu alh•r th•· for·m nf anr prnbabl(' kri('l! will qurl·t ly undeq.:-u oh·n·lopfutun• cnnflrct, but it could ''lrnrr· ment and pr·ogi'('SS Thl' fa nta,..tlt nutr utnmic war it,..~lf. This •·nd- proportion of futur o· wa1fa•·c i!< ba n),; Af'llll, 195C ly "isible now because much public one half that of the Army·~ nt·'~ altrntion is focused on atomic w~·a self-Jnopelled gun, the TIOL Thu~. ron!>. one existin~ helicopter is approachSine(• tht> mccption of armed c:on- ing the lift capacity of tt·ansportin,::flic:t, man ha!< sou~ht increased ric- a 90mm gun and tank-tracked car ::;t•·uctive effect.. The peak in' p.,._ riilge. Jn five yeai'J: the man1ag1 t('ntinl military de!<tl·uction has been of tank and helicopter, even in this rPached. Man 11ow possesses more blast crud!' form, can be ~<uch that J.i vowe•· than he needs. The world is crane-helicopters can lift a tank baton the brink of full realization that talion acmss. a river in one murn a total duel with atomic weap•ms is ing and resupply them in the aftcrsimr:lr t.>xecution of a mutual lluicide noon. The Army's. M59 arnull'crl pact. The horror of this grim pos- personnel canier for infantry is al ~1bility provides the foundation upon l'eady capable of swimming ri~'l'l'" which men will seck new approachl's Bridges are nice, but in hard comto. a more sanitary! form of war- bat they a1·e bound to be climinatt>1l rare and defef\SC. Thus we are en- f01· faster tactical ml'ans. to the end; tering a new era, that of 3-D blit::::- get across in a huny and save lives. ~-rieg, wherein multiple fo1·ms of mi- Another reality in test model !om1 litary mobilitY. will intl'oduce fan- is the Aerodyne invented by D1. tastic feature into future war. Alexander M. Lippisch. All fuscla,::-1· This multiple approach blitzkrieg and no wings, the Ac1·odyn(' geh it~ will bt:comc the core of 3-Dimension- lift from a blast of air blown throu~h al wa1·farc, that form of future con- its belly. Dr. Lippisch's cxpc•·imcnt i~ fhct utilizing flyin!!' tanks, leaping of such significance that the Office logistical carriers and flying pill- of Naval Research is subsidizing hi1< boxt!s. research. Dr. Lippisch hopes to haH· The ' Fantastic: Vehicles Are Here a piloted Aerodyn<:> flying within Since the 3-ll warfal'l' conct>pt was this year. JIUblished in ARMOR (Novemher- The fourth reality is tht.> F'fyil/[1 December, 1~155), the following five B"rrcl or ring-wing-type aircraft realities have eithcl' taken place or The Navy has awarded a rcs1•arch have recently come to public notice: contract to the Kaman Aircraft CorFirst, the Army has purchased 12 poratiou for the development of thi!i o'XJICJ"imeuta\ models of the AerQCyc/e, annular wingo airc1·aft that will ..:oma une man flying machine desi~t~lcd binc the ad\•antagcs of the airpla1w tn ~th·e the infantryman more mobil- and helicopter for vertical und huit~· than he has e\'er possessed. rizontal flight. Th(' F•·c11Ch Gowl'll The !lt'Cond reality is the Ffyi'ng mclit has financed wm·k 011 lht• Cu· Crum~, tht Ail· Fo1·ce's XHI'i heli- le011ter, a flyiug barrel \\'hi('h i~ lll-COJitCI' that has actually lifted a ing developed by D1·. Helmut vmo 7,8Ju pound trailc1· van. The Fly- Zborowski, a German enj:Cincc1 anrl in~t Crane is now lifting a weight aircraft power-plant specialisL. T!w Tit• A•rocrcl• ,. " on• mon llr"'IJ moch•n• d• uS'ned to gove th• onlonlrymon more mob•Mr thon It• /tor ever ltod Colt!optct· rrmm the Greek fot· herenfter referred to M \'£'TO.~.) "sheathed-winged") has been put This plane itself has been succ~ssthrough laboratory and wind tun- fully flown at Moffett Field, Calincl test~. A full sized flying barrel fornia. is t·xpected to be evident soon in Thus there is in being today an France. array of functional ait·craft 'll•· deIn th~· ridd of lan~:er aircraft with vices which provide the v,..1-y foun ''t•J·tical landing potentialities thcr,.. dation for 3-Dimensional warfan· is lhl· fifth 1-eality: the Army's Co11- and 3-D blitzkrieg. The way is clear, 1'1'rtni•lul!<~. In addition, thct·t' is un- to wage futur·,.. combat without cornd•·•· Oevelopment the \'Crtical takf' 11letl• t•eliance on mads, btjt airfielO~ uff and landings airhne1·. (The VTO, and bt·idges. Projcd by eight ycarl> of mobility. In the field of prediction, the ranges are unknown and the targets are obscure. This :uticle is not to record a set of predictions, but to outline possibilities that lie within the grasp of the Army. These arc the possibilities. They can be accepted or rejected-but they cannot be igno red. a-Dimensional Blitzkrieg The flying tank will project armor in a new form of mobility that will give combat a fantastic final proportion. It is too early to prediet the form of the flying tank. Its form was suggested in my last article. However, the more probable design will be that of the WASP, which is a flying barrel with tracks. The hull and the turret will be one unit, the barrel itself rotating on the track platform as shown. Battalions of these barrel WASPs will constitute 3-D task force that can alight in enemy rear areas to destroy the logistical support installations of large forces. Then in turn they may take off to engage in combat in other chosen areas. By their mobility they will force such fluidthe vertical take-Off ships, or VE- ity into combat that they can only TOS, which we now have and this be countered by tanks of similar new form of warfare will assume function. such concrete shape that even the lo- The 3-D blitzkrieg capacity of gisticians will be convinced that 3- 470 flying tanks alone is such that D combat is here to stay. Actually, this force, organized in seven colthis revolution in tactics and tech- umns, can militarily and momentaniques is going to cause a revolu- rily ·(one to two days) dominate an tion in military logistics as well. The area the size of Austria and wreak problem is to leapfrog certain lo- destructive havoc on conventional gistical concepts and practices ovet enemy forces of up to 40,000 troops. to a new field of military art that Add 10,500 VETO lifted infantry will be in key with the future forma {21 battalions of 500 each) to the PHILif'PINES ARM'eD FORCES JOVRNA.L -~ ............. . The Flying Crone - l'H17 heli(ople• bcs cduclly lifl•d o 7.!00 lb. lroiler ~~" 470 tanks and this blitzkrieg force forces would be the surprise factor. can successfully dominate a region This tactical advantage would serve like Austria for one week and de- to reduce ammunition consumption feat a conventional aggressor force and thereby 1·educe logistical ton· up to 100,000 men. These combat nages of supply and resupply. Fur. proportions appear fantastic on the thermore, the capacity of 'VETO surface until one grasps the mobil· units to disengage in combat quickity aspe<:t of VETO tanks and in- ly and de<:is~vely means that they fantry which can engage, disengage, can return to several rendezvous of disappear and reenter combat at will supply and thereby largely eliminate almost without particular reference the present practice of showing all to the limiting influences of terrain. supply tonnages forward. To thl' The biggest advantage of the VETO combat unit stuck on the front, 3-D will eliminate fronts entirely. There est war deterrents of the atomic age. will be only points and areas of If two sides possess the same 3combat and conflict. These points Dimensional capability in conflict will be multiple; they will be grim the question arises: Do the flyand decisive. ing tanks start shooting down other The nation first developing the airborne tanks and VETO personcapacity fo1· effective 3-Dimensional nel carriers so that the new warcombat will assume unusual interna- fare . becomes air-to-air? The antiona! dominance. This dominance swer is that equality in 3-D warfare has two edges. In aggressive hands will breed a fantastic set of air-toit cc.n be a dire threat to small na- ground tactics in which the earth ittions. In the grasp of the Free self would assume new defensive Nations it can be one of the great- advantage. Air·to- air combat between flying tanks and other VETOs The significant fact is that VEwould evolve, but it would be minor TO Armor and Infantry can capture in Scope because the VETOs are pri- the enemy as well as shoot and dcsmarily. ground vehicles. Would new troy him. The guided missile ot· missiles eliminate flying tanks and rocket can capture nothing. The other VETOs? Certainly missiles former cor.stitute the forces of 3-D cOuld shoot down individual flying blitzkrieg while missiles simply retanks but armor is employed in mass main artillery which can be used formations. To successfully oppose offensively and defensively in supmassed tanks with missiles will re- port of mobile forces. quire massed missiles. Then 3-D blitzkrieg will reduce combat the question would be: is the mobil- to its purest form that of military ity of missile units and installations forces seekin~ to destroy ~pposi.ng comparable to that of the versati!e ~~~~~·est:~ct7~~\ ~:~~~;e 0~a~1d p;i:1:i~ armor? Probably not! As for VE- pie of straight line approaches, and TO infantry, it would be capable of only when VETO forces land will disptrsal on ground to where it would terrain have influence on the connot be profitable to employ expensive flict. The influence of terrain will missiles against infantry. be local. ~ APRil. lt~i 3-U blitzkrieg means reach, des- Blitzkrieg or Atomic Conflict troy and seize. 3-D stl'ikes can be The peak in potential destructive so sudden that seizure may in many power has been readied. In plac<' of • instances supplant the need for des· being an intoxicant, this mutual de. truction, because the sul"rende~· of st':ucive power is likely to achieve surprised forces may be the first a sobering effect within aggressor result of a bold st1·ike attack. circles. Stand off, o1· nuclear parity, Logics in Lol!"istics has been reached. The consequence is that while large nations will re~ The slow processes of conflict tain their atomic capabilities-and caus,e rise in consumption of mili- while the. potentialiti~s of aggr~ss!on ta1·y' supplies. The more rapid the a~d mass1_ve def~ns~ve retahat10_n striking power the more militarily w11l remam-the md1cated result 1s effective it is. Thus blitzkrieg serves that other forms of warfare will be to gain more decisi\'e effect from a sought or applied by aggressivf' powgi<>en tonnage of ammunition and ers. f uel than do the less mobile forms It l'emains for the F ree Nations of combat. FurthE"rmore, the prot..- to dE"velop full capability to df'ter lem is not just onE' of materiel con· war OJ' thwart a new type of aggressumption and \vei~rht _ it is one of sion- that of 3.-D blitzkrieg. This lives. Vertical lightning war would can only . ~E' d_onl' if w_e ~dvance our save livE's because of its sudden de· own mob1hty mto soph1Sl1cated forms cisiveness. that have certainty of deterring conflict-or winning it quickly. Any The logistician can argue that if future conventional conflict, if it new. machines are created, tonnages reaches a prolonged sta~e, runs int.Q and consumption of f uel will rise. danger of precipitating mort• aw<'This 'could be true for the period of some and destructive war. We re\ISe of the new machines. Howe\'er, quire a new form and a better form while thE' daily cost and consump- of combat strength to avoid this tion may be greater, new mobility danger. Its beginnings a re already for men and machines can serve to to be found in t he United States shorten conflicts. The result will be Army where its effect as a dett rthat thE" final cost in men and rna- rent force will bE' morP appreciated teriE>l is less. with the passage of time. " ..... . The Bataan garriso!l was .destroyed due to its dreadful handicaps, but no army in history more thoroughly accomplished its mission. Let no nian henceforth speak of it ot'her than a magnificent victory." - MacArthur