Has there been much study of swamp warfare?

Wodz Mikolaj · Dec 4, 2016

We often hear terms used like 'desert warfare', 'arctic warfare', 'mountain warfare', etc. usually with accompanying literature written by military experts on things like tactics/strategies to use in those conditions and historical examples. I haven't seen as much written specifically on warfare fought in swamp/marshland conditions though.

Anyone know if there have been any texts/studies written specifically on war in those conditions? I'd think there would have been enough historical examples of this type of combat environment to warrant some study of it, for example some of the battles fought during the Seminole Wars or Viet Nam war...

Naomasa298 · Dec 4, 2016

Saddam Hussein solved this problem by draining the marshlands.

Scaeva · Dec 4, 2016

Training in swamps is sometimes part of jungle warfare training. They're both fairly similar. (dense vegetation & damp environments)

Wodz Mikolaj · Dec 4, 2016

Scaeva said:
Training in swamps is sometimes part of jungle warfare training. They're both fairly similar. (dense vegetation & damp environments)

Fair point, although fighting in a jungle doesn't always mean you're fighting in a swamp. It's a fairly specific kind of terrain and conditions, which can sometimes involve a bigger role of watercraft than jungle fighting on more solid ground...

edit: which actually leads me to wonder, have there been any waterborne operations in swamp environments that fell within the jurisdiction of brown-water navy units? Or has it tended to be an army thing?

Rodger · Dec 4, 2016

In the U.S. I have seen some discussion on the role of Francis Marion, known as the "Swamp Fox." His tactics have been diagnosed, to some degree, as an attempt to explain his success against the British forces in the South.

Wodz Mikolaj · Dec 4, 2016

Rodger said:
In the U.S. I have seen some discussion on the role of Francis Marion, known as the "Swamp Fox." His tactics have been diagnosed, to some degree, as an attempt to explain his success against the British forces in the South.

Thanks for sharing, I'd never heard of him. I just had a quick look and apparently Osprey published a book on him: https://ospreypublishing.com/the-swamp-fox-francis-marion-s-campaign-in-the-carolinas-1780

Earl_of_Rochester · Dec 4, 2016

There's even a Disney movie about him:

Domnall Ballach · Dec 4, 2016

Swamp and mangrove warfare would've been popular in parts of South Asia. If I remember rightly, there was a battle where a thousand Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles. We can also study the Normans' pacification of the Fens and actions in southern American bayous and the Amazon (but that's crossing over into jungle warfare).

ThePharaoh · Dec 4, 2016

Battle of mohacz is a good example of swamp warfare, though it might not be technically 100% swampy area, but close to it. lots of germanic knights drowned in a swampy area while pursuing ottomans

Tairusiano · Dec 4, 2016

Brasil armed forces have the course "Estágio de Operações no Pantanal" (Operations stage in the Pantanal), is a course for swamp warfare in Pantanal(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantanal) is jointly administered betwen the army Western Military Command and the navy riverine warfare command.
In the north in Amazon rainforest the jungle warfare units also have swamp warfare courses and operations.
here in portuguese a old info book of swamp warfare for new volunteers, with some information on what is is taught.
Caderno de operações ao pantanal

Now if you have interest in swamp warfare in the past, Paraguay war(or war of Triple alliance war), it was full of swamp warfare.

Chlodio · Dec 4, 2016

Grant in his early Vicksburg operations tried to penetrate the Yazoo Swamp north of Vicksburg. Mostly, he tried to sail riverboats through the bayous, but he had problems with Confederate ground forces on shore circling around behind him through the dense vegetation.

I can't pretend to know a lot about Swamp Fox Marion, but my sense is that he only used the swamp as a hiding place. He came out of the swamp to fight his battles then afterwards withdrew back into the swamp to rest his men and plan his next fight. Not really swamp warfare.

When I think swamp warfare, I think about water-borne transportation, thick vegetation hindering both observation and ground movements, hostile environment - alligators and especially mosquitos, trench foot and other diseases resulting from constant wetness. Land navigation would be difficult due to the lack of distinguishing landmarks.

One thing I read about forest fighting that would seem to apply to swamp fighting - when an artillery shell explodes upon hitting the ground the fragments fly horizontally. The best way to minimize your own target profile is to lay flat. When artillery shells explode upon hitting the tree tops the fragments fall vertically. To minimize your target profile, you need to stand upright. It's counter intuitive, especially if the soldier has previously been shelled out in the open and is conditioned to laying flat during artillery attacks.

Lord Fairfax · Dec 4, 2016

Wodz Mikolaj said:
Fair point, although fighting in a jungle doesn't always mean you're fighting in a swamp. ?

The battle for Malaya (1941/42) involved both, unfortunately the British had only one unit (12th Indian brigade) that had that sort of training.

The Japanese did well because their forces were lighter, more mobile and better trained, almost as if they were all "light infantry"

Frank81 · Dec 4, 2016

One of the most famous Assyrian campaigns took place in swampy areas of southern Iraq

yakmatt · Dec 5, 2016

The Mekong Delta and other parts of Vietnam.

A Soldier's Story: Fighting in the Delta Video - Vietnam War History - HISTORY.com

yakmatt · Dec 5, 2016

US Ranger School Florida Phase

had a few deaths also
A Night of Confusion and Fear in Which 4 Army Ranger Candidates Died - NYTimes.com

Tulius · Dec 5, 2016

Tairusiano said:
here in portuguese a old info book of swamp warfare for new volunteers, with some information on what is is taught.
Caderno de operações ao pantanal

Thanks for the link!

mark87 · Dec 5, 2016

Jungle warfare would not be too dissimilar in practice, I would also add to the list many of the battles of the southern pacific front in world war II were fought in near swamp like conditions. Now you could check out the fighting the Bielski brothers carried out in the Pripet marshes in Belarus as a partisan group in the eastern front of world war II, or also the fighting in Burma that used highly specific troops such as Merrill's marauders in terrible terrain, it might be jungle warfare but I feel like a lot of the same issues and solutions would apply. I'm guessing there was significant fighting in bogs and marshes all along the eastern front, also I remember from a world war I film, there was fighting in the eastern front during said war, involving Austria-Hungary.

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Has there been much study of swamp warfare?

Wodz Mikolaj

Naomasa298

Scaeva

Wodz Mikolaj

Rodger

Wodz Mikolaj

Earl_of_Rochester

Domnall Ballach

ThePharaoh

Tairusiano

Chlodio

Lord Fairfax

Frank81

yakmatt

yakmatt

Tulius

mark87

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