Mini-manual of the urban guerrilla

34 Pages·4.665 MB·English

by  Carlos Marighella

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Originally written in 1969by(arlos Marighella, oneof the leadersof
the Brazilian guerrilla organization National liberation Action (ALN),
Mini-Manual
the Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerril/a isprobably oneof the most
famous documents to come out of the guerrilla struggles in Latin
America. Widely reprinted andtranslated into numerouslanguages
it became aguide for manyguerrilla movements around the globe.
With the massivetechnological changesthat havereshapedtheworld, 01 The
manyparts of the Mini-Manualhavebecomedated andinsomecases
completely irrelevant. Nonethelessit doesserveasaframework for
urban guerrilla strategies and tactics when adapted to the current
world situation. It also servesasahistorical cautionary tale when Urban Guerrilla
looking back at the many failed urban guerrilla movements. This
edition includes two other documents byMarighella; Problems And
Principles Of Strategy andQuestions Of Organization asweil asan
1970 interview with liberated Brazilian political prisoners from
several different Brazilian guerrilla organizations and finallya
chronology of the guerrilla struggle in Brazil from 1964-73.
Carlos'Marighella
"It isbetter to erracting than
to do nothing tor tear of erring.
Without initiative there is
no guerrilla wartare."
- Carlos Marighella
*00
I
The Spirit
ISBN 1-894925-02-5
Also Includes: Problems And Principles Of Strategy &
Questions Of Organization by Carlos Marighella and An
Interview With Liberated Brazilian Political Prisoners
911111811411211210 1510610101>
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Mini-Manual 01
Mini-Manual OfThe Urban Guerrilla
by Carlos Marighella
The Urban Guerrilla
This edition published by
Abraham Guillen Press &Arm The Spirit
December 2002
Iwould Iiketomakeatwo-fold dedication ofthis work; first, tothememories
ISBN 1-894925-02-5 of Edson Souto, Marco Antonio Bras de Carvalho, Nelson Jose de Almeida
(Escoteiro) andsomany other heroic fighters andurban guerrillas who fell atthe
Abraham Guillen Press handsoftheassassinsofthe Military Police,theArmy, theNavy,theAir Force,and
C.P.48164 the DOPS, hated instruments of therepressivemilitary dictatorship.
Montreal, QC Second,tothebravecomrades-menandwomen -imprisoned inthemedieval
H2V 4S8, Canada dungeonsofthe BraziIianGovernment andsubjectedtotortures thatevensurpass
thehorrendous crimes carried out bythe Nazis.
email: [email protected]
Like thosecomradeswhosememorieswerevere,asweil asthosetakenprisoner
incombat, what we mustdo isfight.
Arm The Spirit
Eachcomrade who opposesthe military dictatorship andwants to oppose it
P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A
candosomething, however small thetaskmay seem.
Toronto, Ontario I urge all who readthis mini-manual and decide that they cannot remain
M5W 1P7, Canada inactive, to follow its instructions andjoin the struggle now. I askthis because,
email: [email protected] underanytheory andunderanycircumstances. theduty of every revolutionary is
to make the revolution.
web: http://burn.ucsd.edu/-ats
Another important point isnotmerely toreadthis mini-manual hereandnow,
Write to Abraham Guillen Press for wholesale but to circulate its contents. This circulation will bepossible if thosewho agree
with its ideasmake photocopied copies or print it in abooklet, although in this
distribution orders. Single copies can be ordered
lauercase,armedstruggle itself will benecessary.
from both groups.
Finally, thereasonwhy this mini-manual bearsmy signature isthatthe ideas
expressed or systematized here reflect the personal experiences of a group of
~isclaimer: Naturally, the information contained in
peopleengagedinarmedstruggle inBrazil. amongwhom Ihavethehonour to be
this pamphlet is for information and research included. Sothat certain individuals will have no doubts about whatthis mini
purposes only. Honest. manualsays,andcannolongerdenythefactsorcontinue tosaythattheconditions
for armedstruggle donotexist, it isnecessarytoassurneresponsibiIity for what is
saidanddone.Therefore. anonymity becomesaproblem inawork like this. The
important fact isthattherearepatriots preparedtofight like soldiers, andthemore
therearethebeUer.
Theaccusationof"violence" or"terrorism" nolongerhasthenegativemeaning
it usedto have. It hasacquired new c1othing; anew colour. Itdoesnot divide, it
doesnot discredit; onthecontrary. it representsacenter of attraction.
Today,tobe"violent" ora"terrorist" isaquality thatennoblesanyhonourable
person, becauseit isanactworthy of arevolutionary engaged in armed struggle
against the shameful military dictatorship and its atrocities.
Carlos Marighella
1969
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Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla
!
ADefinition Of The Urban Guerrilla Personal Qualities Of The Urban Guerrilla
The chronic structural crisis characteristic of Brazil today, and its resultant TheurbanguerrilIaischaracterized byhisbravery andhisdecisive nature.He
political instability, arewhat havebrought abouttheupsurgeof revolutionary war must beagood tactician, and agood marksman. The urban guerrilla must bea
inthecountry. Therevolutionary warmanifests itself intheform of urbanguerrilla person of great cleverness to compensate for the fact that he is not sufficiently
warfare, psychological warfare, orrural guerrilla warfare. Urbanguerrilla warfare strong in weapons, ammunition andequipment.
or psychological warfare inthe city dependsonthe urban guerrilla. Thecareermilitary officers andthegovernment police havemodernweapons
The urban guerrilla is a person who fights the military dictatorship with and transport, and can go about anywhere freely, using the force of their own
weapons, using unconventional methods. A political revolutionary andanardent power. Theurbanguerrilla doesnothavesuchresourcesathisdisposal, andleads
patriot. he isafighter for his country's liberation, afriend of the people andof aclandestineexistence. Theguerrilla maybeaconvicted personoronewho isout
freedom. The areain which the urban guerrilla operates is in the large Brazilian on parole, andmust then usefalse documents.
cities. Therearealsocriminals oroutlaws who work inthebig cities. Many times, Nevertheless, the urban guerrilla has an advantage over the conventional
actions by criminals aretaken to beactions by urban guerrillas. military orthe police. It isthat, while the military andthepolice acton behalf of
Theurbanguerrilla, however, differs radically from thecriminal. Thecriminal theenemy,whom thepeople hate,theurban guerrilla defendsajust cause,which
benefits personally from his actions, and attacks indiscriminately without isthe people's cause.
distinguishing betweentheexploiters andtheexploited, which iswhy thereareso Theurbanguerrilla's weaponsareinferior totheenemy's, butfrom themoral
many ordinary people among his victims. The urban guerrilla follows apolitical point of view, the urban guerrilla hasanundeniable superiority.
goal, and only attacks the government. the big businesses and the foreign This moral superiority iswhat sustainsthe urban guerrilla. Thanks to it, the
imperialists, particularly North Americans. urban guerrilla canaccomplish hisprinciple duty, which isto attack andsurvive.
Another elementjust asharmful to the guerrillas asthe criminal, and also TheurbanguerrilIahastocaptureorstealweaponsfrom theenemyto beable
operating in the urban area, isthe right-wing counter-revolutionary who creates tofight. Becausehisweaponsarenotuniform -sincewhat hehasareexpropriated
confusion, robsbanks,throws bombs,kidnaps,assassinates,andcommits theworst orhavefallen intohishandsinvarious ways-theurbanguerrilla facestheproblem
crimes imaginable against urban guerrillas, revolutionary priests, students, and of avariety ofweaponsandashortageof ammunition. Moreover, hehasnoplace
citizens who opposefascism andseekliberty. in which to practice shooting andmarksmanship.
The urbanguerrilla isanimplacable enemyof theregime, andsystematically These difficulties have to be overcome, forcing the urban guerrillas to be
inflicts damage on the authorities andon the people who dominate the country imaginative andcreative -qualities without which itwould beimpossible for him
andexercise power. The primary taskof theurban guerrilla isto distract, towear to carry out hisrole asarevolutionary.
down, to demoralize the military regime and its repressive forces, and also to The urbanguerrilla mustpossessinitiative, mobility andflexibility, asweil as
attackanddestroythewealthandproperty oftheforeign managersandtheBraziIian versatility andacommand ofanysituation. Initiative especially isanindispensable
upperclass. quality. It is not always possible to foresee everything, and the urban guerrilla
Theurbanguerrilla isnotafraid todismantle anddestroythepresentBrazilian cannot lethimself becomeconfused, orwait for instructions. Hisduty istoact,to
economic, political andsocial system,for hisaim istoaidtherural guerrillas and find adequatesolutions for eachproblem hefaces,andtoretreat. It isbetterto err
to help in the creation of a totally new and revolutionary social and political acting thantodonothing for fearof making amistake. Without initiative, there is
structure, with thearmed people inpower. nourbanguerrilla warfare.
The urban guerrilla must have a certain Other important qualities in the urban guerrilla are the following: to bea
minimal political understanding. To gain that he good walker, to beabletostandupagainst fatigue, hunger,rain orheat.Toknow
mustreadcertain printed ormimeographed works how to hide, andhow to bevigilant. Toconquer theartof dissembling. Never to
such as: Guerrilla Warfare by ehe Guevara, fear danger.To behavethe sameby day asby night. Not to act impetuously. To
Memories Of A Terrorist, Some Questions haveunlimited patience. To remain calm andcool intheworst of conditions and
About The Brazilian Guerrillas, Guerrilla situations. Never to leaveatrack ortrail. Not to getdiscouraged.
Operations And Tactics, Problems And Inthefaceofthe almost insurmountable difficulties inurbanguerrilla warfare,
Principles Of Strategy, Certain Tactical sometimes comradesweaken andgive upthefight.
Principles Of Comrades Undertaking The urban guerrilla is not abusinessman in anurban company, nor ishean
••••.. Guerrilla Operations, Questions Of actor in aplay. Urban guerrilla warfare, Iike rural guerrilla warfare, is apledge
which theguerrilla makestohimself. When hecannolonger facethedifficulties,
" ...~#" •• oOfrgthaenizBartaioznili,an0reGvouleurtriiolhneairryo, gnroeuwpssp.aper or if he knows that he lacks the patience to wait, then it is better for him to
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Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla
relinquish his role before he betrays his pledge, for he clearly lacks the basic major business,imperialistandlandowning interests,without excluding thelargest
qualities necessaryto beaguerrilla. andmost powerful commercial elements engagedin the import-export business.
And by expropriating the wealth of the principle enemies of the people, the
How The Urban Guerrilla Lives
Brazilian revolution wasabletohitthem attheir vital center,with preferential and
Theurbanguerrilla must know how to live amongthepeople,andhemustbe systematic attacksonthe banking network -that isto say,the mosttelling blows
careful notto appearstrangeanddifferent from ordinary city life. were leveled atthe businessman's nervesystem.
He should not wear c10thesthat are different from those that other people The bank robberies carried out by the Brazilian urban guerrillas hurt big
wear. Elaborate and high-fashion clothing for men or women may often be a businessesandothers,theforeign companieswhich insureandre-insurethebanking
handicap if the urban guerrilla's mission takes him into working class capital, the imperialist companies, thefederal andstategovernments -all of them
neighbourhoods, orsectionswheresuchdressisuncommon. Thesamecarehasto aresystematically expropriated asof now.
betaken if the urban guerrilla must move from the South of the country to the Thefruit oftheseexpropriations hasbeendevotedtothetasksof learning and
North, andvice versa. perfecting urbanguerrilla techniques, thepurchase,production andtransportation
The urban guerrilla must make his living through hisjob or his professional of weapons and ammunition for the rural areas,the security precautions of the
activity. If he is known andsought by the police, hemust go underground, and guerrillas, the daily maintenance of the fighters, those who have been liberated
sometimesmust live hidden. Undersuchcircumstances, theurbanguerrilla cannot from prison by armed force, thosewho have beenwounded, andthosewho are
reveal his activity to anyone, since this information is always and only the being persecutedby thepolice, andto any kind of problem concerning comrades
responsibility of the revolutionary organization in which he is participating. liberated fromjail or assassinatedby the police andthe military dictatorship.
Theurbanguerrilla musthaveagreatability for observation. Hemustbewell The tremendous costs of the revolutionary war must fall upon the big
informed about everything, particularly about the enemy's movements, and he businesses,on the imperialists, on the large landowners, andon the government
must be very inquisitive and knowledgeable about the area in which he lives, too - both federal and state- since they areall exploiters and oppressorsof the
operates,or travels through. people.Menofthegovernment,agentsofthedictatorshipandofforeign imperialism,
But the fundamental characteristic of the urban guerrilla isthat he isaman especially, must paywith their lives for the crimes they have committed against
who fights with weapons; given thesecircumstances, thereisvery little likelihood the Brazilian people.
thathewill beabletofollow hisnormal professionfor longwithout beingidentified In Brazil, the number of violent actions carried out by urban guerrillas,
by the police. The role of expropriation thus looms asclear ashigh noon. It is including executions, explosions, seizures of weapons, ammunition and
impossible for the urban guerrilla to exist and survive without fighting to explosives, assaultson banksand prisons, etc., issignificant enough to leaveno
expropriate. room for doubt astotheactual aimsof therevolutionaries; all arewitnessestothe
Thus, thearmed struggle of the urban guerrilla points towards two essential fact thatweareinafull revolutionary war andthatthis war canbewagedonly by
violent means.
objectives:
This isthe reasonwhy the urban guerrilla usesarmed struggle, andwhy he
1. the physical elimination of the leaders and assistants of the armed
continues toconcentrate hisefforts onthephysical extermination of theagentsof
forces andof the police;
repression, and to dedicate 24 hours aday to expropriations from the people's
2.the expropriation of government resourcesandthe wealth belonging
exploiters.
tothe rich businessmen,the large landowners andthe imperialists, with
small expropriations usedfor thesustenanceof the individual guerrillas
Technical Preparation Of The Urban Guerrilla
and large ones for the maintenance of the revolutionary organization
itself. No one can become an urban guerrilla without paying special attention to
technical preparation.
Itisc1earthatthearmedstruggleofthe urbanguerrilla alsohasotherobjectives. The technical preparation of the urban guerrilla runsfrom aconcern for his
But herewearereferring tothetwo basicobjectives, aboveall expropriation. Itis
necessaryforevery urbanguerrilla toalwayskeepinmind thathecanonly maintain %
hisexistence if heisableto kill the police andthosededicatedto repression, and
if he is determined - truly determined - to expropriate the wealth of the rich
businessmen,landowners and imperialists. Oneofthemostcommon combat
One of the fundamental characteristics of the Brazilian revolution is that, weapons inthe wor/cf,theAK-47.
from the beginning, it developed around the expropriation of the wealth of the
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Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla
physical condition toaknowledge of andapprenticeship inprofessions andskills disadvantage of this type of weapon, for us, is the difficulty in controlling it,
of all kinds, particularly manual skills. resulting inwastedroundsorawasteful useofammunition -correctedfor only by
The urban guerrilla canhaveastrong physical constitution only if hetrains agood aim and precision firing. Men who arepoorly trained convert automatie
systematically. Hecannotbeagoodfighter if hehasnot learnedtheartoffighting. weapons into anammunition drain.
For that reason,the urban guerrilla must learn and practice the various forms of Experience hasshown thatthebasicweaponoftheurbanguerrilla isthelight
unarmedfighting, ofattack,andofpersonaldefense.Otherusefulformsofphysical submachine gun. This weapon, inaddition to being efficient andeasyto shoot in
preparation arehiking, camping, the practice of survival inthewoods, mountain an urban area,hasthe advantage of being greatly respected by the enemy. The
climbing, rowing, swimming, skin diving and training as a frogman, fishing, guerrilla mustthoroughly know howtohandlethesubmachinegun,nowsopopular
harpooning, andthe hunting of birds andof small andbig game. and indispensable to the Brazilian urban guerrillas.
It isvery important to learnhow to drive acar,pilot aplane, handle amotor The idealsubmachine gunfor theurbanguerrilla isthe INA .45calibre. Other
baat andasailboat, understand mechanics, radio, telephone, electricity andhave typesof submachinegunsof different calibers canalsobeused-understanding of
some knowledge of electronics techniques. course,the problem of ammunition. Thus, it ispreferable that themanufacturing
It isalso important to haveaknowledge of topographical information, to be capabilities of the urban guerrillas be used for the production of one type of
able to determine one's position by instruments or other available resources,to submachine gun, so that the ammunition to be usedcan bestandardized. Each
calculate distances,makemapsandplans,draw toscale,maketimings, andwork firing group of urban guerrillas must haveasubmachine gun handled by agood
with anangleprotractor, acompass,etc. marksman. Theothermembersofthe group mustbearmedwith .38revolvers, our
A knowledge of chemistry, of colour combination andof stamp-making, the standardweapon. The .32isalsouseful for thosewho want toparticipate. Butthe
masteryoftheskills ofca11igraphy andthecopying of letters,andothertechniques .38 ispreferable since its impact usually putstheenemy out of action.
arepartofthe technical preparation oftheurbanguerrilla, who isobliged tofalsify Hand grenadesandconventional smoke bombs canalso beconsidered light
documents inorder to live within asociety that heseeksto destroy. weapons,with defensive power for cover andwithdrawal.
Intheareaof "makeshift" medicine, theurbanguerrilla hasthespecialroleof Long-barreled weaponsaremoredifficult for theurbanguerrilIatotransport,
being a doctor or understanding medicine, nursing, pharmacology, drugs, basic and they attract much attention becauseof their size. Among the long-barreled
surgery andemergency first aid. weaponsaretheFAL,theMausergunsorrifles, hunting gunssuchastheWinchester,
andothers.
The basic question in the technical preparation of the urban guerrilla is,
nevertheless,toknow howtohandleweaponssuchasthesubmachinegun,revolver, Shotgunscanbeuseful if usedatcloserangeandpoint blank. They areuseful
automatie pistol, FAL, various typesofshotguns,carbines,mortars, bazookas,etc. evenfor apoorshot,especially atnight whenprecision isn't muchhelp.Apressure
A knowledge ofvarious typesofammunition andexplosives isanotheraspect airgun canbeuseful for training inmarksmanship. Bazookasandmortarscanalso
toconsider.Among theexplosives, dynamite mustbeweil understood. Theuseof beusedin action, but theconditions for using them haveto bepreparedandthe
incendiary bombs, smoke bombs, and other types is also indispensable prior people who usethem must betrained.
training. Toknow howtoimprovise andrepairweapons,prepareMolotov cocktaiIs, Theurbanguerrilla should notattempt tobasehisactionsontheuseof heavy
grenades,mines, homemadedestructive devices, how to blow upbridges, tearup weapons, which have major drawbacks in a type of fighting that demands
and put out of service railroads and railroad cars, these are necessities in the lightweight weapons to insure mobility andspeed.
technical preparation of the urban guerri lIa that can never be considered Homemade weaporls areoften asefficient asthe bestweapons produced in
unimportant. conventional factories, andeven asawed-off shotgun isa good weapon for the
The highest level of preparation for the urban guerrilla isthe training camp urban guerrilIa fighter.
for technical training. Butonly theguerrilla who hasalready passedapreliminary Theurbanguerrilla's roleasagunsmith hasabasie importance.Asagunsmith,
examination cangotothisschool -thatistosay,onewho haspassedthetestoffire hetakescareoftheweapons,knows how torepairthem,andinmanycasescanset
in revolutionary action, in actual combat against the enemy. upasmall shopfor improvising andproducing effective small arms.
Experience in metallurgy and on the mechanical lathe are basic skills the
The Urban Guerrilla's Weapons urbanguerrilla should incorporate into hismanufacturing plansfortheconstruction
Theurbanguerrilla's weaponsarelight arms,easilyobtained,usually captured of hornemadeweapons.This production, andcoursesinexplosives andsabotage,
from theenemy,purchased,ormadeonthespot. Light weaponshavetheadvantage must beorganized. The primary materials for practice in thesecoursesmust be
of fast handling andeasytransport. Ingeneral, light weaponsarecharacterized as obtained aheadoftime, toprevent anincomplete apprenticeship -that istosay,so
asto leavenoroom for experimentation.
beingshort-barreled. This includesmanyautomatie weapons.Automatie andsemi
automatie weaponsconsiderably increasethefirepower oftheurbanguerrilla. The Molotov cocktails, gasoline, homemade contrivances such ascatapults and
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mortars for firing explosives, grenades made of pipes and cans,smoke bombs, continuously, using uphisammunition. Itmaybethattheenemy isresponding to
mines, conventional explosives suchasdynamite andpotassium chlorate, plastic this fire precisely becauseheiswaiting until theguerrilla's ammunition isall used
explosives, gelatin capsules,andammunition of every kind are indispensable to up.At suchamoment, without having theopportunity toreplacehisammunition,
thesuccessof the urban guerrilIa'smission. theguerrilla facesarain of enemy fire, andcanbetaken prisoner or killed.
The methods of obtaining the necessarymaterials and munitions will beto In spite of the value of the surprise factor, which many times makes it
buy them ortotakethem by force inexpropriation actions specially planned and unnecessaryfor the urban guerrilla to usehisweapons, hecannot beallowed the
carried out. The urban guerrillas will becareful notto keepexplosives andother luxury of entering combat without knowing how toshoot.And when face-to-face
materials thatcancauseaccidents around for very long, butwill always try touse with theenemy,hemust always bemoving from oneposition toanother,sinceto
them immediatelyon their intended targets. stay inoneplacemakeshirn afixed target and,assuch,very vulnerable.
Theurbanguerrilla's weaponsandhisability tomaintain them constitute his The urban guerrilla's life dependson shooting, on his ability to handle his
firepower. By taking advantageof modern weapons and introducing innovations weapons weil and to avoid being hit. When we speakof shooting, we speakof
inhisfirepower andintheuseof certain weapons,theurbanguerrilla canimprove accuracy asweil. Shooting must bepracticed until it becomesareflex action on
manyof thetactics of urbanwarfare. An exampleof this wastheinnovation made thepartofthe urbanguerrilla. Tolearnhowtoshootandhavegoodaim,theurban
bythe Brazilian urban guerrillas when they introduced theuseof thesubmachine guerrilla must train hirnself systematically, utilizing every practice method
gun in their attacks on banks. shooting attargets, even in amusementparks andathorne.
When themassive useof uniform submachine gunsbecomespossible, there Shooting and marksmanship are the urban guerrilla's water and air. His
will benewchangesinurbanguerrilla warfare tactics.Thefiring groupthatutilizes perfeetion of theartof shooting may makehirn aspecial type of urbanguerrilla
uniform weapons andcorresponding ammunition, with reasonablecarefor their that is,asniper,acategory of solitary combatant indispensable inisolatedactions.
maintenance, will reachaconsiderable level of effectiveness. Thesniper knows how toshootatcloserangeandatlong range,andhisweapons
Theurbanguerrilla increaseshiseffectiveness asheincreaseshisfirepower. areappropriate for either type of shooting.
The Shot; The Urban Guerrilla's Reason For Existence The Firing Group
The urban guerrilla's reasonfor existence, the basic condition in which he Inordertofunction, theurbanguerrillas mustbeorganized into small groups.
actsandsurvives, isto shoot. The urban guerrilla must know how to shoot weil, A teamof nomorethanfour orfive iscalled afiring group.
becauseit isrequired by this type of combat. A minimum of two firing groups, separatedand insulated from other firing
In conventional warfare, combat is generally at adistance with long-range groups,directedandcoordinated byoneortwo persons,this iswhatmakesafiring
team.
weapons. Inunconventional warfare, inwhich urbanguerrilla warfare isincluded,
combat isatshort rangeandoften very close.Toprevent hisown death,theurban Within thefiring group,theremustbecompleteconfidenceamongthemembers.
guerrilla must shoot first. and he cannot err in his shot. He cannot waste his Thebestshot,andtheonewho knows besthow to handlethesubmachine gun, is
ammunition becausehedoesnot possesslargeamounts, andsohemustconserve the person inchargeof operations.
it.Nor canhereplacehisammunition quickly, sinceheisapart of asmall team in The firing group plans and executes urban guerrilla actions, obtains and
which eachguerrilla hasto beableto look after hirnself. The urban guerrilla can storesweapons,andstudiesandcorrects itsown tactics.
losenotime, andthus hasto beableto shootatonce. When there are tasks planned by the strategic command, these tasks take
Onefundamental fact, which we want to emphasize completely, andwhose preference. But there isnosuchthing asafiring group without itsown initiative.
importance cannot be overestimated, is that the urban guerrilla must not fire Forthis reason,it isessentialtoavoid anyrigidity intheguerrilla organization, in
order to permit thegreatestpossible initiative onthepart of thefiring group. The
old-type hierarchy, thestyle of thetraditional revolutionaries, doesn't exist inour
organization.
This meansthat, except for the priority of the objectives setby thestrategie
Common handgunsusedbypolice andmilitary {orces: 9mmSigSauer228 (also TheBenelli Super90(M4) isastandard combat shotgun usedby
knownas theMl1 intheU.S.military), Desert Eagle.SOandthe 9mmGlock 19. manypolice agenciesandmilitary {orcesthroughout theworld.
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command, any firing group can decide to raid a bank, to kidnap or execute an Revolutionary logistics takesmechanization asoneof itsbases.Nevertheless,
agentofthedictatorship, afigure identified with thereaction, oraforeign spy,and mechanization is inseparable from the driver. The urban guerrilla driver is as
cancarry out anytype of propagandaorwar of nervesagainsttheenemy,without important astheurbanguerrilla machine gunner.Without either,themachines do
the needto consult with the general command. not work, and the automobile, asweil asthe submachine gun becomes a dead
No firing group can remain inactive waiting for orders from above. Its thing. An experienced driver is not made in one day, and apprenticeship must
obligation is to act. Any single urban guerrilla who wants to establish a firing begin early. Every good urban guerrilla must beadriver. As to the vehicles, the
group andbegin action candoso,andthus becomesapart of the organization. urban guerrilla must expropriate what heneeds.When healready hasresources,
This method of action eliminates the needfor knowing who iscarrying out the urban guerrilla can combine the expropriation of vehicles with his other
which actions, since there is free initiative and the only important point is to methods of acquisition.
greatly increasethe volume of urban guerrilla activity in order to wear out the Money, weapons,ammunition andexplosives, andautomobiles asweil, must
government andforce itonto the defensive. be expropriated. The urban guerrilla must rob banks and armouries, and seize
The firing group is the instrument of organized action. Within it, guerrilla explosives andammunition wherever hefinds them.
operations andtactics areplanned, launched andcarried through to success. None of theseoperations iscarried out forjust onepurpose. Evenwhen the
Thegeneralcommand countsonthefiring groupstocarry outobjectives ofa raid istoobtain money,theweaponsthattheguardscarry must betakenasweil.
strategie nature, andto doso in any part of the country. For its part, the general Expropriation isthefirst stepinorganizing our logistics, which itself assumesan
command helps the firing groups with their difficulties and with carrying out armed andpermanently mobile character.
objectives of astrategie nature,andto dosoinany part of thecountry. The secondstep isto reinforce andexpand logistics, resorting to ambushes
The organization is an indestructible network of firing groups, and of co andtraps inwhich theenemy issurprised andhisweapons,ammunition, vehicles
ordinations among them, that functions simply and practically within ageneral andother resourcesarecaptured.
command thatalsoparticipates inattacks-anorganization thatexistsfor noother Once hehasweapons, ammunition andexplosives, oneof the most serious
purpose than that of pure andsimple revolutionary action. logistics problems facing the urban guerrilla isahiding place in which to leave
thematerial, andappropriate meansoftransporting itandassembling itwhere it is
The Logistics Of The Urban Guerrilla needed.This hasto beaccomplished evenwhen theenemy isalertedandhasthe
roads blocked.
Conventional logistics canbeexpressedwith the formula FFEA:
F-food Theknowledge thattheurbanguerrilla possessesofthe terrain,andthedevices
F-fuel heusesor iscapableof using, suchasscoutsspecially preparedandrecruited for
E -equipment this mission, arethebasicelements insolving theeternallogistics problems faced
A -ammunition by the guerrillas.
Conventional logistics refer to the maintenance problems for anarmy or a Characteristics Of The Urban Guerrilla's Tactics
regular armed force, transported in vehicles, with fixed basesandsupply lines.
The tactics of the urban guerrilla havethe following characteristics:
Urban guerrillas, on the contrary, are not an army but small armed groups,
intentionally fragmented. They haveneither vehicles nor rearareas.Their supply 1.Itisanaggressivetactic,or,inotherwords, ithasanoffensive character.
lines areprecarious and insufficient, andthey have no fixed basesexcept in the As is weil known, defensive action meansdeath for usoSince we are
rudimentary sense of a weapons factory within a house. While the goal of inferior totheenemy infirepower, andhaveneither hisresourcesnor his
conventionallogistics isto supply the war needsof the gorillas who areusedto power base, we cannot defend ourselves against an offensive or a
repress rural and urban rebellion, urban guerrilla logistics aim at sustaining concentrated attack by the gorillas. That is the reasonwhy our urban
operations andtactics which havenothing in common with conventional warfare technique can never be permanent, can never defend a fixed basenor
andaredirected against the government andforeign domination of the country. remain inanyonespotwaiting to repelthecircle of repression.
Fortheurbanguerrilla, who startsfrom nothing andwho hasnosupport atthe 2.Itisatactic of attack andrapid withdrawal, bywhich wepreserveour
forces.
beginning, logistics areexpressedbythe formula MMWAE, which is:
M -mechanization 3. It isatactic that aims atthe development of urban guerrilla warfare,
M -money whose function will beto wear out, demoralize and distract the enemy
W -weapons forces, permitting theemergenceandsurvival of rural guerrilla warfare,
A -ammunition which isdestined to play the decisive role in the revolutionary war.
E -explosives
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Mini-Manual 01The Urban Guerrilla
Mini-Manual 01The Urban Guerrilla
The Initial Advantages Of The Urban Guerrilla
taking maximum advantageofall ofthis for thesuccessofarmedactions,escapes,
The dynamics ot urban guerrilla warfare lie in the guerrilla's violent clash
retreats, covers, and hiding places. Impassesand narrow spots, gorges, streets
with the military andpolice forces of the dictatorship. Inthis conflict, the police underrepair,police checkpoints, military zonesandc1osed-offstreets,theentrances
havesuperiority. The urban guerrilla hasinferior forces. The paradox isthat the andexits to tunnels andthosethat theenemy cancloseoff, corners controlled or
urban guerrilIa isneverthelessthe attacker.
watched by the police, traffic lights and signals; all this must be thoroughly
The military and police forces, for their part, respond to the conflict by known andstudied in order to avoid fatal errors.
mobilizing andconcentrating greatly superior forces inthepursuit anddestruction
Gur problem istogetthrough andtoknow whereandhow tohide, leaving the
of the urban guerrilla. The guerrilla can only avoid deteat if hedependson the enemy bewildered in areashe doesn't know. Being familiar with the avenues,
initial advantageshehasandknows how toexploit themtotheend,tocompensate streets,alleys, insandouts,thecornersoftheurbancentres,itspathsandshortcuts,
tor hisweaknessandlackof material.
its empty lots, its underground passages,its pipesand sewer systems,the urban
The initial advantages are: guerrilla safely crossesthrough the irregular anddifficult terrain unfamiliar tothe
1.Hemusttaketheenemy by surprise. police, wherethepolice canbesurprised inafatal ambushortrapatanymoment.
2.Hemust know theterrain of theencounter. Becauseheknows theterrain, the urbanguerrilla canpassthrough it onfoot, on
3. He must have greater mobility and speedthan the police and other bicycle, inacar,jeep orsmall truck, andneverbetrapped.Acting insmall groups
repressiveforces. with only afew people,theguerrillas canrendezvousatatimeandplacedetermined
4.His information service must bebetterthantheenemy's. beforehand,following uptheinitial attackwith newguerrilla operations,orevading
5.Hemustbeincommandofthesituation, anddemonstrateadecisiveness the police cordon and disorienting the enemy with their unexpected audacity.
sogreatthateveryoneonoursideisinspiredandneverthinks ofhesitating, It isan impossible problem for the police, in the labyrinthine terrain of the
while on the other sidetheenemy isstunned and incapable of acting. urbanguerrilla, tocatchsomeonethey cannotsee,torepresssomeonethey cannot
catch,andto close in on someonethey cannot find.
Surprise Gur experience isthatthe ideal guerrilla isonewho operates inhisown city
andthoroughly knows itsstreets,itsneighbourhoods, itstransit problems, andits
Tocompensatefor hisgeneralweaknessandshortageof weapons compared
other peculiarities. The guerrilla outsider, who comes to acity whose streetsare
to theenemy,the urban guerriIlausessurprise. The enemy hasnoway tocombat
unfamiliar to hirn, isaweak spot, andif heisassignedcertain operations, hecan
surprise andbecomesconfused andisdestroyed.
endangerthem. Toavoid gravemistakes, itisnecessaryfor hirntogettoknow the
When urban guerrilla warfare broke out in Brazil, experience proved that
layoutof thestreets.
surprise wasessentialto thesuccessof any guerrilla operation. Thetechnique of
surprise isbasedupon four essentialrequirements:
Mobility And Speed
1.Weknow thesituation oftheenemywearegoing toattack, usually by
T0insureamobilityandspeedthatthepolicecannotmatch,theurbanguerriIla
means of precise information and meticulous observation, while the
needsthe following:
enemy does not know he is going to be attacked and knows nothing
1. Mechanization
about the attackers.
2. Knowledge of theterrain
2. We know the strength of the enemy we are going to attack, andthe
enemy knows nothing about our strength. 3.A disruption orsuspensionof enemy transport andcommunications
4. Light weapons
3. Attacking by surprise, we save and conserve our forces, while the
enemy isunableto dothesame,andis lett atthe mercy of events. Bycarefully carrying outoperationsthatlastonly afew moments,andleaving
4. We determine the time and place of the attack, fix its duration and thesite in mechanized vehicles, theurbanguerrilla beatsarapid retreat,escaping
establish its objectives. The enemy remains ignorant of all of this capture.
information.
Theurbanguerrilla mustknow theway indetaiI,and,inthis manner,mustgo
through theschedule aheadof time asatraining, toavoid entering alleyways that
Knowledge Of The Terrain
have no exit, or running into traffic jams, or being stopped by the Transit
The urban guerrilla's bestally isthe terrain, and becausethis issohemust Department's traffic signals.
know it likethepalmofhishand.Tohavetheterrain asanally meanstoknow how The police pursuethe urban guerrilla blindly, without knowing which road
to usewith intelligence its unevenness, its high and low points, its turns, its heisusing for his escape.While the urban guerrilla escapesquickly becausehe
irregularities, itsfixed andsecretpassages,itsabandonedareas,itsthickets, etc., knows theterrain, the police losethetrail andgive upthe chase.
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Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerri/la Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerri/la
The urbanguerrilla must launch hisoperations far from the logistical centres tothis with light weaponsthat canbeeasily transported, sohecanalways escape
of the police. A primary advantageof this method of operation isthat itplacesus with maximum speedwithout ever accepting open fighting. The urban guerrilla
at a reasonable distance from the possibility of capture, which facilitates our hasnomissionotherthantoattackandquickly withdraw. Wewould leaveourselves
evasion.
opento the most crushing defeats if we burdened ourselves with heavy weapons
Inaddition tothisnecessaryprecaution, theurbanguerrilla mustbeconcerned andwith thetremendous weight of the ammunition necessaryto usethem, atthe
with theenemy's communication system. The telephone isthe primary target in sametime losing our precious gift of mobility.
preventing the enemy from access to information, by knocking out his When ourenemyfights againstuswith thecavalry, weareatnodisadvantage
communications systems. aslong aswe aremechanized. The automobile goesfaster than the horse. From
Evenif heknows abouttheguerriIlaoperation, theenemydependsonmodern within thecar,wealsohavethetargetof themounted police, knocking him down
transportation for his logistics support, and his vehicles necessarily lose time with submachine gun and revolver fire or with l\JIolotov cocktails and hand
carrying himthrough theheavytraffic ofthelargecities. Itisc1earthatthetangled grenades.
andtreacheroustraffic isadisadvantage for theenemy,asitwould befor usif we Ontheother hand, it isnot sodifficult for anurbanguerrilla onfoot tomake
were notaheadof him.
atarget of apoliceman on horseback. Moreover, ropesacrossthestreet,marbles,
If wewant to haveasafemargin of security andbecertain to leavenotracks andcork stoppersarevery efficient methods of making them both fall. The great
for thefuture, we canadopt thefollowing methods: disadvantagefacedbythemountedpolicemanisthathepresentstheurbanguerriIla
1.Deliberately intercept the police with other vehicles, or by seemingly with two excellent targets-thehorseanditsrider.
casual inconveniences and accidents; but in this casethe vehicles in Apart from beingfasterthanthehorseman,thehelicopter hasnobetterchance
in pursuit. If the horse is100slow compared tothe urban guerrilla's automobile,
question should neither belegal nor havereal license numbers.
thehelicopter istoo fast. Moving at200 kilometres anhour, itwill neversucceed
2.Obstruct the roadswith fallen trees,rocks, ditches, falsetraffic signs,
deadendsor detours, or other clever methods. inhitting from aboveatargetthatislostamongthecrowds andstreetvehicles, nor
canthe helicopter land inpublic streetsinorder tocapture someone.At thesame
3.Placehomemademines intheway of thepolice; usegasolineorthrow
l\JIolotovcocktails to settheir vehicles on fire. time, whenever itflies too low, it will beexcessively vulnerable tothefire of the
urban guerrillas.
4. Setoff aburst of submachine gun fire or weapons such asthe FAL
aimed atthe motor andtires of the carsengagedinthepursuit.
Information
With the arrogance typical of the police and the military authorities, the
The chances that the government has for discovering and destroying the
enemy will come to fight usequipped with heavy gunsandequipment, andwith
urbanguerrillas lessensasthepoweroft hedictatorship's enemiesbecomesgreater
elaborate maneuversby menarmedtotheteeth.Theurbanguerrilla mustrespond
and more concentrated among the population.
This concentration oftheopponentsofthedictatorship playsavery important
role in providing information about the actions of the police and government
officials, asweil ashiding theactivities of the guerrillas. The enemy canalsobe
thrown off with falseinformation, which isworsefor him becauseitisatremendous
waste.
By whatever means,the sourcesof information atthe disposal of the urban
guerrilla arepotentially betterthanthoseof thepolice. Theenemy isobserved by
thepeople, but hedoesnot know who among thepeopletransmits information to
the urban guerrillas. The military andthe police are hated by the people for the
injustices and violence they have committed, and this facilitates obtaining
information which isdamaging to the activities of government agents.
Information, which isonly asmall segmentof popular support, representsan
extraordinary potential in the handsof the urban guerrilla.
Thecreation of anintelligence service,with anorganized structure, isabasic
needfor usoThe urbanguerrilla hasto havevital information about theplansand
movements of the enemy; where they are,how they move, the resourcesof their
Diagram {romau.s. Field Army Manual o{anaboveandbelow ground urban assault. banking network, their means of communication, and the secret activities they
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Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla
Mini-Manual Of The Urban Guerrilla
knowledge oftheterrain, andinformation. Hemustalsodemonstratehiscommand
carry out. The reliable information passedon to the guerrillas representsawell
ofanysituation andacapacity for decisiveness,without which allotheradvantages
aimed blow atthedictatorship. Thedictatorship hasnoway todefend itself inthe
will prove to beuseless.
faceof an important leakwhich facilitates our destructive attacks.
It is impossible to carry out any action, however well-planned, if the urban
Theenemyalsowantstoknow what actionsweareplanning sohecandestroy
guerrilla turnsouttobeindecisive, uncertain, irresolute. Evenanactionsuccessfully
usorprevent usfrom acting. Inthissense,thedangerof betrayal ispresent,andthe
beguncanendindefeat if command of thesituation andthecapacity for decision
enemy encourages betrayal and infiltrates spies into the guerrilla organization.
falter in the middle of the execution of the plan. When this command of the
The urban guerrilla's technique againstthis enemytactic isto denounce publicly
situation andacapacity for decision areabsent,the void isfilled with hesitation
thespies,traitors, informers andprovocateurs.Sinceourstruggletakesplaceamong
andterror. The enemy takesadvantageof this failure and isableto Iiquidate uso
the people and depends on their sympathy - while the government hasa bad
Thesecretofthesuccessofanyoperation, simple orcomplex, easyordifficult,
reputation becauseof its brutality, corruption and incompetence - the informers,
istorely ondetermined men.Strictly speaking,therearenosimple operations: all
spies,traitors andthepolice cometobeenemiesofthe people,without supporters,
mustbecarried outwith thesamecaretaken inthemost difficult, beginning with
denounced to the urban guerrillas and, in many cases,properly punished.
the choice of the human elements - which meansrelying on leadership andthe
Forhispart,theurbanguerrilla mustnotevadetheduty -onceheknows who
capacity for decision in every situation.
the spy or informer is-of physically wiping him out. This isthe proper method,
Onecanseeaheadof time whether anaction will besuccessful ornot bythe
approved bythepeople,anditminimizes considerably theincidence of infiltration
way itsparticipants actduring thepreparatory period. Thosewho fall behind,who
or enemy spying.
faiItomakedesignatedcontacts,areeasiIyconfused,forget things, fail tocomplete
Forcomplete successinthebattleagainstspiesandinformers, itisessentialto
thebasictasksof thework, possibly areindecisive menandcanbeadanger.It is
organize acounter-espionage orcounter-intelligence service. Nevertheless, asfar
better not to include them.
asinformation isconcerned, it cannot all bereduced to amatter of knowing the
Decisiveness meansto put into practice the plan that hasbeendevised with
enemy's moves al1davoiding the infiltration of spies. Intelligence information
determination, with audacity, and with an absolute firmness. It takes only one
must be broad - it must embrace everything, including the most insignificant
personwho hesitatesto loseall.
material. There isatechnique of obtaining information, andthe urban guerrilla
must master i1.Following this technique, intelligence information is obtained
Objectives Of The Guerrillo's Actions
naturally, asapart of the Iife of the people.
The urban guerrilla, living in the midst of the population andmoving about With histactics developed andestablished, the urbanguerrilla trains himself
among them, must beattentive toall typesof conversations andhuman relations, inmethodsofaction leading toattack,and,inBraziI,hasthefollowing objectives:
learning how to disguise his interest with greatskill andjudgment. 1. To threaten the triangle within which the Brazilian state and North
Inplaceswhere people work, study, andlive, it iseasyto collect all kinds of American domination aremaintained, atriangle whose points are Rio,
information on payments, business,plans of all kinds, points of view, opinions, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and whose base is the axis Rio - San
people's state of mind, trips, interior layout of buildings, offices and rooms, Paulo,where thegiant industrial, financial, economic, political, cultural,
operations centers,etc. miIitary,andpolice complex thatholdsthedecisive power of thecountry
Observation, investigation, reconnaissance,andexploration of theterrain are is located.
also excellent sources of information. The urban guerrilla never goesanywhere 2.Toweakenthelocalmilitia andthesecurity systemsofthe dictatorship,
absentmindedly and without revolutionary precaution, always on the alert lest given the fact that we areattacking andthe gorillas defending, which
something occurs. Eyesandearsopen,sensesalert, hismemory isengravedwith meanscatching the government in adefensive position with its troops
everything necessary,noworinthefuture, tothecontinued activity ofthe guerrilla immobilized inthedefenseofthe entirecomplex ofnational maintenance,
fighter. with itsever-present fearsof anattack on itsstrategie nerve centers,and
Careful readingofthe presswith particular attentiontothemasscommunication without ever knowing where, how orwhen theattack will come.
media,theresearchof accumulated data,thetransmission of newsandeverything 3.Toattack every areawith many different armed groups, small insize,
of note,apersistenceinbeing informed andin informing others,all this makesup each self-contained and operating independently, to disperse the
the intricate andimmensely complicated question of information which gives the government forces in their pursuit of a thoroughly fragmented
urban guerrilla adecisive advantage. organization, instead of offering the dictatorship the opportunity to
concentrate itsforces inthe destruction of onetightly organized system
Oecisiveness
operating throughout the country.
It isnot enough for the urban guerrilla to have in hisfavour surprise, speed,
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