Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, or
LRRPs (pronounced "lurp"), were special small four to six-man teams utilized in the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
on highly dangerous
special operationsSpecial operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
missions deep into enemy territory.
During the
Winter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939, three months after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and especially during the
Continuation WarThe Continuation War The Continuation War The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II....
against the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, Finland employed several Long Range Patrols (LRPs), or "kaukopartio" in Finnish. Followed a few years later by the British
Long Range Desert GroupThe Long Range Desert Group was a unit of the British Army during World War II. The unit was founded in Egypt, following the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, by Major Ralph A. Bagnold with the assistance of Captains Patrick Clayton and William Shaw, acting under the direction of then...
, made famous by its co-operation with the
Special Air ServiceThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
Regiment.
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, or
LRRPs (pronounced "lurp"), were special small four to six-man teams utilized in the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
on highly dangerous
special operationsSpecial operations are military operations that are considered "special" .Special operations are typically performed independently or in conjunction with conventional military operations. The primary goal is to achieve a political or military objective where a conventional force requirement does...
missions deep into enemy territory.
History
During the
Winter WarThe Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939, three months after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II, and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
and especially during the
Continuation WarThe Continuation War The Continuation War The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II....
against the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, Finland employed several Long Range Patrols (LRPs), or "kaukopartio" in Finnish. Followed a few years later by the British
Long Range Desert GroupThe Long Range Desert Group was a unit of the British Army during World War II. The unit was founded in Egypt, following the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, by Major Ralph A. Bagnold with the assistance of Captains Patrick Clayton and William Shaw, acting under the direction of then...
, made famous by its co-operation with the
Special Air ServiceThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
Regiment. In the mid to late 1960s, the U.S. Army Special Forces trained volunteer LRRP's for the purpose of locating enemy units in
guerrilla warfareGuerrilla warfare is the irregular warfare warfare and combat in which a small group of combatants use mobile military tactics in the form of ambushes and raids to combat a larger and less mobile formal army....
, as well as in artillery spotting, intelligence gathering,
forward air controlForward air control is the provision of guidance to Close Air Support aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller , for NATO forces the qualifications and experience required to be...
, and
bomb damage assessmentBomb, or battle damage assessment, often referred to as BDA, is the practice of assessing damage inflicted on a target by an air campaign. It is part of the larger discipline of combat assessment...
. Early in the war long range reconnaissance patrols were performed by a limited number of infantry battalion Recon Platoons. Later LRRP units were provisional platoon-sized units. By 1967, formal LRRP companies were organized, some having two platoons, each with eight six-man patrols. Training was notoriously rigorous. Similar missions, although more likely to be clandestine, deeper penetrating, and more like
Special reconnaissanceSpecial Reconnaissance is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from Special Operations Forces who avoid combat with, and detection by, the enemy...
, were run in Vietnam by the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) Studies and Observation Group (SOG).
Within the U.S. Marine Corps, these missions were typically assigned to Marine Recon, especially Force Recon, units assigned to corps-level (i.e., Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)) level, as opposed to the Battalion Recon units answering to battalion commanders.
Beginning in February 1969, all LRRPs were folded into the newly-formed 75th Rangers, bringing back operational Ranger units. The Army had disbanded Ranger units after Korea, but kept Ranger school, on the theory that spreading Ranger School graduates throughout the Army would improve overall performance.
Operation
The LRRP operated on
reconnaissanceReconnaissance is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information. Militarily, its shorthand Canadian and British form is recce , its American usage form is recon...
and combat patrols, either obtaining highly vital intelligence, or performing highly dangerous raids and ambushes. The tactical employment of LRRPs was later evaluated to be generally used far too dangerously by strategic commanders, who were pleased by the extraordinary kill ratios for LRRPs teams (sometimes reported as high as 400 enemy troops for every LRRP killed). Their use was reconsidered and restructured into modern day
Long Range SurveillanceLong Range Surveillance, or LRS units , are specially employed elite surveillance units of the United States Army that are utilized by Military Intelligence for intelligence gathering deep into hostile territories.The classic LRS employment is to infiltrate deep into enemy territory,...
(LRS) units.
Sri Lanka
Other units known as LRRPs can be found in international militaries, such as the LRRP unit trained and used by the Military Intelligence in Sri Lanka. Unconfirmed reports suggest training was provided by outside entities such as the Green Berets, Navy SEALs, British SAS and the Israeli military. The LRRP has been very successful in covert operations against the LTTE terrorists in the northern and eastern provinces of
Sri LankaSri Lanka , officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in South Asia, located about off the southern coast of India...
. Its members were so successful in assassinating key LTTE figures that many LTTE leaders refused to come out of their jungle bunkers before the 2002 ceasefire was implemented. After the resumption of hostilities, it is believed that the LRRP units were conducting operations in the LTTE held northern province. The LTTE has accused the Sri Lankan
Deep Penetration Units of launching attacks on LTTE leaders and civilians in their areas, although the Sri Lankan Government denies any involvement in these attacks. The teams have had success against LTTE leaders such as military intelligence leader
Colonel Charls and many other leaders. Other success have included observing LTTE training camps and calling in air strikes. The LRRP's successes and dedicated operators have garnered a fearful reputation among the LTTE.
The Sri Lanka Army commander General
Sarath FonsekaGeneral Sarath Fonseka RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, SLSR is a Sri Lanka Army officer and current Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka. He previously served throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War, including as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from December 6, 2005 - July 15, 2009...
had recently acknowledged that LRRP units were used to beat the LTTE at their own game.It was later revealed that LTTE, who were masters at jungle warfare refused to engage in combat and withdrew from their positions instead of holding the ground because of these elite soldiers.This unit falls under 3rd Special Forces Regiment (
Sri Lanka Army Special Forces RegimentThe Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment is the elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This Regiment is specialized in hard-hitting encounters with the enemy using superior skills and fire power. The Special Forces Regiment has the distinction of taking part in almost all major...
). They along with other Speicial Forces units & Commandos (
Sri Lanka Army Commando RegimentThe Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment is an elite special operations unit which is a Regiment of the Sri Lanka army. Within one of the four Army Commando Regiments there is a 140-man counter-terrorist unit that provides the primary Counter-Terrorism response for Sri Lanka...
) played a vital role in eliminating the LTTE including
Velupillai PrabhakaranVelupillai Prabhakaran was the founder and leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a militant organization that sought to create an independent Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka...
, the manglomaniac terrorist leader. LRRP has also been a major cause of internal breakdown of LTTE as it has associated with creating rifts between the terrorists. It is one of the core units of
Directorate of Military Intelligence (Sri Lanka)The Directorate of Military Intelligence is the intelligence arm of the Sri Lankan armed forces.-References and External links:*...
.
Federal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency. The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
has classified LTTE as the most dangerous terrorist outfit in the asd world.
Finland
In
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
, long-range patrols (
kaukopartio) were especially notable in the Second World War. For example,
Erillinen Pataljoona 4 (4th Separate Battalion), a command of four different long range patrol units, Osasto Paatsalo, Osasto Kuismanen, Osasto Vehniäinen and Osasto Marttina operated throughout the
Continuation WarThe Continuation War The Continuation War The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II....
1941-44. These units penetrated Soviet lines and conducted recon and destroy missions.
During the trench warfare period of the Continuation War, long-range patrols were often conducted by special Finnish sissi troops.
Former President of Finland,
Mauno KoivistoMauno Henrik Koivisto [IPA: mɑuno henrik koiʋisto] was the President of Finland from 1982 to 1994. He also served as Prime Minister 1968–1970 and 1979–1982...
, served in
Lauri TörniLauri Allan Törni was a Finnish Army captain who led an infantry company in Finnish Winter and Continuation War and moved to the United States after the war...
's specially designed Jäger Company in the Finnish 1st Infantry Division. This unit conducted several difficult missions against Soviet strongholds and attacks. Lauri Törni became a US citizen and entered in the US Army, becoming a Special Forces soldier. He gave the US Army Special Forces important knowledge in long range patrolling and fighting. He was declared MIA during the Vietnam War in 1965, until his remains were found and were buried in Arlington on June 26, 2003.
Denmark
The Danish Defence Forces had two Longe Range Surveillance Companies (LRSC) known as "Patrol-Companies" - one assigned to the Jyske Division (later Danish Division) and one assigned to the Land Command Zealand (Corps-level) later to the Danish Army Operational Command.
PatruljekompagnietThe Special Support and Reconnaissance Company , until 1 January 2007 known as the Patrol Company Army Operational Command is the only remaining Long Range Surveillance Company / Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Coy) in the Danish Armed Forces...
was an all volunteer unit within the Danish Home Guard, and has now changed its name to Special Support and Reconnaissance (SSR) Company.
United Kingdom
The
Honourable Artillery CompanyThe Honourable Artillery Company is the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior in the Territorial Army.-History:...
and its regular sister unit,
4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery5th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the surveillance and target acquisition role, and is equipped with various ranging and location equipment.-Batteries:...
, operate in this role. During the cold war, the Corps Patrol Unit (CPU) consisted of 21 and
23 SASThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
and the HAC.
NATO
The
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
International Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol School (ILRRPS), based first at
WeingartenWeingarten is a municipality in the district of Karlsruhe in southwestern Germany, situated at the transition from the Kraichgau to the Rhine valley. Its name means vine garden in German...
and then
PfullendorfPfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the...
, provided training to LRRP units from the United States, United Kingdom,
the NetherlandsThe Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...
, Italy, Germany, Greece, Belgium and Turkey.
External links