http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/04/05 /the_new_war_horse/
H.D.S. Greenway The new war horse Pickup trucks have changed Third World combat Libyan rebels ride at the back of an armed pickup truck flying a pre-Khadafy flag. Libyan rebels ride at the back of an armed pickup truck flying a pre-Khadafy flag. (Associated Press) By H.D.S. Greenway <http://search.boston.com/local/Search.do?s.sm.query=H.D.S.+Greenway&camp=lo calsearch:on:byline:art> April 5, 2011 EARTHQUAKES, A tsunami, a great recession, and endless recalls have plagued Japan's automobile industry, but recent wars have been very good for it. Glance at any newspaper, or switch on the nightly news, and you are likely to see Japanese pickup trucks carrying rebels into, or away from, battle in Libya or the Ivory Coast, often with a large machine gun in the cargo bed. The pickup has become a favorite in African and Asian wars in recent decades, admirably suited for low intensity warfare, whether it be in the sands of the Sahara, the scrub of Somalia, or the rocky soil of Afghanistan. It is often better suited for local conditions than the heavier and better-armored tank, and far cheaper. Of course they are vulnerable to air attack, and where helicopter gun ships and strafing planes are in play, the pickup is neutralized. But in conditions where air power is less of a factor, the fast-moving, four-wheel-drive pickup, usually the extended cab model, comes into its own. Fast Land Rovers with mounted machine guns made their mark in the deserts of Libya and Tunisia in World War II, when British long-range desert patrols would zip behind enemy lines to harass General Erwin Rommel's Afrikakorps. Although there are a few Fords and Land Rovers in combat today, the Japanese light trucks are now ubiquitous in Third World warfare. Some heavier trucks even carry anti-aircraft guns in their beds, which can be used against marauding planes, or leveled to fire against ground troops, or civilians as the case may be. Pickups have become the successor to the Arabian steeds that were used to descend upon a tribal enemy in the not too distant past, and are still used in remote places. The trucks are the modern equivalent of the light cavalry Muslims used in the Middle Ages to defeat crusader knights in their heavy armor on huge, European battle horses. A local warlord today might count his wealth in pickups rather than camels. The trucks became known as "Technicals'' in Somalia. The name came about because non-governmental organizations hired local security forces to protect them, and the trucks they bought for that purpose were purchased from "technical assistant grants.'' In the 1970s, the Sahrawi People's Liberation Front pioneered the use of attack pickups in Morocco and Mauritania. When Libya leader Moammar Khadafy's armed forces attacked Chad in the 1980s, the Chadians used pickups to great advantage, out-maneuvering the more cumbersome heavy armor of the Libyans. The Chadians found they could drive their light trucks through minefields that were designed to detonate when tanks passed over them. Time magazine dubbed the conflict as "the Great Toyota War.'' And when the Taliban first fanned out to conquer Afghanistan, it employed swarms of pickups to swoop down upon the hapless Mujahideen, who, often as not, quickly surrendered. It has generally been rebels who employ pickups because they usually cannot afford the tanks that government armies have at their disposal. But governments use pickups too. Recently I rode with a Pakistani army mini-convoy of three soldier-filled pickups, two of them with mounted machine guns, through the Malakand Pass in the Bajaur Tribal Agency on the Northwest Frontier where the Pakistani Taliban is making mischief. The Pakistani army used to use American pickups, but for some reason, I was told, spare parts were not forthcoming so the Pakistanis now buy Japanese on the open market and paint them in army drab. Although Toyotas were the most common, I saw Mitsubishis and Nissans too. The favorite on the frontier, both among the government troops and the Taliban, is the Toyota Hilux, thought to be the most rugged for the difficult terrain. I cannot imagine Toyota will use a Hilux full of bearded Talibs in their next advertising campaign, but the battle-scarred Japanese trucks on the road between Benghazi and Tripoli are testimony enough to the Japanese industry. H.D.S. Greenway's column appears regularly in the Globe. <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/04/0 5/the_new_war_horse/> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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