The Ugly American Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 12, "The Lessons of War" Summary

Chapter 12, "The Lessons of War" Summary

The next day MacWhite obtains a copy of the booklet on war by Mao. MacWhite reads the booklet aloud to Monet and Wolcheck. Though many of the tactics take years to execute, they can employ two tactics to their immediate advantage. First, they can use darkness and mobility to strike the weak points of the enemy. Second, they can identify and neutralize the command position of the enemy using Mao's writings. The enemy command station is proscribed as being as close to the battle as "a man can trot in half an hour." They examine a map and locate a bamboo forest two miles from the village as the probable command post. Wolcheck recommends fashioning a weapon used during the Korean War. The weapon is a flatbed truck on which they mount twenty 5-inch rocket launchers in a circle that fire simultaneously. Using the enemy's tactics, the troops move in...
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