This is coolbert: Pseudo-forces is the modern term for troops that dress in the uniform of the enemy. Utilize this ruse to gain an advantage that they exploit in battle. Allows troops to more easily get behind-the-lines, creating all sorts of mayhem and mischief in the process. This tactic, which has a somewhat disreputable aura about it, has been used throughout history, even in recent history. Perhaps disreputable, but nonetheless, can be effective.

As in so many things during World War Two [WW2], the Germans seemed to excel in this form of combat.

Prior to the outbreak of war, the Germans organized the Brandenburger Regiment. This was a body of troops specifically constituted for the purpose of pseudo-operations. A regiment of men trained in sabotage, infiltration, intelligence reporting, etc.

This regiment was comprised primarily of men who in the years prior to WW2 had repatriated to Germany, having lived previously in various eastern European countries. These were men who had retained their German ethnicity, but also were proficient in and understood the language, mores, habits, and customs of whatever country they were from originally. It is a fact that for centuries, all throughout central and eastern Europe, outside of Germany proper, there existed large, thriving communities of ethnic Germans. After the ascendancy to power of Hitler, many young men within these communities were encouraged to repatriate [This word is the best word used to describe this movement, even if not totally correct as the definition is understood. Most of these repatriates had never been to Germany in the first place, or had their ancestors for generations back]. These were the men that made up the backbone of the Brandenburgers. Read more about the Brandenburgers by clicking here.

Most Brandenburgers, for obvious reasons, were employed in a variety of behind-the-lines operations, and as might be expected, mostly were used for pseudo-operations in eastern European countries. And had a lot of success too. Would infiltrate behind enemy lines [Soviet lines primarily] to conduct sabotage, gather intelligence, cut cables, misdirect traffic, conduct raids against enemy headquarters, capture prisoners, capture bridges intact [coup de main], etc. Quite often would employ captured Soviet vehicles in this capacity of infiltration. One favorite tactic of the Brandenburgers was to instill tank "fright" in rear echelon troops. Feigning retreat to the rear, Brandenburgers would drive by Soviet units, yelling "tanki, tanki [tanks]". The idea to was to create panic and cause a rearward chaotic surge of Soviet troops. And this did work.

Brandenburger-like troops [I am not sure if this was a special levy or if the troops involved were already Brandenburgers?] were also active during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. We have all read about the "griefers [grabbers]" of Otto Skorzeny, the famous SS Commando officer. Germans that lived in the U.S. prior to the outbreak of the war and were repatriates that parachuted behind American lines to cut phone lines, misdirect traffic, etc. Create chaos and mistrust. And they were successful. But suffered very heavy casualties in the process.

Now, the heavy casualties of impostors such as the "griefers" raises an interesting question. What is the legal status, under international law and the Laws of Land Warfare, regarding pseudo-forces? It is categorically forbidden to wear the uniform of the enemy. Period. It is not allowable. So how come it is done? Well, the advantages in some circumstances seem to outweigh the value of following the letter of the law! You can also make a case that the regimes that utilize this practice of pseudo-forces are not regimes that are beholden to the following of any law anyhow. Such as the Nazi regime in Germany! Anyhow, the penalty for captured prisoners wearing the uniform of the enemy is uniformly death, as was the case for "griefers" captured during the Battle of the Bulge [over one hundred "griefers" were put before a firing squad and executed after the battle].

In the post-WW2 era, other nations during a time of war have employed pseudo-forces.

During the campaign against the "terrorist" Mau-Mau in Kenya, it is reported that white British troops, wearing "blackface" and appropriate civilian dress, would impersonate Mau-Mau in the hope to lure the enemy out of hiding.

During the insurrection in what was Rhodesia, it is reported that white government troops would don the uniforms of East German advisors to the insurrectionist black nationalist movements, also in the hope of luring the "terrorists" out of hiding. Click here to visit an outstanding site about Rhodesian pseudo-operations. One of the best sites I have seen period.

In both of the above cases, "terrorists" lured out of hiding would be instantly shot dead. Such is war.

In Vietnam, the U.S. employed pseudo-forces during the campaign to eradicate the communist infrastructure in South Vietnam. Within each communist controlled village in South Vietnam would exist a cadre of communists that constituted the "sea that the fish swim in". This was the support mechanism for the Viet Cong [VC] fighters in the field. This support cadre would provide food, intelligence, propaganda, first aid, etc., to the VC military. To weed out this cadre, the CIA, as part of what was called the Phoenix Program, organized pseudo-forces consisting of loyal South Vietnamese they had recruited. These VC impostors would sent into a VC controlled village, posing as VC requiring support. The hope was to make contact with the cadre and identify them. The pseudo unit would leave the next day, and CIA "assassins" would follow, eliminating the cadre. And this must have been something that worked and hurt the VC very bad indeed. Many shrill voices were raised in the U.S. against this "assassination" program. I am not sure to what extent this program was understood by the general public during the war, but it was afterwards, and it was always controversial, at least in some circles.

The Soviet defector Suvorov maintains that he never saw national or racial units within Spetsnaz during his time as a Spetsnaz evaluator. He did find a large number of what are called "the other people" in Spetsnaz. These are persons who are Soviet citizens but are not Slavic in origin. Suvorov reports meeting many German speakers and many Spanish speakers within Spetsnaz. The former, according to Suvorov, are the offspring of German WW2 POW's that collaborated with the Soviets. The latter are in all likelihood the offspring of Spanish communists who fled to the Soviet Union after the victory of Franco in the Spanish Civil War. It is most likely that such national units could be organized in time of war, and would be used in pseudo-operations, and probably effectively so, not only wearing the uniforms of the opposition, but speaking the language as well. Spetsnaz would have been the obvious source for pseudo-forces within the old Red Army.

And those tunnels dug under the Korean DMZ by the North Koreans undoubtedly have an intended role in pseudo operations by the North Korean army at the outbreak of a war with the South. Introduce thousands of North Koreans ranger/commando type troops, dressed in South Korean uniforms into the south just prior to an outbreak of war. To create chaos and inflict grave harm either at the onset of hostilities, or even before actual warfare breaks out.

And what about the U.S. Does the U.S. military have the ability to use pseudo-operations. Well, this would have to be something that would be a closely guarded secret. I have it from an informant that decades ago, there were organized in the U.S. military what could be best described as "racial" units. Special Forces ad hoc units organized along racial lines. You had units [probably twelve man A teams] which consisted of only Latin Americans, other teams of only black Americans, and other teams of only Asians. These teams would be probably deployed only in the most specific of circumstances in an area of the world where a person of obvious European racial type would instantly stand out. Were these teams ever used? I don't know!

When one is waging a war, no-holds-barred is quite often the motto. And pseudo operations is one of those holds.

coolbert.