Raid (military)

Raid
British commandos watch as an ammunition dump burns during Operation Archery, Vågsøy 27 December 1941.
Battlespace	Land Air Sea
Strategy	Operational

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Raiding, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare "smash and grab" mission which has a specific purpose. Raiders do not capture and hold a location, but quickly retreat to a previous defended position before enemy forces can respond in a coordinated manner or formulate a counter-attack. Raiders must travel swiftly and are generally too lightly equipped and supported to be able to hold ground. A raiding group may consist of combatants specially trained in this tactic, such as commandos, or as a special mission assigned to any regular troops. Raids are often a standard tactic in irregular warfare, employed by warriors, guerrilla fighters or other irregular military forces. Some raids are large, for example the Sullivan Expedition.

The purposes of a raid may include:

to demoralize, confuse, or exhaust the enemy;
to destroy specific goods or installations of military or economic value;
to free POWs
to capture enemy soldiers for interrogation;
to kill or capture specific key persons;
to gather intelligence.