Will China invade Taiwan without relying on heavy tanks? That fits with my view on how China will throw an invasion force across the Taiwan Strait.
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Chinese strategists believe infantry is better suited for fighting in Taiwan’s mountainous and urban terrain, according to an analysis by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Defense Priorities think tank in Washington, D.C. Perhaps more important, infantry and light vehicles could be transported by China’s vast fleet of civilian ships, rather than needing special landing craft to carry armored vehicles.
One aspect I have doubts about is using China's fishing boat militia to move light infantry to Taiwan. How would the congestion off the beaches and chaos on the beaches for the numbers he is talking about be avoided? Invading is way different than evacuating like at Dunkirk in 1940.
Although his airborne spearhead of air drops and helicopters makes sense to me in an invasion that lands troops by many means. Offensive and defensive fires for the bridgeheads could be provided from offshore.
And yes, I too worry about the quality of Taiwan's ground forces. Just seeing a major PLA force ashore could demoralize the defenders.
Even if Taiwansese troop moral holds, if the PLA gets ashore and digs in, that might be victory enough even without the heavy armor to drive on Taipei, as I wrote in Military Review.
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NOTE: Photo of Dunkirk from Rare Historical Photos.
