Good day, Mister Rawles.
Thank you, as always, for the good work you do.
Regarding J.G.’s article homestead defence, it occurred to me that stand-off situations would become a likely possibility.
Reasonably, a group of attackers will launch an assault on your homestead and either succeed or fail to kill/capture you.
If they succeed the point is moot, but if they fail, what then? Unless their force is clustered or small you’re unlikely to kill them all. Odds are strong that after half their force (or maybe less) gets ventilated the rest will attempt to retreat.
What will they do afterwards? Look for a less defended homestead or simply wait for a better time to crack your defences? Perhaps they’ll set the nearby foliage alight after determining the direction of the wind and attack under cover of smoke or simply find the best position to take pot-shots at your residence. Several sleepless days later you’ll be exhausted and your nerves will be wracked.
Heaven forbid they have a distance shooter more skilled than your watchman. Suddenly the odds are not looking so great, are they?
It’s for this reason I think it’s important to be able to communicate with the goblins after they lay siege to your residence.
Negotiate?
Bargain?
Not a chance!
Instead, a suitably powerful loudspeaker (or failing that, a note wrapped around the shaft of an arrow) can convey to the goblins that you will fight to the bitter end, and that the last man standing will detonate a well placed petrol bomb and reduce their prize to ashes.
This strategy could even prove effective against less violent but more populous mobs (such as any locally organised “food redistribution teams”).
Cheapen the “reward” part of the enemy’s risk/reward analysis and you will certainly fight less battles than you might otherwise have to. You’ll also be able to give those less vicious trespassers their marching orders at a more suitable distance.
Kind regards, as always. – The Apple Islander
JWR Replies: In a world without advanced medical care or even antibiotics available, who in their right minds would risk repeated attacks on a resilient target? It is reasonable to expect that in most cases, looters will see the error of their ways and move on to easier pickings. (Unarmed victims.) Your part of this equation is to be truly resilient. In a situation where there is no extant law enforcement agency left to summon, it will be “You’re on your own” (YOYO) time. Don’t ever make the mistake of appeasing or negotiating with goblins. Looters only understand thick walls, stout doors, and force. So be prepared to provide plenty.
Sometimes a display of force will be enough to discourage looters, so that they will go find easier pickings. As I mentioned once before in SurvivalBlog, one of my consulting clients is a rancher in the intermountain west. He has a 24″ diameter, 3/4″-thick round steel plate hung up on chains above his perimeter fence gate, which is 250 yards from his house. (He has a typical western ranch entry gate with a very high, stout crosspiece.) This plate is painted with his cattle brand logo, so to the casual observer it merely looks decorative. He’s told me is that his intention is that if miscreants stop and show signs of forcing his gate, he will used a scoped FAL rifle to apply several rapid shots to that steel plate. He calls it his “Go away” bell. Hearing his “bell” ring will be a clear message to los hombres malos: “You have 250 yards of open ground to traverse to get to my house. Do you feel lucky, or bulletproof?”
Again, in genuinely Schumeresque times, during hours of darkness it is likely that a semi-auto burst of tracer rounds fired over the heads of a gang of looters might have a similar effect. One of my readers also suggested placing 20 pound Tannerite targets in positions around a retreat’s perimeter. Ideally, these target would be positioned so that they can be seen and targeted by the retreat defenders but not by the attackers. (Tannerite can be really impressive.) Depending on the circumstances, demonstrating one or two of those going “boom” in plain view somewhere between the looters and your retreat residence might be a good way to encourage the ruffians to leave.
One strong proviso: The use of “warning shots” or other displays of force could be misconstrued. State laws on warning shots vary widely. (Be sure to check your local and state laws!) In some states, this might be considered justifiable, but it in others it is a potential felony. I would only recommend doing this in the midst of a true “worst case” societal collapse, only from a long distance (firing from cover), and only if no law enforcement were available to call. Do not attempt this in present day circumstances or you will risk getting sued or prosecuted! Also note that tracer ammunition and Tannerite are banned in a few jurisdictions. Again: Do your homework!
Please don’t mistake any of the foregoing as sure solutions. Merely scaring off looters might not be sufficient. Certainly don’t use displays of force more than once, per customer. The first time should be their only warning. Be prepared, if need be, to follow it up with a heavy dose of lead if they persist and thereby demonstrate that they plan to kill you.
And you are right: You need to be able to demonstrate that you are willing to fight to finish. Anything less will be a sign of weakness that can be exploited.