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Section Leaders:
Infantry
in
the Attack Click HERE for Print Friendly .rtf format A
few quick points before we get started: ·
This is by no means
meant to serve as the final word on infantry tactics.
The intent of this essay is simply to serve as a primer for the
beginner. It will discuss
infantry tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP’s) at their most
basic level. ·
I am schooled in
1990’s infantry tactics, not 1940’s tactics.
I’m sure a platoon leader from 1944 would have different ideas
about how to take a hill or village then I would and the reader must
understand this as well. My
focus will be on successful tactics for Combat Mission, not a
historical perspective on WWII TTP’s. ·
A little more about
myself - I enlisted in the US Army in 1988 and served for three years
with the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) of the 82nd Airborne
Division. During that time
I participated in the Invasion of Panama and the Gulf War.
I left the Army in 1991 and attended the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. I
graduated in1996 with a double major in American History and Peace,
War, and Defense (an interdisciplinary curriculum focusing on national
security and military affairs), as well as a commission as a 2nd
Lieutenant in the US Infantry. After
Infantry Officer Basic and Ranger schools, I once again found myself in
the 82nd Abn Div. This
time with the 505th PIR. During
my four years with the 505th, I served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Scout
Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Battalion Assistant
Operations Officer. I
offer these qualifications as evidence I understand what I’m talking
about in this essay. ·
The scenario I use
as an example in this essay is one I designed myself.
It consists of a simple 800m x 800m map with a small village,
defended by a heavily reinforced German Rifle Platoon.
I will use the attack of a US Rifle Company, supported by a
reduced Tank Platoon and an engineer platoon, to illustrate my TTP’s.
Please keep in mind that the computer has total control of the
German forces. The only
thing I locked into place during setup were the obstacles.
The TacAI fights on its own from there.
Purchase points: 1701 US, 883 German, roughly 2 to 1 in
strength. The Plan
Every military operation must start
with a plan. Regardless of
if the mission is as simple as moving
forward to enemy contact or as difficult and complex as penetrating the
West Wall, a plan is the key to success.
Now many will argue that a plan goes out the window as soon as
you make contact with the enemy, which is very true.
IF you look at a plan as a football play or an instruction
manual. Your plan should
not be nearly as constrictive as those, however.
A plan should be viewed as a loose guide as to what you, the
commander, want to see occur. The
plan defines what the endstate should be and offers a method for
accomplishing that endstate. The method should be simple and open enough that your
subordinate leaders understand what needs to be accomplished but feel
they have discretion and flexibility to alter the course of events, if
necessary, as long as they still accomplish the endstate.
Tasks should be given to subordinate elements using as terms as broad as possible. For example, dictating a specific route and method to occupy a Support By Fire (SBF) position at location X should be avoided in favor of simply assigning the task of occupying a SBF position at location X. This gives your subordinate maximum flexibility in how to accomplish this basic task and gives him discretion on how to handle any contingencies that may come up. Further guidelines (termed Coordinating Instructions) may be necessary to prevent subordinate elements from interfering with one another, but they will have little effect on accomplishing the task
How does this translate into Combat Mission (CM), since as the
player you control all of your units?
If your CM plan follows the guideline discussed above then you
will also remain flexible and ready for any problems.
Your plan should start with an analysis of the enemy and the
terrain. The enemy
situation should be covered in your higher headquarters Operations
Order (scenario briefing). A
lot of players fret over how to conduct reconnaissance in CM.
Quite simply, there should be no need for reconnaissance in CM.
CM covers the actual closing with and destroying of the enemy. From a doctrinal standpoint, any reconnaissance should have
been completed long before your units step onto the CM stage.
A good defender will have Observation
Posts (OP’s) forward. He
will be able to see most of the areas where your units were allowed to
set up. If he doesn't see
any of your units then a good defender will simply start shelling all
the areas he cant see (probably just a few low lying areas).
This is not a “gamey” concept, it is reality. Artillery is the biggest killer on the battlefield, and any
professional commander will want to engage the enemy with indirect
fires long before he does so with direct fires.
Forward OP’s and defenses in depth are the keys to this.
Now, are you going to take the time to push a few split squads
forward to “recon” that last 500m of ground while your main element
is getting shelled and torn to pieces by artillery?
I certainly hope not. Of
course, if you’re opponent hasn't figured out how to do this then you
wont need to worry about it, the only problems you’ll have are
depleted forces (since you’ll inevitably loose some of those scout
squads for little or no gain) and lost time (a precious commodity in
many scenarios). There are, of course, scenarios that involve reconnaissance
units. But keep in mind
that these scenarios are designed to replicate the recon fight (yes,
doctrinally the recon battle is entirely separate from the actual main
battle). In such scenarios
your main concern should be conducting good reconnaissance, something I
will cover in a later essay. But,
for most CM scenarios your primary goal is to either move forward and
seize terrain or to defend it. In
both situations forward reconnaissance is a waste of time and assets.
I encourage all scenario designers to include in their scenario
briefs a good intelligence estimate that in real world would be based
on prior combat patrols, aerial reconnaissance, radio intercepts, etc.
This would negate the feeling players have in needing to “look
around” before committing to a plan of action.
With a good initial brief a player can look at the ground, pick
out the key terrain, suspected and known enemy positions, and develop a
plan of action that will kick off as soon as he hits turn one.
My example scenario intel
brief: Brigade
reports area defended by elements of the German 246th Infantry
Division. Due to large
area covered by this division, intel predicts objective (village) will
be defended by reinforced platoon, no more then reduced company.
Enemy expected to fight hard to defend objective then withdraw
eastward after sustaining 75% casualties. This
is based on other recent contacts in this area of operation (AO). The
enemy is believed to be low on ammo and have good morale. Supporting assets are minimal.
Battalion scouts report hearing tracked vehicles vicinity of the
objective as of five hours ago, no more then two or three vehicles.
Scouts spotted a reflection of glass from the church steeple,
this is a suspected sharpshooter location or OP for arty spotter.
Scouts also heard/saw pounding of pickets and mine laying
parties. Expect mine/wire
obstacles on north and western side of the objective.
Scouts report good SBF position on high ground to the South and
a good covered and concealed route to an Assault Position in the north.
Ground to the immediate south of the objective is relatively open.
Next comes the terrain analysis.
When taking terrain into consideration you should first look at
the amount and location of cover and concealment.
And not just trees, bushes and buildings.
Cover and concealment
can be provided by terrain as well.
First look for key terrain features that dominate the map.
These are usually high hills and multistory buildings. A quick study of our example map shows that the objective is
in a relatively flat area with hills to the north and south.
Both hills are amply covered with cover and concealment.
Unfortunately the approaches to the northern hilltop are not
well covered by terrain or foliage.
Movement across this area will be risky.
Here is a screenshot of the map:
Based on my analysis of the intel
report and my terrain analysis, I think the enemy will defend from
within the village. I say
this due to his relatively small strength, the placement of his
obstacles and the benefits he receives from operating within the cover
and concealment provided by the village.
OP’s will most likely be placed on the two hills to the north
and south of the objective and in the building due west of the village,
overlooking the large field in the center of the map.
This is based on nothing other then that’s what I would do
and, unfortunately, quite often, that's all you’ve got to go on.
Also, based on my analysis I decide to use the proposed
locations provided by the battalion scouts.
I don’t like having to breach the mine/wire obstacles (MWO)
but if properly supported with direct fires and a smoke screen, it is a
lot more appealing then having to cross the open ground to the south.
Plus, attacking from the north gets me immediately into the key
buildings in the village, namely the church and the large building
across the street. Getting control of these building early on will allow me to
dominate movement within the village.
Now lets turn to an analysis of my
assets. I have under my
command a standard, full strength rifle company, an engineer platoon,
and a tank platoon. Supporting
me I have priority fires for the battalion 81mm Mortars and an observer
for a battery of 105mm Howitzers.
I will have to divide my command into two elements.
An assault element and a SBF element.
The SBF element will move up through
the low terrain in the southwestern corner of the map.
Utilizing the cover and concealment provided by the terrain and
the foliage they will move into a SBF position facing northeast.
They will be tasked with: ·
Suppressing the
objective. ·
Calling in a smoke
mission vicinity the MWO. ·
Creating a
diversion to draw the enemy’s attention away from the approaching
assault element. ·
Fighting through
any enemy outposts or defensive positions enroute to their position. Based
on these tasks I decide to task organize the SBF element as follows: ·
One Rifle Platoon
plus a Bazooka Team ·
One Tank Section ·
The Heavy Weapons
Platoon minus one Machineguns (MG) and the Bazooka teams ·
The 105mm Arty
Spotter Order
of march (OOM): Rifle platoon in V, Hvy Wpns in column.
Screenshot of the SBF Element in column:
The assault element will move, utilizing terrain and foliage as
much as possible, along the northern edge of the map in order to get
into the assault position. Their tasks include: ·
Seizing the
objective. ·
Establishing a
foothold on the objective. ·
Breaching the MWO. ·
Providing close-in
SBF for the breach element. ·
Fighting through
any enemy outposts or defensive positions enroute to their position. The
assault element contains the remainder of the company: ·
Two Rifle Platoons,
each with a Bazooka team. ·
One Engineer
Platoon ·
Company HQ plus
81mm MTR Spotter and one MG ·
One Tank Section Screen
shot of the Assault element in column (Rifle Plt., Co HQ, Eng Plt,
Rifle Plt.):
Two things I want to discuss before
moving on, formations and main effort versus supporting effort.
Both of these topics are worth reams of pages on their own but
I'll keep it quick and simple. Formations: there are basically three formations that are
used by infantry from platoon level all the way up to battalion level.
The V, the Wedge and the Column.
All three have different uses and purposes.
All have various pros and cons.
Picking the best one to use in a certain situation often depends
on unit experience, level of training and the level of visibility.
·
The V:
Illustrated in the above screenshot by the first platoon, this
formation is used when contact to the front is expected but you’re
not real sure from where. With
two squads to the front and one in the rear it gives the leader the max
amount of coverage to the front while still maintaining a reserve for
maneuvering on the enemy. ·
The Wedge:
Illustrated by the trail platoon in this picture this formation is used
when you expect contact from the front or the flanks.
No matter which direction the enemy attacks you from you should
always have at least one squad free to maneuver with.
This is the hardest formation to control, but provides the best
all around security. ·
The column: This
formation, illustrated by the Engineer Platoon, is used when contact is
not expected or terrain and visibility require more control.
Since the Engineers are moving as part of a company column they
would opt for this formation since it provides the most control.
The trail platoon should also be in this formation, I merely put
them in the wedge for instructional purposes.
When assigning tasks to units a leader
must designate the Main Effort (ME) and the Supporting Effort (SE).
You will only have one ME but may have two or more SE’s.
The ME must be the unit who’s task is most critical to
the success of your mission. In
most cases, their task is the one that everyone else's task supports.
This is how I see the elements broken down by task: ·
SBF:
Rifle Platoon - clear route, secure
SBF position/arty spotter.
Hvy Wpns - Suppress objective.
Tank Section - Provide overwatch of
SBF ·
Assault Element:
Lead Rifle Platoon - clear route,
provide close in SBF, clear objective after foothold secure.
Engineer Platoon - breach MWO.
Trail Rifle Platoon - Establish
foothold on objective.
Tank Section - Provide overwatch for
Assault Element, provide close in SBF. Many
may think the platoon tasked with clearing the objective should be the
ME. But I would argue that
clearing the village is actually relatively easy once you’re inside
it, so I would label the foothold element as my ME.
As such, they travel relatively protected in the rear of the
company column and have only one clear cut task, seize the church!
Everyone else is a SE, labeled SE1 through SE6. The Battle
Ok, here we are, the plan is made, the
units are setup and we hit GO! SBF
moves out, the tanks move into an overwatch position:
The
SBF moves first since I want it in position before the Assault Element
runs into any serious trouble. The
Tanks serve two purposes. They provide covering fire for the SBF if
they need it, and they give the enemy something to focus his attention
on. As long as he’s got
something to worry about, it lessens the chance of him spotting my
other units.
The Assault Element moves out on turn
3. The tanks move ahead
slightly but will drop back once the lead platoon nears any restrictive
terrain. No need to make
them easy targets for any AT guns or Tank Killer teams.
My tank section overwatching the SBF moves into hulldown
covering positions. As you
can see the one on the left is a little more exposed then the one on
the right. He pays for it
later.
These two Shermans make contact with a light AT gun in turn 5.
They manage to knock it out after a few close calls with
ricochets. You can also
see the MWO and a roadblock in this screenshot.
Turn 6: two Mark IV’s show up near the church and engage my
two hulldown Shermans. They manage to kill the one on the left, right before my two
tanks escorting the assault element roll over the hill and hit them
both in the rear. The
TacAI has done what I wanted. By
focusing on the SBF element, the overwatching tanks specifically, he
has exposed his supporting assets and let me take them out early.
A couple turns later and both SBF positions (far and close in)
are in place and suppressing the objective.
The white Area Target line stretching out to 406m from the far
SBF is my arty spotter calling in the smoke screen.
Two
perspectives of the smoke screen, SBF and Assault:
Another
perspective, notice how I was lucky enough in laying the smoke that I
didn't totally mask the close in SBF.
81’s and 105’s are now prepping the objective with observed
indirect fires (yellow lines).
Turn
13, the assault: Engineers,
under the concealment of the smoke screen, cleared an anti-personnel
mine field. Now the ME is
assaulting the church. Under
perfect conditions the smoke would still be there, but I misjudged the
time needed in favor of getting some good hits with my 105’s in the
village. Notice I set one
building on fire and rubbled one to the right of it with the artillery
prep.
Foothold
established. The ME and
the engineers occupy the foothold buildings, the close in SBF has
lifted fires and is now preparing to move through the breach and clear
the rest of the village. The
ME will provide covering fire for them.
The
mopping up went quickly. I
had to move through to the southern edge of the town to get the last
victory location and run off two squads still hanging on.
I got over anxious and moved in one of my Shermans from the
close in SBF position, only to lose it in a minefield.
The final tally:
The real keys to success here were synchronization and a little
luck. I was able to get my
SBF in a good position where they could really hurt the enemy, get my
smoke in on time and in the right place and execute my assault with
good covering fires. I was
lucky with the early knockout of the two Mark IV’s and that the TacAI
didn't fight harder for the northern end of the town.
There were two VP locations, one in the north and one in the
south. He seemed content
to let me have the northern one, perhaps hoping he could hold out to
the end of the game near the second one.
TTP Discussion Formations
and Movement Techniques:
Three types of formations
discussed (wedge, V, and column). I selected column for both elements since I wanted to keep
the possibility of discovery down to a minimum.
By keeping the width of the formation as small as possible I
made it harder for the enemy to spot.
The lead platoon for each column,
however, was in a V formation. This
kept those platoon’s combat power focused to the front.
Since they both were tasked with clearing any OP’s or other
defensive positions encountered before we reached the Assault Position
and SBF Position, the V formation put them in a position to deal with
them quickly and effectively.
There are generally three movement
techniques: traveling, traveling overwatch, and bounding overwatch.
1.
Traveling: used when speed is essential or need for security is
minimal. Contact is
UNLIKELY. Elements move
relatively close together, contributing to control.
The units in the element columns, minus the lead platoons, were
using this movement technique.
2.
Traveling Overwatch: The
lead element moves approximately 50-150 meters in front of the rest of
the column (dependant on terrain).
This way if contact is made the rest of the column has an
opportunity to react. Used
when contact is LIKELY but speed still overrides security.
The two lead platoons were using this technique.
3.
Bounding Overwatch: Used when contact is EXPECTED.
One element of a unit will stay in a SBF position and overwatch
the other element move forward. Once
the leader is satisfied with the first units movement, they will take
up a SBF position and the trail element will then move forward.
Both columns used this movement technique.
The Tank Sections of both elements performed the overwatch role.
Bounds can be just a few meters (as in the case of the fire
teams of a rifle squad) or as long as the max effective range of weapons (as in the case of tanks moving together).
Building
Seizure/Clearing: ·
Isolate the
building by fire. This
means use your SBF elements to prevent movement in or out of the
building by their suppressive fires.
Don't forget your indirect fires.
Go back up to the screen shot of the SBF’s firing into the
objective. Notice that in
addition to the small arms fire covering the church I have shifted my
artillery fires away from the smoke screen to the front of the church.
This prevents the enemy from reinforcing the church and cuts up
any units of his that are trying to withdraw from it. ·
Assault the
building with sufficient strength to take it.
This should be at least 2 to 1 odds, 3 or 4 would be much
better. Don't forget to
include Leaders, Bazookas and MG’s (if available) in the assault
party. These may be needed
right away, once the building is seized.
·
You should always
attempt to preserve the structure.
A well executed attack will be successful with minimum
casualties. The structure
can then be used by use as a staging area, SBF position, or hasty
defensive position. None
of which you could do if you level it while trying to take it.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful.
Please direct any questions or comments to me at twotarheels@msn.com.
Good Luck!
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