Patrolling Fundamentals

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Patrolling Fundamentals (Originally Written by David R. Reed)

The patrol order will be a briefing that includes all of the details and contingencies. It will provide the instructions that everyone needs to do their job. It will begin with the boarding of the helicopters/trucks/aircraft/submarine and end with the debriefing. You must include every conceivable contingency and allow time for training and rehearsals.

What do you do if you are discovered on the LZ upon insertion? If you will break your team into two elements for some reason, what are you going to do if one of the elements is discovered/captured /killed/ or for some reason doesn't return at the prearranged time?

If you are walking along and are ambushed what are you going to do? Break the patrol down into phases and spend a lot of time discussing each phase with your people. Identify all areas of concern and plan for them. You should rehearse everything as best you can. If you can locate an area to rehearse in that has similar terrain, practice moving into your ORP (Objective Rally Point)/Patrol Base at night. Make sure each person knows what sector he will be responsible for and can set up in the dark without talking. Rather than give a lengthy narrative on all of this, why don't we discuss some specific techniques and then go over the phases of a patrol and discuss how these techniques are integrated into the mission.

A large, powerful, and heavily armed combat patrol on a mission to seek out and destroy the enemy doesn't give a darn whether they make noise or not. They want the enemy to try and mess with them. They know that if the enemy does, they are going to kick some ass.

Phase of Patrol (Modified for our sample warning order)

·Planning & Preparation

·Movement to the Objective

·Reconnaissance

·Setup our 'hides' and shoot people

Fundamental Concepts

Movement

When moving at night you will be very close to each other. 'Ranger Eyes' are sewn onto the back of your cap. These are two small strips of luminescent tape. In very dark places (like in a triple canopy jungle) you may have to hold onto the man in front of you. The worst sin a man can commit (along with coughing, sneezing, and stumbling) is to break contact with the man in front of him. DON'T DO THIS. People who want to break contact have no place on a patrol.

Movement formation should be such that the Patrol Leader (PL) can control all of the patrol elements. Remember that you must be able to control teams in a variety of emergency situations. If you are strung out to far, your patrol can be cut in half by an ambush. If you are too close to each other, one mortar or artillery round can kill you all. You should organise your little patrol into a point element, headquarters, and rear security. (This is only for our small sniping mission) Patrols are usually organised according to the mission. While moving, people are organised into 'manoeuvre elements' and each has a team leader. In battle, the patrol leader will manoeuvre these teams against the enemy.

Point Element

While moving your patrol should have a point element. A point element is composed of a Point man and a slack man. Their mission is to provide security, NOT to navigate. The point team should not stray too far ahead. The PL must be able to control their direction and see them at all times. The point team must be very alert for booby traps, ambushes, and enemy patrols, positions, etc. The point man walks in front and the slack man moves behind him about 20 meters depending on terrain and vegetation. The slack man must watch the point man in his peripheral vision. When the point-man looks to the right, the slack man 'takes up the slack' by looking to the left. They must work together to provide constant 270 degree surveillance and check back to the patrol to get guidance on direction. If the point team does not keep an eye on the patrol, and the patrol stops for any reason, they will break contact. The point team is the patrols primary defence against ambush. They must be able to spot an ambush before the patrol gets within the kill zone. They will communicate by hand and arm signals. At night, or in dense vegetation, or rocky terrain, the point team will close up to the patrol. Tired men have a habit of looking at the ground in front of them. It is difficult to concentrate for long periods of time in a high-pressure situation like point.

The point team should not be in place for longer than one hour. 30 minutes is a better time period. That way your point team will always be alert. If your patrol is not large enough to rotate the point, or you have other reasons, make sure that your point team is a good one.

Headquarters Element

Your HQ element will be the Patrol Leader (PL), APL, and RTO (Radio Telephone Operator). For movement purposes the APL will be at the rear of the patrol. He will watch for litter, broken branches, tracks, and pull rear security. In a small patrol you may want to alternate the position of RTO so that each man can have a respite from point. It really depends on how well each person can operate the radio. Assuming everyone can operate the radio with a high degree of competence it is OK to do this, if not you may have to use a dedicated point team. You will have to make the decision, it is important to have a competent radio operator at all times. It is also important to have an alert point team at all times. Remember this, combat success is measured by the degree your unit can move, shoot, and communicate. Without communication, both within your patrol, and with field artillery and air support, you are dead in combat. A patrol leader must be able to manoeuvre his men, talk to HQ, fire support, and display leadership, all under a hail of bullets and other weapons.

Sniping Element

If you and the APL are snipers then you are also the sniping element. You will not be sniping during the movement phase, so it is acceptable to perform other jobs during this phase of the patrol. It is no different from any other special purpose team, demotions, snatch, POW search and handling, river crossing, all must perform security and be ready to fire and manoeuvre in contact with the enemy.

Weapons always follow your eyes. As you scan an area to your flank, your weapon's muzzle follows. It should always be pointed wherever you are looking.

Each man in the patrol has a sector to watch as you move. Stagger this so that you alternate from right to left. One man looks right, the man behind him looks left, and so on all the way back through the patrol.

All of your men should be able to qualify right & left handed with their weapons.

The basic indivisible unit is a 2-man buddy system. You should never leave a man alone for any reason. You will not be forgiven for a tragedy befalling someone under your command when it could have been avoided.

You should not use radios unless absolutely necessary. The enemy can determine where you are transmitting from and they will fire upon your location. You should work out a system of squelch breaks to communicate. When you separate for recon purposes, each team should have a small, low-power radio.

Immediate Action Drills

-Spotted by armed soldier who doesn't shoot

Kill him quickly and quietly -- if he shoots try to kill him quietly. If you have the same kind of weapon he has kill him with it if you have to. Rehearse this. Now what will you do, did anyone hear you? He will certainly be missed; can you make it look as someone else shot him? Like he shot himself? Can you bury him, drown him, anything to keep his body from being discovered?

-Spotted by Armed soldier(s) Who Shoot

The point team should immediately drop and return fire. The point man fires an entire magazine at full-auto and throws a grenade. If possible the slack man should lay down a base of suppressive fire while the point man runs or crawls back to the patrol. The patrol fires to cover the slack man's escape. You can repeat this moving one man to the rear of the patrol at a time until you have broken contact. Then everyone can run like hell to the last rally point.

-Far Ambush

Suddenly mortars fall on you or a heavy machine gun opens up from 600 yd.'s away. The PL yells "9:00 300 meters!" or something, everyone runs to the 9:00 direction for 300 meters and regroups. If they are separated then they return to the last rally point. (Later)

-Near Ambush

You are suddenly ambushed, the only thing you can do is assault their position. Don't try to hide, any place that provides cover will only be booby-trapped in a well-laid ambush. If you run you'll be shot down. Your only hope in a near ambush is to attack the enemy firing on full auto, throwing grenades, swinging you rifle like a club, etc. This must be rehearsed. Everyone must do it instantly, w/out hesitation for it to have any chance of working. Anyone not in the kill zone must immediately flank and assault the enemy position. Basically, if you are caught in a near ambush you are dead meat! The best defence is this one, don't ever forget it DON'T GET YOUR ASS AMBUSHED!

Your point team must be a good one! Its job is to make sure there is no one hiding in ambush along your route.

-Rally Points

Along your route you must select rally points while you walk. You will probably have a few picked out beforehand by looking at prominent terrain features on your map. As you pass big gnarled trees, rocks, etc. you point and say rally point. Make sure the point element gets the word, not just the people behind you. If you have to run, the rendezvous place is always the last rally point. If that isn't possible the rally point before that one becomes the rendezvous.

In Ranger and LRP training these concepts are drilled into your head in a pressure cooker environment. The slightest error brings almost violent reactions from the instructors. By the time you have lived like this it becomes second nature, instinctive. If you have not had the benefit of this training then you must rehearse (and you should anyway, no matter how much it pisses them off) these actions with your men prior to the patrol.

-Actions When Stopped

Whenever you stop for any reason everyone must form a hasty perimeter. You must never stand up unless you are moving. The instant the patrol stops everyone quietly moves a few feet out and forms a defensive perimeter. This can be a simple cigar shape.

When in formation everyone has a direction they will watch while stopped. You don't want everyone walking off to the left and leaving the right unguarded.

If you will be stopped for more than a few minutes you may follow this schedule of maintenance.

·Weapons cleaning -- Reapply camouflage -- take turns

·Eating -- Take turns

·Sleep - Take turns -- depending on the danger present you may only want 1 in 3 men asleep at a time. Divide the time you will be stopped and allow each shift equal sleep time.

·Frag order -- If the course will be changing or the mission changes for any reason a frag order is issued, this is an addendum to the Patrol order.

-Actions at Danger Areas

Contingencies are:

·What if the point man gets fired up?

·What if you are hit while crossing?

Plan to have people separated as little as possible. If you are hit you don't want a danger area separating your men. Do not send one man across at a time unless you are crossing a stream or river. If it is a road spread everyone out. When the right & left flank give you an all clear everyone runs across at once.

-Command and Control

Certain signals will mean certain things in an emergency. You need a signal to:

·Stop

·Move forward

·Provide Covering Fire


	. \| home Team Menace Airsoft Manual \| Scouting and Battle Formations \| Night Combat Manuals and Other Manuals \| CQB Manual \| Sniping Manual \| Patrolling Fundamentals \| Ranger's Handbook \| Scouting Reports Patrolling Fundamentals Patrolling Fundamentals (Originally Written by David R. Reed) The patrol order will be a briefing that includes all of the details and contingencies. It will provide the instructions that everyone needs to do their job. It will begin with the boarding of the helicopters/trucks/aircraft/submarine and end with the debriefing. You must include every conceivable contingency and allow time for training and rehearsals. What do you do if you are discovered on the LZ upon insertion? If you will break your team into two elements for some reason, what are you going to do if one of the elements is discovered/captured /killed/ or for some reason doesn't return at the prearranged time? If you are walking along and are ambushed what are you going to do? Break the patrol down into phases and spend a lot of time discussing each phase with your people. Identify all areas of concern and plan for them. You should rehearse everything as best you can. If you can locate an area to rehearse in that has similar terrain, practice moving into your ORP (Objective Rally Point)/Patrol Base at night. Make sure each person knows what sector he will be responsible for and can set up in the dark without talking. Rather than give a lengthy narrative on all of this, why don't we discuss some specific techniques and then go over the phases of a patrol and discuss how these techniques are integrated into the mission. A large, powerful, and heavily armed combat patrol on a mission to seek out and destroy the enemy doesn't give a darn whether they make noise or not. They want the enemy to try and mess with them. They know that if the enemy does, they are going to kick some ass. Phase of Patrol (Modified for our sample warning order) ·Planning & Preparation ·Movement to the Objective ·Reconnaissance ·Setup our 'hides' and shoot people Fundamental Concepts Movement When moving at night you will be very close to each other. 'Ranger Eyes' are sewn onto the back of your cap. These are two small strips of luminescent tape. In very dark places (like in a triple canopy jungle) you may have to hold onto the man in front of you. The worst sin a man can commit (along with coughing, sneezing, and stumbling) is to break contact with the man in front of him. DON'T DO THIS. People who want to break contact have no place on a patrol. Movement formation should be such that the Patrol Leader (PL) can control all of the patrol elements. Remember that you must be able to control teams in a variety of emergency situations. If you are strung out to far, your patrol can be cut in half by an ambush. If you are too close to each other, one mortar or artillery round can kill you all. You should organise your little patrol into a point element, headquarters, and rear security. (This is only for our small sniping mission) Patrols are usually organised according to the mission. While moving, people are organised into 'manoeuvre elements' and each has a team leader. In battle, the patrol leader will manoeuvre these teams against the enemy. Point Element While moving your patrol should have a point element. A point element is composed of a Point man and a slack man. Their mission is to provide security, NOT to navigate. The point team should not stray too far ahead. The PL must be able to control their direction and see them at all times. The point team must be very alert for booby traps, ambushes, and enemy patrols, positions, etc. The point man walks in front and the slack man moves behind him about 20 meters depending on terrain and vegetation. The slack man must watch the point man in his peripheral vision. When the point-man looks to the right, the slack man 'takes up the slack' by looking to the left. They must work together to provide constant 270 degree surveillance and check back to the patrol to get guidance on direction. If the point team does not keep an eye on the patrol, and the patrol stops for any reason, they will break contact. The point team is the patrols primary defence against ambush. They must be able to spot an ambush before the patrol gets within the kill zone. They will communicate by hand and arm signals. At night, or in dense vegetation, or rocky terrain, the point team will close up to the patrol. Tired men have a habit of looking at the ground in front of them. It is difficult to concentrate for long periods of time in a high-pressure situation like point. The point team should not be in place for longer than one hour. 30 minutes is a better time period. That way your point team will always be alert. If your patrol is not large enough to rotate the point, or you have other reasons, make sure that your point team is a good one. Headquarters Element Your HQ element will be the Patrol Leader (PL), APL, and RTO (Radio Telephone Operator). For movement purposes the APL will be at the rear of the patrol. He will watch for litter, broken branches, tracks, and pull rear security. In a small patrol you may want to alternate the position of RTO so that each man can have a respite from point. It really depends on how well each person can operate the radio. Assuming everyone can operate the radio with a high degree of competence it is OK to do this, if not you may have to use a dedicated point team. You will have to make the decision, it is important to have a competent radio operator at all times. It is also important to have an alert point team at all times. Remember this, combat success is measured by the degree your unit can move, shoot, and communicate. Without communication, both within your patrol, and with field artillery and air support, you are dead in combat. A patrol leader must be able to manoeuvre his men, talk to HQ, fire support, and display leadership, all under a hail of bullets and other weapons. Sniping Element If you and the APL are snipers then you are also the sniping element. You will not be sniping during the movement phase, so it is acceptable to perform other jobs during this phase of the patrol. It is no different from any other special purpose team, demotions, snatch, POW search and handling, river crossing, all must perform security and be ready to fire and manoeuvre in contact with the enemy. Weapons always follow your eyes. As you scan an area to your flank, your weapon's muzzle follows. It should always be pointed wherever you are looking. Each man in the patrol has a sector to watch as you move. Stagger this so that you alternate from right to left. One man looks right, the man behind him looks left, and so on all the way back through the patrol. All of your men should be able to qualify right & left handed with their weapons. The basic indivisible unit is a 2-man buddy system. You should never leave a man alone for any reason. You will not be forgiven for a tragedy befalling someone under your command when it could have been avoided. You should not use radios unless absolutely necessary. The enemy can determine where you are transmitting from and they will fire upon your location. You should work out a system of squelch breaks to communicate. When you separate for recon purposes, each team should have a small, low-power radio. Immediate Action Drills -Spotted by armed soldier who doesn't shoot Kill him quickly and quietly -- if he shoots try to kill him quietly. If you have the same kind of weapon he has kill him with it if you have to. Rehearse this. Now what will you do, did anyone hear you? He will certainly be missed; can you make it look as someone else shot him? Like he shot himself? Can you bury him, drown him, anything to keep his body from being discovered? -Spotted by Armed soldier(s) Who Shoot The point team should immediately drop and return fire. The point man fires an entire magazine at full-auto and throws a grenade. If possible the slack man should lay down a base of suppressive fire while the point man runs or crawls back to the patrol. The patrol fires to cover the slack man's escape. You can repeat this moving one man to the rear of the patrol at a time until you have broken contact. Then everyone can run like hell to the last rally point. -Far Ambush Suddenly mortars fall on you or a heavy machine gun opens up from 600 yd.'s away. The PL yells "9:00 300 meters!" or something, everyone runs to the 9:00 direction for 300 meters and regroups. If they are separated then they return to the last rally point. (Later) -Near Ambush You are suddenly ambushed, the only thing you can do is assault their position. Don't try to hide, any place that provides cover will only be booby-trapped in a well-laid ambush. If you run you'll be shot down. Your only hope in a near ambush is to attack the enemy firing on full auto, throwing grenades, swinging you rifle like a club, etc. This must be rehearsed. Everyone must do it instantly, w/out hesitation for it to have any chance of working. Anyone not in the kill zone must immediately flank and assault the enemy position. Basically, if you are caught in a near ambush you are dead meat! The best defence is this one, don't ever forget it DON'T GET YOUR ASS AMBUSHED! Your point team must be a good one! Its job is to make sure there is no one hiding in ambush along your route. -Rally Points Along your route you must select rally points while you walk. You will probably have a few picked out beforehand by looking at prominent terrain features on your map. As you pass big gnarled trees, rocks, etc. you point and say rally point. Make sure the point element gets the word, not just the people behind you. If you have to run, the rendezvous place is always the last rally point. If that isn't possible the rally point before that one becomes the rendezvous. In Ranger and LRP training these concepts are drilled into your head in a pressure cooker environment. The slightest error brings almost violent reactions from the instructors. By the time you have lived like this it becomes second nature, instinctive. If you have not had the benefit of this training then you must rehearse (and you should anyway, no matter how much it pisses them off) these actions with your men prior to the patrol. -Actions When Stopped Whenever you stop for any reason everyone must form a hasty perimeter. You must never stand up unless you are moving. The instant the patrol stops everyone quietly moves a few feet out and forms a defensive perimeter. This can be a simple cigar shape. When in formation everyone has a direction they will watch while stopped. You don't want everyone walking off to the left and leaving the right unguarded. If you will be stopped for more than a few minutes you may follow this schedule of maintenance. ·Weapons cleaning -- Reapply camouflage -- take turns ·Eating -- Take turns ·Sleep - Take turns -- depending on the danger present you may only want 1 in 3 men asleep at a time. Divide the time you will be stopped and allow each shift equal sleep time. ·Frag order -- If the course will be changing or the mission changes for any reason a frag order is issued, this is an addendum to the Patrol order. -Actions at Danger Areas Contingencies are: ·What if the point man gets fired up? ·What if you are hit while crossing? Plan to have people separated as little as possible. If you are hit you don't want a danger area separating your men. Do not send one man across at a time unless you are crossing a stream or river. If it is a road spread everyone out. When the right & left flank give you an all clear everyone runs across at once. -Command and Control Certain signals will mean certain things in an emergency. You need a signal to: ·Stop ·Move forward ·Provide Covering Fire