|
|
Infantryman:
Recce the enemy:
A flash of light from a badly camouflaged rifle, the crack of a twig breaking, the rattle of loose ammo, your silhouette glimpsed against the skyline - any of these could give you away when out on patrol. Even the simpliest-seeming recce mission will call for total professionalism and may tax all your resources as an infantryman.
This section on infantry skills describes how you should prepare for a patrol, how
to reach your objective safely and
- no less vital - return safely to your own lines. Before you leave the safety of your
your own lines you must make sure that every member of your patrol is properly prepared,
clothed, armed and equipped. This means that you must carry out a detailed inspection of
each man. Make sure that his clothing or equipment does not shine or rattle, that he is
properly camouflaged and that he is carrying nothing that , if he were captured, would
give away any information to the enemy.
Be patient:
Once you are happy that the patrol is properly prepared and briefed, you can lead the patrol out through your own lines into No Man's Land. From now on, you must survive on your own wits and instincts. You must see the enemy before he sees you. You must hear him first. You should also try to put yourself in his mind so that you are always one jump ahead. So it's vital that you move carefully, quietly and slowly. This demands great patience. You will also need to make frequent halts to listen for any sign of enemy activity.
Every time you halt, everyone must lie down, to take advantage of the skyline. That way you will see the enemy's silouette first, and he will not se you. When you are lying down, scan the landscape around you with an individual weapon sight (IWS) or binoculares. You should also listen for any sounds of movement. Don't move again until you are sure that none is nearby.
When you are moving, you should do so positively and at the best possible speed - but not so fast that you make any unnessesary noise. The information that you use will depend on the size of your patrol and the type of ground you are crossing. The formations you'll use most often are file, and diamond. Individuals need to keep about five meters apart, although on a dark night you may have to reduce this distance to one meter.
There and back:
You will need to work out the route to your objective very carefully - and be sure to choose a different route for the return journey. Break your route down into "legs", or sections, each having a magnetic bearing and a measured distance. Ideally, each leg of the journey should be not more than 1 000 meters long. When you are actually following the bearing of a particulare leg on your compass, you should nominate the man behind you to count the paces and at least one other man to check his accuracy.
Each leg should end at a feature that you can recognice easily at night - though it shouldn't be so obvious that the enemy might choose to ambush it. At the end of each leg, designate a rendezvous (RV) should the patrol get disperced or any individual get lost. On the outward journey the patrol reorganices at the last RV, on the return journey at the next RV - in other words, the RV nearest your own lines.
What to avoid:
Keep clear of obvious approaches to an enemy position such as prominent tracks or deep defiles - they are likely locations for enemy standing patrols. Rather than walk along the edge of a wood, walk parallel to the edge perhapse five meters into the wood. Avoid skylines but, if you have to cross one, order the patrol to crawl and make use of any available cover. Patrolling by cay is much more difficult than at night, and it is even more important that you take advantage of any available cover. In the jungle it is so dark that you will find it impossible to patrol at night without using artificial light. This should obviously betray your presence at once, so jungle patrols normally go out by day, when visibility is in any case probably only 20 to 30 meters.
Tackling obstacles:
Patrols are particularly vulnerable when they are crossing obstacles. The sort of obstacle you might come across will vary from a stream or a wire fence to an enemy wire emplacement. Even a road or a track, that you have to cross and that the enemy are likely to be using, has to be regarded as an obstacle. Plan how you intend to get your patrol over or across an obstacle and rehearse your plan.
Essentially, you should stop when you reach an obstacle and put your patrol into a position of all-round defence. Next, listen and look for any sign of the enemy. Then inspect the obstacle if you can, to check that there are no unforseen complications - for instance, the level of a stream may have risen higher than wading deapth.
Reading the other side:
Your next step is to get a footing on the far side of the obstacle. At this stage,
apply the rules of fire and manoeuvre
- no member of your patrol should move unless he is covered by fire from the remainder of
the patrol. While the others are ready to give covering fire, two members of the patrol
must negotiate the obstacle and 'go firm' on the other side. Then it's their turn to cover
the next two across, an so on, until finally you have all established youreselves in a
position of all-round defence on the far side of the obstacle. You should then take a
further brief pause to check everyone is across, and to listen and look again for signs of
the enemy before moving on.
Signs and signals:
During a patrol it is obviously important that you maintain silence. The British army has worked out a series of hand signals that you can pass down the line of the patrol. It is vital that you keep every member of the patrol informed all the time of what is happening and what is going to happen next. Then, everyone will know when you have reached an obstacle (across, formed by crossing both arms or an arm and a rifle) or if you need to change formations (one arm in the air for single file, two for file), and so on. This sign language grows and adapts in different theatres of war. In past jungle campaigns it has become increasingly sophisticated. The order for the patrol to take a five-minute smoke break, while the platoon commander questioned a local native woman became: five fingers held up, two fingers put to the mouth as if smoking a cigarette, two fingers on the shoulder (indicating the two 'pips' on the platoon commanders shoulder epaulettes), followed by a movement with both hands as if cupping two female breasts!
Reheasals:
The most important part of any patrol is clearly the action on the objective. In so far as you can, you must rehearse this in minute detail so that every man knows his part. In the case of a recce patrol this may be simply every man watching and listening in order to bring back every possible strand of information; if you are taking a fire patrol, the task may be more complex and dangerous and could involve capturing a prisoner or destoying an outpost.
The other action that you must rehearse is what you will do if you bump in to the enemy. You will usually have several alternatives; the one you choose will depend on the precise circumstances, but include: an immediate assault on the enemy if they are very close; getting down and returning fire , to give your platoon commander a breathing space to decide upon the next course of action; or you can throw grenades in the direction of the enemy (including smoke grenades, to cover your withdrawal), and then run in a pre-arranged direction or in the direction you indicate at the time.
If your patrol is unfortunate enough to recive casualties, you must at all cost bring them back, not only for reasons of morale but also to deny the enemy information. You may have to leave a man wounded on the outward journey at an RV, probably with another man to look after him, and then collect him on the way back. A casualty can be carried between two men sitting on a rifle or, if he is more seriously wounded, you can make an improvised stretcher using rifle slings, pieces of wood or other material.
The safe way back:
The return journey may be more dangerous than the outward, since the enemy may have been alerted to your presence and could warn its own patrols to watch out for you as you return. The enemy could put up flares. When a flare is fired there is normaly time to fall flat before it is fully effective. But if you are caught in the open the next best thing to do is freeze. At night it is movement that will give your presence away. It is also a good idea to close one eye so that night blindness does not result from looking at the light.
Watch for trip flares:
Much more dangerous are trip-flares, which are virtually impossible to detect unless you move very slowly, waving a stick at ancle hight, trying to feel for the trip wire. Trip flares consist of a pot containing a magnesium flare attached to and set of by a long wire, which can be stretched for 10 to 15 meters across likely approaches or tracks. Theyare very sensitive and easily set off. They are usually sited around a defencive position to give early warning of an enemy approach, and you can expect them to be covered by fire. If you do set of a trip flare, get out of the area as soon as possible so as not to be silhouetted against the light and smoke.
Patrolling is a demanding and complex business. Patrols can only be undertaken successfully by highly professional soldiers. Know the art of patrolling, and you are a long way towards knowing how to win your campaign.
Carrying out a Recce patrol:
1: The combat team commander briefs the patrol commander during the afternoon, ready for the night patrol. The Recce patrol must know:
a) All information about the positions of friendly and enemy forces.
b) Anything affecting the route such as wire, minefields and areas known to be under observation by the enemy.
c) Time in and time out.
d) What action to take on meeting the enemy.
e) Passwords and recognition signals in use tonight.
2: The patrol commander studies thte ground from a frontline trench, planning the route the recce team will take and thinking out a plan for the operation.
3: The next step is the preparation of orders. If you are leading the patrol you should study maps of the area, any available aerial photos, and previous recce reports.
4: The patrol commander meets the soldiers he will lead on the patrol and explaines the nature of their mission and his plan.
5: Ideally the patrol should have time to practise the recce mission during daylight. Here the patrol commander informes the soldiers in the front-line trenches when and where to expect the patrol during the night.
6: Once past the front-line, the patrol will move slowly and silently in single file. Exact distance between men will depend on the terrain and the visibility.
7: The route is devided into 'legs' each with a magnetic bearing and distance and near a feature you can recognice at night. At each halt, the patrol forms up for all-round defence.
8: The patrol commander takes the patrol through a full rehearsal in daylight and must make sure that everyone knows what is expected, and what their role will be.
9: A small stream like this offers cover and concealment but your patrol should avoid obvious approaches like tracks or the edges of the woods. The enemy may well expect your patrol to pass.
10: In a close reconnaisance two men will crawl right up to the enemy position while the other two wait about 50 meters behind ready to cover the retreat of their comrades.
11: The last stage of the approach must be very cautious; the slightest sound could betray you to the enemy sentries.
12: Having creptas close as you dare, observe the enemy position carefully and make a mental note of everything of military significance.
13: Once back in your own lines you must make a patrol report immediately while your memory is fresh. The combat team commander will probably want you to explain personally what you have seen.
Action under flares:
1: The enemy may have set trip-flares in front of their position. It is worth probing ahead with a small stick to find the wires if you are crossing an obvious position. If you set of a flare, move out of the area as fast as you can; do not go to ground in the area lit up by the flare.
2: You must have a prearranged plan of action in case the enemy attack your patrol. If you need to withdraw, you should retreat as follow; two men provideing covering fire while the other half of the patrol falls back a set distance. Then the process is repeated until you are out of contact.
3: The exact arrangements for doubling back in pairs must be rehearsed before you go out on patrol: making it up as you go while under fire at night is a recipe for disaster. Smoke grenades are useful for masking your escape. If your patrol suffers casualties you should make every effort to bring them back, not just for morale but to deny any useful information to the enemy.
