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Clearing an enemy held building:
When you're inside a house where enemy
troops are installed, the grenade takes over from the gun as your first-line weapon. When
clearing buildings - perhapsthe most dangerous job an infantryman is called on to do -
there's no time to wonder how the enemy's going to react.
You have to do it to them before they do it to you. And do it quickly, safely and
surely, risking your life and those of your team as little as possible.
This section of Urban Combat looks at clearing buildings room by room, and setting up defensive positions once that task has been completed.
Whatch the outside:
There are two problems involved in moving about in buildings occupied by enemy
troops - and only one of them comes from inside. The essential point for a soldier to
remember in house clearence operations is that enemy forces on the outside are just as
dangerous to you as those on the inside. Never stand at windows, in doorways or in holes
blown through walls. If you do have to cross in front of windows that could be targeted by
the enemy, either keep weel back in the room or crawl beneath the level of the window
sill.
Inside the house, the danger zones are found in hallways and corridors. The rooms opening on to those are useful hideouts for enemy troops who can then anbush the forces clearing the building. If you are forced to use an entrance hallway or upstairs corridor, always present yourself as the smallest target possible by flattening yourself against the wall. If you come to a turning, treat it as you would a room. Never make any assumptions until you have seen for your self.
When you are approaching a room always keep a sharp eye out for booby-traps. These aptly named devices are hidden bombs with disguised trigger mechanisms. Although they are normally left behind by enemy forces after they have evacuated a position, they have proven useful in the defence of buildings aswell.
Constantly bear in mind a few simple rules and you will avoid being a booby. Never touch everyday household objects such as light switches or doorhandles. Don't be temped by attractive souvenirs, for their appearance can be deceptive. A handsom gold watch laying on a table could in reality be the trigger to an anti-personel bomb underneath the furniture. Watch your feet: a favorite location for booby-traps is where you have to walk - the treads of a staircase, for example.
If possible take the most difficult route; it could save your life. Bear in mind that the enemy may have had as long as he wanted to place booby-traps, and don't ever try to render these bombs safe - that is the engineers' job. If you do find a booby-trap, mark its position with tape, chalk or aerosol paint, and give it a wide berth.
Go for the grenade:
Infantrymen are taught in basic training that their rifle is their best friend.
However, when the soldier is clearing a house the grenade replaces the rifle in his
affections. Its explosive strength is increased by the small enclosed spaces, and it
provides a quicker source of firepower in a situation where speed is safety.
When you are ready to enter a room, don't use the doorhandle; it could be booby-trapped and its movement warns the enemy who might be inside that you're about to come in. Instead put a short burst of automatic fire through the door and kick it open. If it is a stout door, get a shot-gun and load it with solid charges. Blast the hinges and then kick the door.
The first thing through the door is not your foot but a grenade. Let it 'cook off' first: pull its pin, wait two seconds, and then throw it in. Be very careful of thin walls, however - grenade fragments can penetrate them and injure you or one of your comrades.
Bursts of fire:
Rush in fast, as soon as the grenade has gone off in the room, firing a short burst from
your weapon. The first man in must get his back to the wall, in a position where he can
engage any target in the room. Don't try to get of single, aimed shots. Two- or three-
shot bursts are more effective. The second man into the room searches it carefully. He is
protected not only by his teammate inside the room with him, but also by a support party
outside the door.
Always shout messages to your support party. Keep them informed. When you're sure that the room is clear, say so in a loud voice; when your comming out, once again yell a warning. The same applyes to movements up and down staircases.
Don't make the mistake of setting up a pattern as you move from room to room. A clever enemy, lying in wait for you, would be able to work out exactly what you are going to do and when. Instead, vary the way you tackle each room. Use demolition charges or light anti-tank weapons to blow holes in sections of walls so that you can enter from an unexpected direction: but always lead of with a grenade. When a room has been cleared, mark it with tape, spray paint or chalk.
Keep what you've won:
Once a building has been secured, it may be necessary to prepare its defence. Barricade
windows, fortyfied loopholes, sniper positions, anti-tank positions and machine-gun posts
are all examples of the sort of hardened firing positions you will need. Each one has
different needs and they will be examined in turn.
When barricading a window, leave just a small port through which you put fire on to the enemy. You can use material taken from the internal walls of the building you've occupied, or - better by far - already prepared bags of sand or earth. Don't just barricade the windows that you want to use as firing positions. You will tell the enemy exactly where you are to be found. Don't make the firing ports that you leave in the barricade square or of an even shape. That, too, makes the enemy's job easier. Reinforce the walls below and to each side of the window. A modern high-velocity round will go straight through a brick wall and still have enough energy to cause casualties.
Watching at the window:
Remove any glass left in the windows to avoid injury from splinters, but if there
are curtains, leave them, so long as they do not restrict your view. If possible, put wire
mesh up at the windows to keep out grenades. Arrange it so that you can vary and change
your position as much as possible. When firing from an upstairs window, for instance, try
to have a table or similar piese of furniture close at hand, so that you can increase the
angle of fire downwards by standing on it.
Loopholes should be protected in much the same way as windows. Because you have the choise of where to make loopholes. They can often give a better field of fire than windows, and are more difficult for the enemy to spot.
Floors and ceilings:
As well as protecting the walls to the front and the sides of your firing
position, you can put a double layer of sandbags or similar bullet absorbent material on
the floor under your feet. This is most useful if you're above the ground floor. You can
also build a protective roof with a table and more sandbags. Think about camouflage as
well as out-and-out portection. Make dummy firing positions to fool the enemy into
waisting time and ammunition.
Sniping points:
These points apply to sniper positions as well as to ordinary fire points, but
with extra attention paid to camouflage and concealment. Because the sniper operates at
ranges of 500 metres or more, his field of fire is very wide, even if he has a very narrow
view. Because of this, he can afford to fire through the smallest hole as long as it still
gives him a good view. He must take good care that the muzzle flash from his rifle is not
visible to the enemy. In this way he can stay undetected for a long time, and make the
very most of his value as a weapon.
An infantry fire team will often be reinforced by an anti-tank squad in urban fighting. The team leader must be aware of the extra needs of the anti-tank gunners, and the particular difficulties they face when they fire from hiding.
Modern anti-tank weapons are rocket propelled. This means that the round goes in one direction, and a huge blast of flame goes in the other. So it is extremely important to site them in such a way that the backblast will not injure the crew or other friendly forces. This may often mean the demolition of walls facing away from the direction of the enemy. It will certainly mean that the supporting infantrymen must pay very close attention where they put themselves when a rocket-propelled weapon is in operation.
Machine-gun team:
Machine-guns are th other type of crew-served weapon likely to be attached to
fireteams in urban combat. They too deliver heavy firepower and must be protected by the
supporting infantrymen, but they are easier to site because there are no problems with
backblast. A machine-gun can utilise a wider field of fire so may need a larger aperture
to shoot from. Otherwise, the things to be remembered when choosing a site for it are
identical; good concealment, good protection and a good resupply route.
Both anti-tank weapons and machine-guns are crew-served: it takes more than one man to operate them. Because of their valuable high firepower, and because their crew members cannot move as quickly under the weight of their weapons should they come under attack, the supporting infantry has to give covering fire to their heavier weapons, as well as recieving it.
Reorganising your forces:
When you have completely cleared the building, you should:
Securing upper floors:
As the rest of the team storm into the enemy-held building, a security detachment is left on the roof to guard against enemy counter-attack. The assault team blows a hole in the roof or the adjoining wall using a demolition charge, and begins to clear the building from the top downwards. Further demolition charges can be used to blow holes in floors so that the stairs, which may be booby-trapped, need not be used.
Covering entrances:
Once the building has been captured, all entrances and covered approaches to it
must be guarded by a security detail. Pay particular attention to rooftops and underground
routes into the basement.
Room clearance:
The roof area of the target house can be effectively cleared by an M60
machine-gun. Inside a building with lightly constructed interior walls, the same technique
can be used for room clearing by shooting through walls and ceilings.
Security detail:
Always leave a security detail behind to block possible enemy action and to
communicate with friendly forces following on behind. A building must be secured from top
to bottom: and don't forget to check for cellars or basements.
Entry through roof:
Roofs and upper walls are much thinner than the loower walls of a building, and
much less explosives are needed to blow an entry hole.
Beware of booby-traps:
It is dangerous to relax after you have cleared a building of enemy troops: theymay have left booby-traps behind: These are the favourite positions for anti-personnel mines:
In footpaths.
Under steps.
Behind doors:
Under thresholds.
Hidden under rubble.
Base of walls and fences
Fighting from room to room:
Clearing an enemy-occupied building demands split-second timing and practised teamwork. Make full use of grenades and demolition charges, and remember that you can fire straight through thin walls and ceilings - but remember too that the enemy can do the same.
Firing Anti-tank weapons from inside a building:
Although intended primary for anti-tank action, the following weapons can be very useful in house to house fighting. But backblast is a serious problem, and the following steps must be taken; otherwise you are likely to score an own goal. Remember that the minimum range of the TOW anti-tank missile is 65-metres, which restricts its value in urban combat.
LAW:
Dragon:
TOW:
Dummy sniper position:
A dummy position, operated from the ground floor, can be used to
draw enemy fire away from the positions that are occupied.
Ideal anti-tank firing positions:
In urban combat, anti-tank weapons are used against enemy-held buldings as well as against tanks.
Rooftop positions allow anti-tank weapons the greatest field of
fire and allow them to be fired at the thinner top armour of enemy tanks. Also, it is
difficult for an enemy tank engage a rooftop target; especially for Sovjet armour with its
limited main armament elevation.
A Dragon is positioned in a room at the corner of a building so
that its backblast is vented out through a window. Corner positions also provide a
good field of fire, and are easier to fortify than a rooftop.
If a building is elevated, an anti-tank weapon can be positioned
underneath, provided there is room for the backblast. Such positions often have a
restricted field of fire, and it is important to remember that Dragon missiles need
25-metres of flight before the warhead is armed; TOW needs 65-metres.
