Cross Obstacles:

An obstacle is anything that stops, delays, or redirects movement.

The adversary force prepares obstacles to stop your movement, to slow you down, or to cause you to move into an area which they have selected as a "kill zone". If they have selected an area, they will have prepared it so that they can inflict great damage on your force when you move into their "kill zone". They will capitalize upon natural obstacles and reinforce them with human-made obstacles. You must understand the tactics and techniques to overcome these obstacles and the problems which they will present. Remember, defense forces use obstacles for the same reasons.

Obstacles will normally be covered by preplanned fires to prevent attacking forces from breaching them. You will seldom be able to prevent the adversary force from knowing that you are going to attempt a breach, but you can deny them the knowledge of where and when the breach will be attempted. If you do so, the adversary force will not be able to concentrate their fire on your force.

Open Areas: Open areas are avoided whenever possible. When your force approaches an open area, it stops well short and establishes a secure, covered, and concealed position. Predesignated personnel first reconnoiter the area between the force's position and the danger area, then, after determining that it is clear, proceed carefully across the danger area to reconnoiter the far side. Once the entire area has been declared clear of any adversary, your force crosses as a unit if the danger area is small, such as a minor trail; or your force crosses as small groups, each covering the other, if the area is large enough to cause more than brief exposure of the entire force.

Roads and Trails: When crossing a road or trail, it should be crossed at a bend or narrow place in the road or trail. At these points adversary observation of the area is restricted, and the force will be exposed for as short a time as possible. The rear side is reconnoitered, personnel are positioned to provide flank security at locations where the road or trail can be observed for as great a distance as possible; the security team crosses the road or trail to check the far side and select a rallying point. Once the area has been declared safe, the remainder of the force crosses rapidly and quietly, reorganizes and moves away from the area.

Barbed Wire: Wire is relatively easy to breach, but must be covered by fire to be effective. You must suppress the hostile fire, obscure their field of vision, establish security for your breaching party, and then reduce the obstacle. You may cross barbed wire by going over or under the wire or by cutting it. Once through the wire, you must assault nearby adversary positions and re-establish security to permit the movement of the rest of your forces through the obstacle.


Walls and Logs. High crawl or low crawl to a position behind the obstacle. Upon reaching the obstacle, position your body so you are parallel to it. Before crossing the obstacle, check what is on the other side of the obstacle by reaching over it and using your weapon. Feel the area immediately adjacent to the obstacle. When certain there is firm ground, no sharp objects, etc., on the other side of the obstacle, slide over the obstacle, keeping your body as close to the obstacle as possible while moving over it. Once the obstacle has been crossed, resume previous movement/direction.


Reaction to Hostile Fire:

Immediate Reaction: The immediate reaction upon receiving hostile fire is to deploy and place fire on the adversary. If the movement techniques have been properly used, only the lead fire team will be engaged. That fire team will take cover and return the hostile fire. The trailing or over-watch fire team(s) will maneuver forward or to the flanks to a position where they can support the lead team by bringing the adversary under fire. They avoid moving where they will be caught in the same "kill zone" as the leading fire team. The force leader immediately reports the extent of contact.

The leader reports:

The number and type of adversary weapons and personnel involved; what the adversary is doing; where they are; and friendly casualties (if any); EXAMPLE: I have taken fire from one machine gun and at least four personnel armed with rifles. They are located on the edge of the wood line 200 meters north of the target area.

If the adversary has not engaged and probably will not spot the responding force, deploy and report. However, if it is obvious that unless the force starts the fight immediately the adversary will react first or get away, take the adversary under fire. Immediate reaction is the key to winning a surprise engagement--the side that fires first will usually win.

Closing with and Neutralizing the Adversary: Once contact has been established, fire and maneuver is the basic tactic used to find out about the adversary force and to close with and neutralize them.

.If a very small adversary force has been located, the responding force may be ordered to neutralize it. In this case the force leader normally uses the lead fire team as an over-watch element and maneuvers the trailing or over-watching fire teams against the adversary.

However, if the response force participates in fire and maneuver as part of a larger force-- in conjunction with the backup force, lead elements deployed to support the maneuver of the rest of the tactical forces, will have either an "OVERWATCH" or "MANEUVER" mission.

Fire superiority must be maintained.

The lead fire team deploys on contact and acts as an over-watch element supporting the maneuver of the rest of the force.

Over-watch Element: The over-watch element covers and protects the advance of maneuvering teams(s) with its fire. Whenever possible, the team(s) that is to establish the over-watch position moves undetected into a firing position. A high volume of surprise fire from an unexpected direction has a much greater effect than fire delivered from a known position. When the over-watch element is in position, the following usually takes place:

A heavy volume of fire is placed on the adversary position to gain fire superiority.

When fire superiority has been gained and the adversary force is pinned down and not returning effective fire, the rate of fire is reduced. However, fire superiority must be maintained.

When the maneuver element nears its objective, the rate of fire is increased to cause the adversary to go to ground and allow the maneuver element to initiate its assault before the adversary has time to react.

When the assault begins, or on signal, the over-watch element either ceases fire, shifts its fire to another target area, or leads the maneuver element across the objective with fire.

Over-watch positions should be selected to allow fire support for the maneuver element without having its movement mask the over-watching fire teams. For this reason, elevated positions are often selected for the over-watch element, and the over-watch position is usually to the flank of the maneuver element. The maneuver element should neither mask over-watching fires nor move outside their protective umbrella.

The key to forward maneuver is effective fire placed on the adversary. Fire from the over-watch element destroys or suppresses the enemy. Suppressive fire stops the adversary from placing fire on friendly forces.

The over-watch element can deliver concentrated fire and distributed fire. In both types of fire, the force leader must control the fire of their unit. The force leader must ensure the fire is directed on the adversary forces.

Concentrated Fire: This is directed against a specifically identified target, such as a machine gun. All personnel fire at the target. To aid in this type of fire, deploy so the fire is directed from several directions.

Distributed Fire: The over-watch element may get the mission of placing suppressive fire into an area. Here the force leader distributes fire to ensure the entire area is covered.

Fire from individual weapons should be placed on likely locations of hostile positions rather than into a general area. Each rifleman fires their first shot on that portion of the target that corresponds to their position. He then distributes their remaining shots over that part of the target extending a few meters right and left of the first shot. The rifleman covers that portion of the target on which they can deliver accurate fire without changing their position.

The grenadier/rifleman fire their first round into the center mass of the specific target assigned to their fire team. They then distribute their shots over the remaining target area.

The portion of the target with each rifleman can cover depends upon their position and the range. Whenever possible, each rifleman should cover the entire fire team target.

The machine gunner fires at assigned sectors. When placing automatic suppressive fire on the adversary the tendency is to shoot high ¬therefore, initial bursts should be placed low and then worked up to the target.

These techniques of distributing fire permits the over-watch element to rapidly place fire into an area and effectively cover the entire area, even if you cannot see the adversary. This method is employed without command. Distributed fire is the quickest and most effective method of ensuring that all parts of the target are brought under fire.

Maneuver Element: The maneuver element moves as close to over-watch element's supporting fire as possible. As this fire is shifted from the adversary positions by the force leader, the maneuver element, delivering a high volume of fire, closes with and destroys adversary position(s).

The force leader controls the supporting fire to provide continuous fire on adversary positions and to seal off the area.

The maneuver element leader maintains contact with adjacent fire teams and informs the force leader if a gap develops. The maneuver element leader normally specifies the mission objective for maneuvering fire teams. The mission may be oriented on the terrain-- or the adversary.

The maneuver element moves forward using the best available routes. General routes for movement forward are normally assigned to the element by the force leader. As with any movement, the rules for movement are followed and each individual follows the route which provides the most cover and concealment.

When not under hostile fire, the maneuver element uses the movement techniques previously described.

At a designated location or when effective hostile direct fire is received, the maneuver element may be ordered to deploy for the final movement forward to overrun a position. This usually happens in the last covered and concealed location before the adversary position. When the maneuver element deploys, the fire team generally come abreast to place all fire on the adversaries. The maneuver element takes a position between the fire teams for better control.

On order, the maneuver element moves forward as rapidly as possible by crawling, short rushes, or employing rushing fire. Within the maneuver, element fire and maneuver by fire teams, buddy teams, or individuals should be used. During movement, control by fire team leaders is critical. Without control, the attack will quickly bog down. The maneuver element leader and team leaders must take aggressive efforts to keep the maneuver element moving forward. Care must also be taken to ensure personnel do not bunch up during this phase of the attack and present good targets. The fire team leader is the key person. The leader moves using the best method for the situation facing, and the fire team members follow the leader's example, using every advantage offered by the terrain.

Crawling: This method is slow but reduces exposure to adversary observation and fire. When not moving forward, individuals place suppressive fire on the hostile force. If necessary, the members may advance all the way into and through adversary positions using the crawling method.

Rushing fire: Under exceptional conditions, the entire maneuver element may be required to make the final move into the adversary's position in a single rapid rush. The maneuver element does this only when no other course of action is open to it because:

The maneuver element is receiving a heavy concentration of indirect fire and immediate and decisive movement is necessary to prevent its annihilation.

The complete lack of cover and concealment prohibits another course of action.

Movement must be rapid and accompanied by a heavy volume of fire. The assault should be conducted over a short distance that can be covered quickly and where the adversary's defense may be quickly overrun.

For maximum effect on the adversary, such an attack should be conducted as loudly as possible. The attack continues until the maneuver element's objective is cleared of resistance. Individual adversary positions are cleared by fire team or buddy team maneuver. One team fixes the position with fire and the other maneuvers closer to the position to destroy it. Ensure the team moves THROUGH the objective in order to clear the enemy held ground sufficiently.