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Communication - Verbal Commands Reloading ? Whenever you reload you should advise your team mates that you are reloading. This way they know that you will be temporarily unable to engage targets and they will need to cover your area of responsibility. The command for this is ?Reloading?. Once your reload is complete advise your team that you are back in the fight by giving the command ?Hot?. Weapon Malfunction ? If you have a weapon malfunction advise your team mates so they know you are unable to cover your areas of responsibility. The command for this is ?Weapon Down?. If you are able to correct the malfunction and get back in the fight give your team the command of ?Weapon Up? or ?Hot?. Contact with Unknown ? If while moving with a team you come in contact with an unknown you give the team the command of ?Contact (direction)?. For example if you see something moving to the team?s left but you can?t identify if it is friend or enemy you would give the command ?Contact Left?. That way the team knows that you don?t know if it is an enemy or not and what direction to orientate. Contact with Enemy ? Similar to the above command except instead of contacting an unknown you are contacting a known enemy (Tango). The command for this is ?Tango (direction)? This way the team knows that you have observed a threat and they can start to orientate towards that threat. Communication - Non-Verbal Commands ?I see? ? Point at your eye. ?I hear? ? Put a hand to your ear. ?Direction? ? Point your arm in the direction you see or hear something. ?Number? ? Hold up fingers to indicate how many tangos you see. ?I don?t see it? ? Place your hand in front of your eyes. ?Team Halt? ? Take a knee while lifting your fist in the air with your arm bent at a right angle.
Communications - Radio
The first thing is the ABC's of radio which are accuracy, brevity and clarity:1. Accuracy - Transmit an accurate message. Don't waste time with worthless traffic like, "They are over there!" More on this below. 2. Brevity - Keep your transmissions short and to the point. Don't use the radio to have casual conversations. This is the one that new users struggle most with. 3. Clarity - Speak slowly and clearly enough so everyone can understand you. Never whisper into a radio because the traffic comes across totally unintelligble. Instead use a low tone when you need to be quiet. You should also speak in low tones on the radio if you have a particularly high pitched voice. Keep your mouth approximately three to five inches from the microphone. Don't turn your head away from the mike while transmitting. If you are winded and out of breath take a moment to collect yourself before you get on the radio. The language you use when you are transmitting can vary from group to group but the basics are the same. Generally the smaller the group using the channel the more informal the radio procedure. Radio use between a fire team can be very informal. Radio use between a team of 30 players must follow protocol or communication will quickly deteriorate into chaos. I will give some communication examples using the call signs Alpha1 and Bravo. When transmitting you must always start your first communication with who you are and who you want to speak to: Alpha1: "Alpha1 to Bravo2." Bravo2: "Bravo2, go ahead." Alpha1: "I see two tango's moving north along the ridge approximately fifty yards west of your location." Bravo2: "Clear on that." If you wanted to send a message to the entire team it might look something like this: Alpha1: "Alpha1 to team. Meet back at the base for new mission orders." Bravo1: "Bravo1 clear, enroute." Bravo2: "Bravo2 clear, enroute." Bravo3: "Bravo3 clear, standing by at base." Just remember that every radio communication has two parts, the sender and the receiver and both have to follow proper protocol for the radio to be an effective tool. For example in the above scenario if none of the bravo units responded to Alpha1's order he would have no way of knowing whether or not everyone received the message. Each receiver must let the sender know that he is "clear". If Bravo3 had not responded to the above example, Alpha1 would have to follow up: Alpha1: "Alpha1 to Bravo3." Bravo3: "Bravo3, go ahead." Alpha1: "Were you clear on the last traffic." Bravo3: "Negative." Alpha1: "Meet back at the base for new mission orders." Bravo3: "Clear, enroute." In an emergency situation it is okay to ignore protocol for the sake of speed. For example, if Alpha1 sees several enemies quickly approaching Bravo2's position he may say: Alpha1: "Alpha1 to Bravo2, you have three tangos moving in on you at your three o'clock!" Obviously Bravo2 wouldn't take the time to respond to the traffic with a "clear" when he has an immediate threat to deal with. Movement: One of the best ways to increase your survivability on the field is to work on your movement.
Don?t bunch up - This is the number one movement mistake. Always try and keep at least fifteen yards between you and your nearest ally. When friendly units stand close together they are much easier to spot and much easier to attack. Slow Down ? You only move as fast as you can effectively observe your surroundings and accurately shoot at targets. During recon this is typically a slow walk. Approximately every 25 yards you should stop, take a knee, and observe for a few seconds. You will see, and hear, better when you are sitting still. If you are operating in a team you entire team should stop as one. After a few seconds without observing any threats you can then move forward again. Use Formations ? One person can only observe so much and can only attack from one angle. Moving in formations greatly increases you chances of successfully seeing the enemy before he sees you and successfully engaging the enemy. There are three basic formations: 1. Single Column ? This is a single file line. It is best for traveling quickly and avoiding contact with enemy units. The disadvantage of this formation is that it is very weak offensively and thus it is difficult to move into an attack position if you come in contact with the enemy. 2. Skirmish Line ? This is a long line arranged perpendicular to your direction of travel. It is best for searching and attacking when you know the general direction of enemy forces. It is also very easy to adapt this formation to flanking maneuvers and suppressive fire once contact with the enemy is made. The disadvantage of this formation is that it is very slow and fairly easy to spot. 3. Diamond ? This is a formation used by small teams (3 to 5) when the location of the enemy is unknown and 360 degree coverage is a must. The team forms in a rough diamond formation and each team member takes an area of responsibility (front, left flank, right flank, or rear). The team moves in this formation as one towards their objective. The strength of this formation is flexibility as it can quickly be changed into either a single column or a skirmish line. Flanking Maneuvers:
There are a number of ways to attack and eliminate opponents in a defensive position. Fire and move in, move around to their side, trade shot for shot from behind bunkers, launch a frontal assault, to name a few. The double pincher maneuver is an incredibly effective way to eliminate multiple opponents who are in what they believe is a strong defensive position. To properly execute the plan you need teamwork and two players who can run and gun. The momentary confusion created when the defenders realize they are being charged from two different directions simultaneously will give your flankers the extra second they need to wipe out the other side. 1. Fire and maneuver is the key tactic Use the majority of your force to overwhelmingly suppress the enemy, and a small assault unit to rapidly close on the objective. 2. It's all about suppression Fire without maneuver is wasteful and indecisive. Effective suppression is the basis for all infantry tactics. Always have a reasoning behind your suppressive fire. For example, use suppressive fire so another unit can move into a flanking position uninhibited and take out the enemy you are suppressing. 3. Units without mutual support are doomed Mutually supported units protect each other from being fixed or assaulted. Basically, if you are on your own it?s not a matter of if you will lose it?s a matter of when. 4. Concentrate your fire Fire control insures decisive action. In contact, men will disperse their fire. Sequentially destroying targets with point fire is more effective than distributing ineffective fires. Don?t ?pray and spray? when shooting. Always know what you are shooting at and why, otherwise all you are accomplishing is giving away your position. 5. Defensive positions are temporary All units need multiple positions and the ability to withdraw. No position is so good that there is never a time to leave it. Use defensive positions when they are most tactically advantageous. If you wait too long either the enemy will fall back or your position will be over run, either way know when to leave or move on. A good position with nowhere to fall back to is a bad position. 6. Cover is life Move from one covered position to another. Good cover is relative to a single enemy position. Mutually supporting enemy positions can overcome the protection of your cover. Always look around cover, only look over cover when absolutely necessary. 7. Use bounding overwatch to move A squad in contact needs immediate suppression from another unit. The measure of success is the number of units that can immediately bring suppression to bear upon enemy contact. Ideally, when engaged with an opponent you will never move without suppressive fire from at least one unit. 8. Avoid tunnel vision Combat occurs in a 360 degree world. Do not get so fixated with what is in front of you that you neglect your flanks and your back. These are a squad?s most vulnerable areas and are subject to ambush or attack. "Compilation of sound tactics information from various authors" |
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Tactical Discussion |