1966 US Army Vietnam War ARMOR ... - Survival Books

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMWhen security is of paramount im-feature or the destruction of an enportance,aerial reconnaissance emy installation, then firm objectivesshould not be used or, if essential,are assigned. However, the normal inshouldbe disguised by an appropri- ternal defense operation seeks toate cover plan.defeat the insurgent rather than to(c) Prior reconnaissance on the groundoccupy a specific terrain feature.is usually limited to the route of ap- (5) Security against antiarmor means.proach to the area of operations. InInsurgent tactical forces will haveorder to achieve surprise, the ap-weapons which can disable or destroyproach march often covers a longarmored vehicles. Although the capadistanceover secondary roads. Thebility may be limited, normal antiarrequirementfor accurate timing ofmor security measures should be takthemarch makes a route reconnais-en. The threat to armor units is twosance of some type essential. The fold-first, antiarmor weapons mayphysical risks of ground travel be already positioned in an area ofmust be weighed against the de-operations, or, second, the insurgenttailed information required, and of-tactical force may be given enoughten aerial observation must suffice.time to bring the weapons into theThese risks, combined with the area of operations. These two possidifficultterrain and the require-bilities are minimized by exploitingment for surprise, usually make athe mobility of the unit. An armorground reconnaissance impractical.unit should not be habitually em-(d) During each operation, detailed ployed using the same pattern ofrecords should be kept of pertinentoperations or routes in a particularterrain information. In internal de-area. Its mobility should be used tofense operations, many areas aregain surprise by frequent movementfought over several times. Recordedin previously occupied areas and byinformation can reduce or elimi-penetration of new areas in which thenate the need for future aerial orinsurgent tactical forces are unpregroundreconnaissance with its riskpared for armor attack.of disclosing the planned operation.Care must be taken to avoid use of b. Area Organization.identical routes each time the same (1) An armor unit engaged in supportingarea is attacked, otherwise the en-a clear, hold, and consolidation operaemycan concentrate his antiarmortion may be assigned a specific areaweapons to best advantage.of operation. Whenever military con-(e) The knowledge required of vehiclesiderations permit, this area encomcapabilitiesand limitations and thepasses a political subdivision. Such anexperience necessary for accurateassignment is toestimatesof trafficability support (a) Make maximum use of existing civthehabitual assignment of air cav-il administrative agencies.alry to ground armor units duringinternal defense operations. (b) Make maximum use of existing po-(4) Control measures. Within an area of lice and paramilitary forces.operation, phase lines, boundaries, (2) However, it must be realized that poandaxes of advance may be used inlitical subdivisions will seldom prothenormal manner. Assignment ofvide optimum military areas of operaobjectivesmust be qualified to allowtion. In some cases, such as in strikeimmediate reorientation of the armoroperations, area boundaries may bemaneuver element to counter unfore-dictated by military considerations;seen enemy threats. If the mission ofhowever, as soon as possible, boundatheoperation is seizure of a terrainries should be readjusted to insure225