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

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMfurther by designating guide vehicles and units and insure their prompt and accurate prepararesponsiblefor rate and direction of move- tion. At platoon level they are consolidated intoment.sketch form as a supplement to the platoon fire5. Preparationplan. The platoon fire plan submitted to companyshould include data from this sketcha. General. Control over a unit is facilitated range card, location of platoon observationby adequate prior training in the use of night posts and listening posts, and location of plavisionequipment. Commanders insure famili- toon surveillance equipment with their fields ofarity of all personnel with the plan and insure survey. At company level these sketches aremaximum reconnaissance by leaders down to consolidated into the company fire surveillancetank or squad level. Detailed orders, simple plan for submission to battalion. Examples of aplans, and adequate SOP's are also vital to con- tank range card, platoon fire plan, and comtrol./ pany fire plan are shown in figures 81 throughb. Attack. In the attack, emphasis must be 83. The company surveillance plan may be conplacedon selected control measures such as ob- solidated with or attached to the fire plan. Seejectives, boundaries, phase lines, and check- annex XI for an example task force surveilpointsthat are easily identifiable at night. IR lance plan. Details included in these plans willequipment, radar, and guides may be used to include as a minimum the primary positionassist in the movement of individuals and vehi- and sector of fire for crew-served weapons andcles. Illumination may be used to mark bounda- tanks and the primary position and area ofries. Techniques that can be employed to pro- surveillance coverage for surveillance means.vide orientation and to maintain direction Units given a support by fire mission for aare-night attack may use range card techniques for(1) Flares dropped beyond and on line employing fires. For information regardingwith the objective.surveillance cards, see appendix XXI.(2) Artillery concentrations fired on a d. Supporting Fires. Control of supportingtime schedule so that the friendly weapons and their fires, when illumination isforce can orient on them.used, is identical to that in daylight operations.(3) Tracers from cal. .50 weapons, fired at When no illumination, partial illumination, orirregular intervals can delineate infrared illumination are employed, the moveboundaries,routes, and objectives. ment of weapons and shifting of fires must be(4) Guides equipped with infrared lights restricted. Protective fires for flanks of unitsmay be posted on routes, points of de- and to isolate the objective in the attack mustparture, and the probable line of de- be planned. Once visible illumination is providployment.ed, restriction on supporting fires may be lift-(5) Surveillance radar may be used to ed.monitor the movement of advancing e. Communications. Communications take onunits to report and correct any devia- added significance during night operations.tion from the prescribed route. See Plans must include alternate means of communication.(6) Easily identifiable terrain features, Additionally commanders shouldsidersuch as hills, unusual terrain formations,trees, or manmade objects can (1) Offense. The use of radio listening sibeused in conjunction with the abovelence from the initial position to thefor orientation.probable line of deployment or untilc. Defense and Retrograde. In defensive and such time as the enemy has detectedretrograde situations, range cards are pre-the attack. Once the attack has beenpared for use during periods of limited visibili-discovered, radio becomes the prityor at night. The preparation of range cards mary means of communication,is explained in FM 17-12. Commanders supplemented by pyrotechnics as apthroughcompany level will actively supervisepropriate.346