This training session has been organized as a means to increase unit performance in as many combat situations as is possible, a “battle drill”, if you may, though rules in this situation will be more lax and general than that of average battle drills.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Squad Organization, Skirmishing, Formations
- Chapter 2: Skirmish Defensive Counter-measures
- Chapter 3: Responding to attack as a Fire-Team
- Chapter 4: Fire and Movement, Combat Maneuver
Part 1: SQUAD ORGANIZATON, SKIRMISHING, FORMATIONS
Squad Organization is a vital factor of functioning in military combat. the standard BromA squad composition is a ten man group split into two fireteams of four infantrymen each, with an additional Squad Leader and Medic composition leading the squad by issuing orders to the FTLs. In practice our low unit count(16-25) tends to lead to SLs splitting the FTs into independent units, increasing area coverage but also greatly reducing their combat capability and firepower, as well as the capability to respond to casualties and logistical issues.
This part intends to cover the more functional basics of combat utilized in a 10-man Squad.
We’ll begin with frontage and the concept of skirmishing.
Infantry equipped in the standard BromA setup tend to fall into the Light Infantry Structure, a composition dependent on INF equipped with light weapons and usually low support handled by MECH or CAS, at most in the form of a single APC/IFV unit and/or a Transport/Attack Helo. Special units, such as LAT, AR, and MRKS tend to be split accordingly between fireteams, as adequate support in the form of MG or MAT units is handled by Platoon Weapons Teams(PWT) rather than a squad.
Such a structure leads to an important fact: Fireteams of a Squad must not be split should they desire maximum effectiveness in combat as four men cannot handle the firepower needed to fight in a major combat scenario. Such a spread can be determined with frontage. Frontage is a measure which can be either combined with the STHud or the SLs preference to determine the maximum spread of fireteams and its members before they become too scattered to engage in adequate combat. The maximum man-to-man spread standard is 10 meters, while the FT-FT max spread tends to be no more than 20 meters, though exceptions can be made should the terrain be too open. The LINF squad total spread should be 100 meters one end to the other.
Why is frontage important? It determines the maximum width a squad can engage while in Skirmish Combat.
Skirmish combat involves infantry engaging in long-distance skirmishes, usually at the absolute maximum of their effective distance, with enemy equipped on a somewhat identical level. This allows the squad to conduct prolonged combat scenarios in the open or in urban territories while utilizing the capabilities of frontage that a light infantry squad can field in combat. A wider spread of infantrymen means that the hostile units have a harder time hitting back at you, and elastically moving them across the combat zone allows skirmishers to become highly unpredictable and hard to spot or target when in combat.
Now, using what we learned, we’ll practice squad skirmish formation techniques.
COLUMN – When the squad has to go trekking long distances over a relatively calm environment, a column is used. A grunt takes up the role of a “point man”, and all other elements follow.
WEDGE – Wedge is used when a high probability of attack combined with a need to move through rapidly is shown. When used tighter than the maximum it can offer major firepower to both flanks of the squad from a small area.
LINE – Line is the primary combat formation. It can differ between a strict line, where nobody breaks distance or moves slower and faster, or a loose line, which can be broken and slightly shifted in order for soldiers to find more adequate cover. Make sure that, if possible, all skirmishers don’t stack next to one another when in line formation.
Part 2: SKIRMISH DEFENSIVE COUNTERMEASURES
Of course, knowing how to set yourself up in battle is absolutely useless if you don’t know how to react to counterattacks, ambushes, indirect fire, and just about any other problem that gets in the way of your objective. Because of this, we will cover some defensive techniques that are supposed to help out the squad in some tricky situations.
SCATTER is primarily used to avoid heavily armored threats, ambushes when in the open, as well as artillery and CAS attacks. The squad uses its stretching capabilities to spread over a wide area, lowering the effectiveness of shock attacks and allowing the squad to go to battle stations with minimal losses. Although sometimes going prone is enough for a scatter to be effective, there’s a good chance it won’t save your ass unless you find some adequate cover immediately and then establish contact with survivors.
SCREEN is used when overlooking a specific sector. Soldiers assign their defensive points based on object reference, and “scan that area for motion, not looking at the other areas. It’s an excellent method of finding out where are the hostile targets sneaking about.
ALL-ROUND is used when it’s necessary to establish a 360 degree perimeter defense in the open. Fireteams turn outwards in a tight or wide circle, anticipating enemy attack, while the SL, the medic, and every grunt of interest sit in the middle. It’s a highly rigid, but a highly secure formation.
Part 3: RESPONDING TO ATTACK AS A FIRETEAM
You’ve learned how to function as a single squad element. Now it’s time to practice fireteam tactics. Fireteams make up the meat of the BRM combat regiment, and are usually equipped with a personal 5-man armed motor vehicle and have a plethora of supplies for general-purpose combat. As such, it’s important to know a variety of motions pertaining to an individual level when inside of a fireteam.
LEAPFROGGING
When fighting in a high risk environment, it is important for a fireteam to maintain high situational awareness, making sure as much as possible to not be caught off-guard while on the move. This issue can be easily handled by the concept of leapfrogging, a tactic which involves fire team members holding guard over the area in front of them, while the furthest one in back moves into the cover ahead of them. Despite being fairly slow, it allows the fireteam keep potential casualties to a minimum, as well as grind any enemy that unexpectedly comes across them into dust.
TAKING POINT
When moving through any kind of terrain, it is important to keep the fireteam sorted in a most preferable way as to make sure that soldiers higher up in the hierarchy do not suffer casualties. A rifleman of superior skills is designated pointman(PM), and steps first in line. The FTL is second in line, giving the PM directions as to where to go. After that comes the soldier equipped with special weapons. Finally, at the end, stands the other rifleman, who keeps watch on the fireteam’s back in order to make sure that nobody attacks them from the rear.
CHECKING CORNERS
Moving around that one corner in a combat zone can be a matter of life and death. As such, fire teams need to take a very precautionary measure should one end of a wall or a building split you between relative safety and a killzone. As such, checking corners is vital to a fire team’s survival. The pointman, the FT’s AR, or anyone willing, leans out in the tiniest form as possible, inspecting the area ahead before pulling back to the team. If the fireteam is engaged in combat, however, no more than one person leans out of the corner. This leaves the enemy in ambiguity as to the total number of troops around the corner.
POPPING SMOKE
If the fireteam comes under fire while in the open or a badly secure area, it is sometimes preferable to throw smoke grenades between you and the enemy. Smoke is useful as it obstructs the vision of your attacker, however it is important to note two things: throwing it too close to either side makes it easier to avoid or target one another, and that smoke doesn’t stop the enemy from blind firing at you. Once you pop smoke quickly retreat to a safer location.
TAKING CARE OF INJURED
The biggest losses caused in BromA fireteams are a product of responding to injured, usually when an entire fireteam diverts their attention to a fallen comrade, only to get gunned down by a savage with a Kalashnikov. There are several things to note about first aid in a fireteam:
If the injured is conscious or was hit by anything smaller than a 12.7mm, he can probably manage a few moments on his own.
If he fell in a killzone, he’s being used as bait by the enemy; secure the area and call a medic.
If he needs immediate attention, one member of a fireteam drags him out and tends to his wounds while the FTL calls the squad medic. The rest of the fireteam meanwhile acts as morale support to the tending grunt and the squad medic by gunning down any enemy trying to exploit your situation.
Part 4: FIRE AND MOVEMENT, COMBAT MANEUVER
Combat in tighter situations, as well as cases where a more tactical degree of functioning must be practiced, requires that the squad functions in fireteams. This basic doctrine is worked into the Supress-Advance-Assault Concept(SAAC). SAAC is centered around two fireteams and potential support interchangeably moving and engaging the enemy position in order to keep hostiles suppressed and incapable of fighting back.
SAAC covers several basic methods that can be combined and expanded upon.
FIRE AND MOVEMENT
FAM is the basic supress-advance technique utilized by two FTs in a combat situation. FT1 engages the enemy, unloading a large amount of fire into them until they’re fully suppressed. FT2 uses the suppression to advance ~15 meters or into adequate cover, where they begin suppressing the enemy while FT1 bounds into cover ahead of FT2 and engages again. Rinse and repeat accordingly until the squad is able to flush out and eliminate the enemy.
A smaller variation of FAM is also called LEAPFROGGING, which, on a fire-team scale, can be utilized by two or more people to swiftly advance cover-to-cover without leaving more than one soldier exposed to potential enemy fire. This minimalizes the chance to sustain casualties, but tends to cause slowdown where it’s not necessary. It is, however, highly effective in deep infiltration and urban combat.
OVERWATCH
If the squad has access to an MG team, armed transport, armored vehicles, or CAS, they can request said unit to establish an overwatch position. OPs give a small number of high power units excellent viewpoints over the squad’s route of movement, allowing them to dish out large amounts of power at the enemy, suppressing or even eliminating them in the face of the squad’s advance. Do note however that larger profiles can lead to more counterattacks; keep your overwatch units safe by being quick.
FLANKING
Should you come across a heavily fortified enemy or god-forbid a piece of armor, and there’s no MAT, MECH, ARM, or CAS in sight, the squad can opt in for a flanking maneuver. FT1 picks a solid location, firing upon the enemy, serving as distraction for FT2, which slowly advances in a wide arch around the line of fire, stepping to the enemy’s side or back and attacking their weak spot. If the threat in question is armor, you have to act quickly. The longer it’s alive, the bigger the chance it unloads a 122mm right into your face.
FIGHTING IN BUILDINGS
It is not uncommon that it becomes necessary to seize control of or commence assault on a civilian or military building, and as such you must master taking over one. It is recommended to keep the entry and clearing to a fire-team level, as an entire squad can easily overcrowd a building, compromising the security of the surrounding area and making a counterattack a major threat. When a single fireteam enters the building they either flush out the enemy with frag or stun grenades, using fully automatic weapons to clear the floors one by one. Keep the entry to the upper level under watch, and once your floor is clear, keep moving up until it’s all secure.
KILLZONE
If it’s possible to establish a sure-fire way of flushing out a hostile threat, or even luring an enemy into an ambush, it is mandatory that a squad prepares their position to secure maximum combat effectiveness. This can be displayed in either F or L killzones. F is simple: line up the FTs along an enemy path from both sides and engage them at the same time. In L kill zones the exit route is blocked off by an FT, making escape out of the killzone less likely, but the effectiveness limited should the blocking FT lack visual recognition of the area.