Protective. Protective wire is located to prevent surprise assaults from points close to the defense area. It is close enough for day and night observation but far enough away (40 to 100 meters) to keep the enemy from using hand grenades. Protective wire of adjacent platoons is connected by supplementary wire; this encloses the entire defensive position. Gaps must be provided, however, to allow patrols to exit and enter the position.
Supplementary. Supplementary wire is used to disguise the exact lines of the tactical wire. It prevents the enemy from locating the unit’s perimeter and machine guns by following the wire.
Minefields. Mines are one of the most effective tank destroyers and personnel killers on the battlefield. The infantry platoon most commonly emplaces hasty protective, point, and phony minefields (see Appendix C).
Plan and Integrate Indirect Fires
In planning and integrating indirect fires, the platoon leader must accomplish the following:
•Determine the purpose of fires, if the company commander has not already done so.
•Determine where that purpose will best be achieved, if the company commander has not already done so.
•Establish the observation plan with redundancy for each target. Observers will include the platoon leader as well as members of subordinate elements (such as team leaders) with fire support responsibilities.
•Establish triggers based on enemy movement rates.
•Obtain accurate target locations using survey and navigational equipment.
•Refine target locations to ensure coverage of obstacles.
•Register artillery and mortars and plan final protective fires (FPF).
Also see the “Fires” portion of the coordination checklists on pages 24 and 28–29.
Conduct an Engagement Area Rehearsal
The purpose of rehearsal is to ensure that every leader and every soldier understands the plan and is prepared to cover his assigned areas with direct and indirect fires. The platoon will likely participate in a company level EA rehearsal.
The company commander has several options for conducting a rehearsal, but the combined arms rehearsal produces the most detailed understanding of the plan. One rehearsal technique is to have the platoon sergeant and squads conduct a movement through the EA to depict the attacking enemy force, while the platoon leader and squad leaders rehearse the battle from the platoon defensive positions. The rehearsal should cover:
•Rearward passage of security forces (as required).
•Closure of lanes (as required).
•Use of fire commands, triggers, and/or maximum engagement lines (MELs) to initiate direct and indirect fires.
•Shifting of fires to refocus and redistribute fire effects.
•Disengagement criteria.
•Identification of displacement routes and times.
•Preparation and transmission of critical reports.
•Assessment of the effects of enemy weapons systems.
•Displacement to alternate, supplementary, or subsequent defensive positions.
•Cross-leveling or resupply of Class V items.
•Evacuation of casualties.
Note: When conducting his rehearsal, the platoon leader should coordinate with the company to ensure other units’ rehearsals are not planned for the same time and location and to eliminate the danger of misidentification of friendly forces in the rehearsal area.
Fire Commands and Engagement Priorities
Leaders use fire commands to direct the fires of the unit. A fire command has six parts:
1.Alert. The leader alerts the soldiers by name or unit designation, by some type of visual or sound signal, by personal contact, or by any other practical method.
2.Direction. The leader tells the soldiers the general direction or pinpoint location of the target.
3.Description. The leader describes the target briefly but accurately. Always give the formation of enemy soldiers.
4.Range. The leader tells the range to the target in meters.
5.Method of fire. The leader designates the weapons to fire. He can also tell the type and amount of ammunition to fire and the rate of fire.
6.Command to fire. The leader tells soldiers when to fire. He can use an oral command, a sound, or a visual signal. When he wants to control the exact moment, he says, “At my command.” When he wants firing to start at the completion of the command, he just says, “Fire.”
Targets appear in random order at different times and locations throughout the battlefield. Engagement priorities allow the leader to designate which target he wants destroyed first. Engagement priorities are usually done by weapons systems. For example, Dragon gunners would fire first at the most threatening armored vehicle and then at any other armored vehicle in the kill zone or primary sector. Machine guns would fire at groups of five or more in the primary sector and then at automatic weapons. Riflemen would fire in their primary and secondary sectors from nearest to farthest, starting on the flank and working toward the center. Any number of priorities can be assigned to any weapon system.
OCCUPATION AND PREPARATION OF DEFENSIVE POSITIONS
Occupying and preparing a defensive position is not sequential. One potential problem is the lack of adequate preparation time if the platoon also has several other defensive positions (alternate, supplementary, and subsequent) and EAs to develop.
Occupation of Defensive Positions
The platoon occupies defensive positions in accordance with the leader’s plan, which has been based on prior reconnaissance.
To ensure an effective and efficient occupation, rifle squads move to the locations marked previously by the reconnaissance element. Once in position, each squad leader checks his location on the map to ensure he is complying with the platoon leader’s graphics. As the platoon occupies its positions, the platoon leader verifies squad locations and corrects discrepancies.
Once each rifle squad has occupied its position, the platoon leader must walk the positions to verify that weapons orientation, positioning of the rifle squads, and understanding of the plan are in accordance with the pre-established plan. For C2 purposes, each squad leader must know the location of the platoon leader and the platoon sergeant.
Night vision equipment enhances the occupation process under limited-visibility conditions. For instance, the platoon leader can mark his position with an infrared light source, and the squad leaders can move to pre-marked positions with infrared light sources showing them where to locate.
The platoon may conduct a hasty occupation in the defense during a counterattack or after disengagement and movement to alternate, supplementary, or subsequent defensive positions.
The platoon conducts deliberate occupation of defensive positions when time is available, when enemy contact is not expected, and when friendly elements are positioned forward in the sector to provide security for forces in the main battle area. Actually establishing defensive positions is accomplished concurrently with the development of the EA. The platoon leader directs the initial reconnaissance from the EA and then tentatively emplaces crew-served weapon systems.
Once the defensive positions are established, subordinate leaders can begin to develop their sector sketches and fire plans based on the basic fire plan developed during the leader’s reconnaissance. Fighting positions are improved while the direct-fire plan is finalized and proofed. The platoon leader, with guidance from the company commander, designates the level of preparation for each defensive position based on the time available and other tactical considerations for the mission.
In addition to establishing the platoon’s primary defensive positions, the platoon leader and subordinate leaders normally plan for preparation and occupation of alternate, supplementary, and subsequent defensive positions (layered defense) in accordance with the company order.