Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim

Tactical Tuesday Episode Three - Fire and Maneuver: Bounding Under Fire

April 20, 2021 Craig R. White Season 1 Episode 3
Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim
Tactical Tuesday Episode Three - Fire and Maneuver: Bounding Under Fire
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss the use of tactical movement and fire & maneuver at the fire team level.  In this episode, not only do we touch on the topics of tactical movement and fire and maneuver but we also discuss the structure and composition of fire teams as part of a squad, the most commonly used fire team formations, the difference between tactical movement and fire & maneuver and examples of successive and alternating bounding overwatch and  fireteam bounding while under fire.     Specifically, we discuss:

  • Structure of Fire Teams (1:29)
  • Battle Buddy Pairs and Their Relation to Fire Teams (2:03)
  • Fire Team Line Formation (3:46)
  • Fire Team Wedge Formation (5:31)
  • Fire Team Column Formation (8:02)
  • Fire Team File Formation (11:23)
  • Distinction Between Tactical Movement and Fire & Maneuver (13:11)
  • Successive and Alternating Bounding Overwatch (14:24)
  • Fire and Maneuver (17:33)
  • Example of Fire and Maneuver (19:53)
  • and more.

A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES

For a video regarding Bounding Overwatch click HERE.

For diagrams of the concepts discussed in this episode click HERE.   
 
To learn more about Craig White click HERE.

To find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” :  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZ57B23/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

To find “From Insertion to Extraction:  Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures” :  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07THX1CFT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim
If you have a topic you would like to see in an episode of Tactical Tuesdays, please suggest it in the comments of the post containing the posted episode.  We do read them.

Website:  https://tacticaltuesdaywithmodernmilsim.buzzsprout.com

YouTube Instructional Videos:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXI_GBdPeDuIoq_KJeCgWg

SUBSCRIBE

If you like what you hear on this episode, please subscribe and provide us with a review and a rating.    You can subscribe  to Tactical Tuesday on ITunes, Stitcher, Spotify and YouTube.  You can also find us on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/ModernMilsim.  If you like this episode, you can find others Here.

You can also find “From Alpha to Omega, A Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual” and “From Insertion to Extraction:  Advanced MILSIM CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures”  at Amazon.com.  

 TACTICAL TUESDAY WITH MODERN MILSIM - EPISODE 3 TRANSCRIPT 

 Welcome to another episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim. Through this podcast, we will bring you real world tactics, techniques, and procedures that will enable you to succeed on the Milsim battlefield. It's time to make ready.

Hello, and welcome to Episode 3 of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim. I am your host, Craig White. Thank you for being here. At the end of Episode Two, I indicated that the subject matter of this episode would be fire and maneuver. Well... After episode two was already in the can, I realized that in order to give this topic justice, I really need to briefly touch on the topics of fireteams, fireteam formations, and tactical movement.  So with that in mind, let's get to it. 

So let's talk about fireteams first. Now, in prior episodes, we discussed battle buddies and how no Milsim player should be fighting on his or her own. He should be coordinating with his battle buddy to make sure that they are providing support to each other on the battlefield.

So how does the battle buddy system play into fireteams and higher echelons of a faction's force structure? Well, it works like this. A fireteam consists of four players that work together as a unit. Typically, a fireteam consists of a team leader, an automatic rifleman, a grenadier, and a rifleman. For clarification purposes, the automatic rifleman is the SAW or LMG operator and the Grenadier is typically a Rifleman with an M203 Grenade Launcher slung under the barrel or maybe a Rifleman that also carries a stand-alone Grenade Launcher. In fireteams that do not have a Grenadier, he is often replaced with either another Rifleman, a Designated Marksman, or an Anti Tank Launcher.

The four members of the fireteam are further divided up into two Battle Buddy Pairs. The fireteam is the smallest unit that can protect itself and also conduct tactical operations on its own. Although Battle Buddy Pairs can conduct Buddy Rushes and provide bases of fire or conduct support by fire missions, their tactical operations are limited to what mission sets they can coordinate with other battle buddy pairs.  This is why most mission tasks are built around a fireteam or larger units. 

Unlike a battle buddy pair, a fireteam is capable of autonomous operations, although typically they are conducted as part of a larger unit such as a squad. It can take and hold terrain, provide support by fire, conduct fire requests, attack and destroy enemy fortified positions and similar tasks.  As mentioned in earlier episodes of this podcast, two fire teams form a squad. As you will later see in this episode, the division of a squad into two fire teams facilitates both tactical movement and fire and maneuver of the squad.  In Milsim operations, a typical fire team can control open terrain in a radius equal to the effective range of its weapons.  Typically, this radius is between 200 and 250 feet. 

Typically, two fire teams make up a squad, two to three squads, make up a platoon, and two to three platoons, and on occasion form platoons form a company. We'll address squads, platoons, and companies in more depth. In later episodes of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Millsim, for purposes of describing tactical movement and fire maneuver in this episode, we will primarily focus on the fire team.

So next, we need to talk about fire team formations. Although there are several different fire team formations, we are going to focus on four of them. The first one we want to talk about is the line formation. This formation involves lining up the four members of the fire team side by side. and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the formation.  Think of four players moving toward the enemy like a virtual wall. The two members of the fireteam that are in the center of the formation cover the sectors immediately to their front. The two fireteam members on the ends of the line primarily cover the sector to their front, but also have a secondary sector facing out to the side, opposite from the adjacent fireteam member.  For example, the fireteam member on the left side of the line would be covering his front and his left sector. They got on the right side of the line would cover his front and his right sector. This is an effort to protect the line against flanking attacks as a line. The formation would move toward the enemy.

With the line formation, the fire team leader and the saw gunner are typically located at the center of the formation so as to facilitate command and control over the formation and to allow the fireteam leader to more effectively direct the SAW gunner's fire. The line formation is best used when the location and strength of the enemy is well known.

Although it requires close attention by the fireteam leader to keep its members on line and moving together, it is very effective attacking the enemy from the front. The line formation is most effective defending attacks from the front with some protection to attacks from the rear. The line formation reacts to attacks from the rear by each fireteam member doing an about face and facing the other direction.

Line formations are particularly vulnerable to attacks from the sides because only the fireteam members on the ends of the line can effectively return fire and engage enemy on the left and right side of the formation. An example of the line formation is included in this episode's show notes. 

So let's talk about the next formation and that one is the wedge. The wedge formation involves forming up the four members of the fire team in a wedge shape with a fire team leader at the point and with the saw gunner and the Grenadier located immediately behind and to either side of the fire team leader. So, for example, if the fireteam leader is at the very point of the formation, you will have the SAW gunner on one side and slightly behind him on one flank, and the grenadier slightly back on the other side of him and behind him on that flank.  And then the fourth member of the fireteam basically fills out one side of the wedge, so we have one man longer than the other side. 

When you think about a wedge, think of four players moving toward the enemy like an arrowhead. The fireteam leader covers the sector in front of him. All other members of the fireteam located behind and on each side of the fireteam leader cover the sector immediately in front of them and also to the sector representing their outside flank.

The fourth fireteam member acts as a drag man or security to provide rear security for the formation. For example, the Grenadier and the SAW gunner cover the sectors to their front and also on the side facing away from the formation on their respective flanks. The wedge formation is effective to attacks from the front and the sides with some protection against attacks from the rear.

The wedge formation reacts to attacks from the rear by each fireteam member doing an about face and forming a line perpendicular to the line of attack. Wedge formations are better for moving in open ground because they allow the grenadier and saw gunner to provide the respective sides of the formation with protection and fire and are able to engage the enemy immediately without any obstruction from other members in the fire team.  This is also true with the drag man who should have a clear line of sight to both sides of the flank since he is slightly behind all the other members of it. Unlike other formations, the wedge provides for good control by the fire team leader. Provides good all around security is flexible and can engage targets in all directions.  For that reason, the default fire team formation is the wedge. 

Now there is a variation of the wedge formation known as the diamond. The main difference between the wedge and the diamond is that the fourth or drag man. That's providing security to the fire team moves instead from being on the end of one of the flanks of the arrowhead moves more toward the center and behind the entire formation.  So, basically, he's turned the wedge into a diamond as he covers the rear and for an example of the wedge and diamond formations, check the show notes. 

And next we have what I call the column or staggered file formation. Now, the column formation involves splitting the fire team into 2 parallel lines. Now, each one of these lines, the members of them are actually slightly staggered off of each other.  So that the person who is the front of the left line of the column is going to be slightly ahead of the person who's ahead of the right line of the column. So that basically each member of the column or actually have a gap on the other side where they can fire without having another team member in the way.

Although column formation is often used while fireteams are moving along roads or wide trails where ambushes are more likely to strike it from the flanks, it is not often used in open terrain. And this is because the column is very vulnerable to attacks from both the front and the rear. Think about this.  You have two lines of guys that are walking together. If you're attacked from the flanks, and since the guys are offset from each other, the entire fireteam can either engage the enemy on the left or the right with little difficulty. However...If they get attacked from the front or the rear, what's going to happen is, you're going to have only two people, the heads of the column or the tail of the column, that are going to be able to attack or defend against the enemy.  And that's not what you want to do. You want to have more guns on the enemy as you can. And so when you're using a column that doesn't work very well. 

Now, when you're working in non open terrain, such as forest or trails and things of that nature, where the train is pushing in on the sides, but you can see a long way lengthwise, your attacks are probably going to be more likely to come from the sides from directly ahead. And because of that, the column is pretty good for walking down trails where you may be attacked from the side. Because the entire fireteam in the column can go ahead and engage the enemy as they attack. 

Now with the column, the front most fireteam member covers the sector to his front and the rearmost fireteam member provides rear security for the formation. The remaining two fireteam members cover the sectors corresponding with their respective outside flanks. In other words, if you're in the right line of the column, and you're not the point man or the drag man, you're going to be looking out your right side to protect from attacks from that side.  If you're in the left side of the column, in the left line, you're going to be facing out to the left. Now, with the column formation, the front member or point man of the team is a rifleman. The fireteam leader occupies the position immediately behind and beside this rifleman on the other line of the formation.  The SAW gunner fills in the position immediately behind the point man. And finally, the grenadier occupies the remaining position in the formation and provides rear security. 

Now, the column formation is vulnerable to infilade attacks from the front and rear of the formation. And when I'm talking about infilade attacks, I'm talking about attacks where when the enemy engages you, most of your entire forces line up just perfect in line with their weapons. So if they have a SAW, for example, your guys can be lined up where one burst of the SAW can take everybody out. And that's what we're talking about. One SAW or machine gun burst can easily eliminate the entire formation if they're attacked from the front.  The biggest advantage of a column formation is that it provides rapid controlled movement, especially along roads and wide trails. 

So finally, let's talk about the file formation. Now, with this formation, the fire team is lined up in a single file line from front to back with the rifleman in the front acting as the point man and with a grenadier at the rear, who's bringing up rear security, the saw gunner and the fire team leader are in the middle of that line.  This allows the fire team leader to have a better idea of what's going on and can direct the formation as a whole and to also direct the fire of the SAW gunner so he will be most effective. 

Now, with the file formation, it is usually used in densely wooded areas where foliage is too thick to allow use of a wedge formation.  On very small trails now, like the column, the file formation is not often used in open terrain. This is because the file is vulnerable to attacks from both the front and the rear and it matters similar to the column with the file formation. The point man covers the front sector. While the 4th man pulls security of the 2 remaining fire team members, 1 covers the right sector while the other covers the left.

Now like the column, the file formation is effective in defending against attacks from the flanks because all four members of the fireteam can engage the enemy on either side. Also like the column formation, the file is vulnerable to inflated attacks from the front and the rear of the formation. One saw or machine gun burst can easily eliminate the entire formation.

The biggest advantage of the file formation is that it provides rapid controlled movement, especially along narrow trails. If attacked, the fireteam members disperse into cover and concealment on either side of the trail. An example of the file formation is also included in this episode's show notes.

Before we get into the meat of tactical movement and fire maneuver, we really need to discuss the difference between the two of them. Although they sound the same, there is a significant difference between Tactical Movement and Firing Maneuver. Tactical Movement is the technique that a unit uses as it moves to contact with the enemy.  In other words, it is the movement toward the enemy before the shooting starts. This movement is typically referred to as Bounding Overwatch. In contrast, Firing Maneuver involves movement of one element of a unit toward the enemy, in other words, advancing, While another element lays down a base of fire to suppress enemy positions while the other element advances.  This is sometimes also referred to as bounding. The main difference between tactical movement and fire maneuver is that the team uses fire maneuver once it is engaged with the enemy. Now, bounding overwatch is the tactical movement technique that a unit utilizes to advance when enemy contact is likely.

Now there are two flavors of bounding overwatch, successive and alternating. Both forms of bounding overwatch use one element to provide overwatch or cover to the other as it moves up to a covered position. The difference is how the two elements move in relation to each other. For purposes of this discussion, we're going to discuss successive and alternating bounding overwatch movement for a friendly squad.

As discussed earlier, the squad is already divided into two fire teams, Alpha Team and Bravo Team. These two elements of the squad will perform the tactical movement. Now, for bounding overwatch, the squad leader will designate which fireteam, alpha or bravo, will move first, while the other provides overwatch or cover for the other fireteam.

In this example, the squad leader has designated alpha team as the squad's initial movement element and bravo team as the squad's successive or assaulting element. At the squad leader's command, bravo team will initially deploy into a base of fire position. The base of fire is sometimes also referred to as a support by fire position.

Once Bravo team is in position, it will notify Alpha Fire Team Leader that it is set. Alpha Fire Team Leader responds to Bravo Fire Team Leader with the word moving. In the alternative, Alpha Team notifies the SQUAD LEADER it is in position and then the SQUAD LEADER gives the movement order to Alpha Team.

For example, Bravo Team sets up a base of fire to cover Alpha Team as it moves up to its next covered position. Bravo Leader advises via radio or hand signal that it is in position by stating SET. Now, after responding to Bravo Fire Team Leader's transmission with moving, Alpha Fireteam moves forward to its next covered position.

Unless the squad leader dictates fireteam movement, the fireteam leader can decide whether to move forward as a single unit, to alternate movement by buddy pairs, or in extreme circumstances, by individual soldiers using IMT, Otherwise known as individual movement techniques. Now, whether the fire team moves as a single unit, as bounding battle buddy pairs, or as individual soldiers using IMT is dependent on the strength of anticipated enemy contact.

Once alpha team moves to a covered position and has established a base of fire Alpha team leader notifies Bravo fire team leader that it is in position by stating set after responding Alpha team’s transmission with the word moving. Bravo team begins to move to its next position. 

If the squad is utilizing successive bounding overwatch Bravo team moves to position online with Alpha team. And when I say online with Alpha team, which means it is literally lined up even with Bravo team. Now, if the squad is using alternating bounding overwatch, Bravo team leapfrogs past Alpha team to a position downrange from it. Once Bravo team reaches its next position, the cycle begins again.

Now this cycle continues until one of the fire teams come into contact with the enemy. When this happens, the squad and the fire teams that comprise it change over to fire and maneuver tactics. So up to this point we have been talking about how fire teams, or I should say the squad, through its fireteams, move up to engage the enemy before the shooting starts.

Now, once they become engaged with the enemy, either because they have opened up on the enemy or the enemy has opened up on them, or even possibly if the enemy doesn't even notice them, but they have been detected, then you change over to fire and maneuver.  Fire and maneuver uses movement that is similar to that of bounding overwatch except that instead of providing cover or overwatch for the moving element, the base of fire element is typically suppressing enemy positions ahead of it. In addition, fireteam movement will almost exclusively be performed by battle buddy pairs or individual players using IMT. 

Also, typically command and control over fireteams performing fire maneuver is conducted by the squad leader and not by the fireteam leaders.  The squad leader is maintaining a bigger picture over the squad's area of operations and the fireteams, especially during the final assault. We'll address the final assault aspect of fire maneuver in a future episode of Tactical Tuesday. But if you want to do some independent research on your own and step ahead, search for Battle Drill 1 Alpha to get started.

So what I would like to do is do an example of firing movement using both successive and alternating bounds. As before, the squad leader will designate which fireteam, Alpha or Bravo, will move first while the other provides overwatch or cover over the other fireteam. For fire maneuver using successive bounds.

The squad leader will typically designate the squad's strongest assault element as the initial base of fire or following fire team. In this example, the squad leader has designated alpha team as the squad's initial movement element and Bravo team as the squad's successive or assaulting element of the squad, Command Bravo team will initially deploy in a base of fire position, the base of fire is sometimes referred to as a support by fire position.

Once Brava team is in position, it will notify the squad leader that it is set. Now at that point, the squad leader contacts Alpha fire team leader with the order to bound forward in successive bounds and will likely instruct the Alpha team leader whether to move using Battle Buddy Bounding or IMT.

If the enemy has not detected the squad, the squad leader may also notify Alpha Fire team to move forward as a unit while ordering Bravo team to hold fire unless the enemy decides to engage Alpha team. Okay, so for example, Bravo Fire team sets up its base of cover, or excuse me, sets up a base of fire to cover Alpha Fireteam as it moves up to its next cover position.

 Bravo Fireteam leaders advise the squad leader via radio or hand signals that it is in position by stating the word SET. Once the squad leader receives this hand signal or radio transmission. It acknowledges that, and then advises whether it should commence firing on enemy positions or hold fire. In this example, squad leader notifies Bravo team they are weapons free.

The squad leader will also direct Alpha team by advising it to advance using alternating battle buddy pair bounding. Once Alpha team moves to a cover position and has established a base of fire, Alpha Fireteam Leader notifies Squad Leader that it is set. The Squad Leader then notifies Bravo Team to bound forward by alternating battle buddy pairs.

After responding to squad leader's transmission with the word moving, Bravo team moves forward to its next position. If the squad is utilizing successive bounding overwatch, Bravo fire team moves to a position that is online with Alpha team. If the squad is using alternating bounding overwatch, Bravo team leapfrogs past Alpha team to a position downrange from it.

Once Bravo team reaches its next position and sets up its base of fire, the cycle begins again. As mentioned a few moments ago, squad leaders will typically designate the squad's strongest assault fireteam as the initial base of fire and successive bounding fireteam. In the previous example, it was Bravo team.

Since Bravo is essentially bounding to keep up and get on line with Alpha team, it is unlikely to be the first fireteam to engage the enemy. As such, when Alpha team becomes engaged by the enemy, it will take on the role of the fixing fireteam, while the squad leader directs Bravo Team to move to flank the enemy position.

Generally speaking, the point of fire and maneuver is for one fireteam to fix the enemy in place, while another element, such as the other fireteam, moves to attack the enemy from the flank, preferably by surprise, to destroy it. The flank is either side of the enemy element you are attacking. It is always relative to the enemy position and cover.

Flanking is far more effective if the attack is on the unprotected side where the enemy will have difficulty focusing his attention. As previously discussed, a successful flank attack consists of three parts. They are fix, flank, and finish. Now fix. In the example we were just discussing, Alpha Team is the first element of the squad to make contact with the enemy.

It establishes a base of fire and suppresses the enemy position. This action serves two purposes. The first is that the enemy will react to being engaged by Alpha Team by taking cover and returning fire. This is fixing the enemy by pinning him down. And then two, by focusing on fire from Alpha Team, the enemy will hopefully be distracted and will not detect Bravo Team as it moves to flank the enemy position.

In essence, Alpha Team is working to degrade the enemy's situational awareness by keeping their heads down. As we discussed in previous episodes of this podcast. The force with a greater situational awareness usually prevails in the gunfight. Now flank. While Alpha Team is suppressing the enemy position, Bravo Team is moving, hopefully without being noticed by the enemy, in a flanking position where it can attack the enemy where it should be weakest and where it can accurately provide infildade fire on the enemy where they have little or no cover. And then finally, there is finish. Bravo and Alpha teams will then assault the enemy position to destroy or otherwise render the enemy combat ineffective. The mechanics of this part of the flanking attack will be addressed in a future episode of Tactical Tuesday when we discuss battle drill one alpha.

Now, while you've been listening to this episode, I know you've noticed there are several similarities between tactical movement, such as bounding overwatch and fire and maneuver. The biggest difference is that the base of fire element in bounding overwatch typically is not firing on anything because they have no enemy to engage.  They are simply providing cover for the other moving element or fire team. Now, of course, once the shooting starts and the fire team has transitioned over to fire and maneuver using either successive or alternating bounds, then the difference is that the base of fire unit is typically firing to suppress the enemy to allow its other unit or other element of the squad to move up to a better position and then to provide suppressing fire while it moves.

Then of course once both units get within striking distance of the actual enemy position, then they move to suppress it. I hope this particular episode is proven useful to you. We're now getting to the point where we're going to start talking about more specific procedures or what we call TTPs,,,Tactics, Techniques and Procedures that are related to each topic we're talking about.

So I hope this proves to be very helpful for you. Again, I appreciate you listening to this podcast, and of course, if you have any comments or concerns or questions, feel free to leave them in the comments., below this podcast, and I'll see you at the next episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim.

To our listeners out there, thank you for tuning in, and I look forward to providing you with new episodes every two weeks. If you like what you're hearing on this podcast, please subscribe and provide us with a review. We want to know what you like and how we can improve. You can also contact us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/modernmilsim with any suggestions you may have.  In our next episode of Tactical Tuesday, we will discuss radio and other communications, including proper radio techniques, brevity codes, and prowords. We will also discuss use of hand signals and other nonverbal methods of communication as they pertain to land warfare.

If you want to know more about application of real world tactics, techniques and procedures to MilSim, please check out From Alpha to Omega: a Milsim Tactical Primer and Training Manual, as well as From Insertion to Extraction: Advanced CQB Tactics, Techniques and Procedures. Both books are available at Amazon.com. As always, thank you for your support, and I'll see you at our next installment of Tactical Tuesday.

 

TRANSCRIPTION PERFORMED BY DESCRIPT.COM  

Fire Team Structure
Battle Buddy Pairs and Their Relation to Fire Teams
Fire Team Line Formation
Fire Team Wedge Formation
Fire Team Column Formation
Fire Team File Formation
Distinction Between Tactical Movement and Fire & Maneuver
Bounding Overwatch
Fire and Maneuver
Example of Fire and Maneuver