In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss tactics, techniques and procedures for reacting to and defeating enemy ambushes on the MILSIM Battlefield including application of U.S. Army Battle Drills 3 & 4 as well as possible methods of detecting an ambush before your unit enters the enemy’s kill zone. Specifically, we discuss:
A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES
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.
In this episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Milsim, we discuss tactics, techniques and procedures for reacting to and defeating enemy ambushes on the MILSIM Battlefield including application of U.S. Army Battle Drills 3 & 4 as well as possible methods of detecting an ambush before your unit enters the enemy’s kill zone. Specifically, we discuss:
A new episode of Tactical Tuesdays is uploaded on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.
SHOW LINKS/RESOURCES
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 9 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 get ready.
Hello and welcome to Episode Nine of Tactical Tuesday with Modern MilSim. I am your host, Craig White. Today, we're going to talk about tactics, techniques, and procedures for reacting to and defeating enemy ambushes on the Milsim battlefield including application of Army Battle Drills 3 and 4 as well as possible methods of detecting an ambush before your unit enters the enemy's kill zone. So let's get to it.
As you know from our last episode, an ambush is essentially a surprise attack by fire from one or more concealed positions on a moving or temporarily halted force. It relies heavily on surprise and superiority of fire to accomplish its goals. Such as destruction of the target with respect to a near ambush or to harass, injure, or delay the target with respect to a far ambush.
Now Battle Drill Four is set forth in army technical publication 3-21.08. It's the generally accepted tactic, technique, and procedure for reacting to near ambushes. As you know from previous episodes of this podcast, a battle drill is defined under ATP 3-21.08 as standardized collective actions made in response to a specific event on the battlefield. As such, battle drills are designed for rapid reaction in situations without the application of deliberate decision-making process. Now to ease our discussion regarding Battle Drill Four and reacting to ambushes, I'm going to use the same terminology as we used in the last episode to discuss ambushes. If you are not familiar with the terminology of ambushes, you might want to first listen to our last episode of Tactical Tuesday before listening to this one.
Unfortunately, if you're using Battle Drill Four to react to a near ambush, you and your unit are likely already eyeball deep in the enemy's kill zone. The enemy will have already opened up with all its weapons available to them, including support weapons and grenades. Because your escape routes are probably blocked, you will need to use fire superiority and violence of action to successfully assault through the enemy and disrupt the ambush.
So in this episode, we will discuss the use of Battle Drill Four to counter a near ambush and Battle Drill Three to counter a far ambush. We will then talk about methods of how to counter ambushes before you actually enter the kill zone.
So let's start with Battle Drill Four and how it works. With a near ambush, the enemy initiates contact when friendly forces are within hand grenade range when they enter the kill zone. This is approximately 100 feet or less. When the near ambush is initiated, all or part of friendly forces receive accurate enemy direct fire.
With a near ambush, dismounted troops in the kill zone must immediately return fire on known or suspected enemy positions before assaulting through them to disrupt the ambush. Dismounted troops outside of the kill zone suppress the enemy but do not assault through the enemy positions. At the same time, any available friendly vehicles engage known and suspected enemy positions with accurate fire from their mounted weapons, so as to also support dismounted troops.
So let's talk about each step of reacting to a near ambush under Battle Drill Four in more detail. First, friendly forces within the kill zone immediately return fire before executing one of the following two actions:
One, if no cover is available, friendly forces immediately assault out of the kill zone and through enemy positions that are conducting the ambush using fire and maneuver. This action is taken without order or signal from the officer in charge or OIC. During this assault through enemy positions, friendly forces need to use whatever weapons are available to them, especially grenades. However, it is important that unit members throw grenades simultaneously to prevent fratricide. That way, all grenades are delivered at once. You don't want to have a late thrown grenade to take out friendlies that have assaulted forward after throwing their own grenades.
Two, if cover is available nearby, occupy the nearest covered position and throw smoke grenades to obscure enemy observation of friendly forces. Friendly forces outside of the kill zone identify enemy positions, place suppressive fire on identified enemy positions, and shift fire as other friendly forces assault through the enemy forces conducting the ambush. They are basically acting as the base of fire element while friendly forces in the kill zone are maneuvering to attack and assault through enemy forces conducting the ambush to disrupt it. Vehicles caught in the kill zone will immediately return fire, and if possible, deploy smoke. It will then seek to exit the kill zone.
Any troops on the vehicle should immediately dismount, seek covered positions, and return fire. If necessary, the vehicle commander calls for indirect fire and or close air support. During the react to near ambush drill, it is important that friendly forces assault through the enemy positions and not simply stop at them. There will likely be one or more security elements located nearby.
With an L shaped ambush, the support element located at the bend of the road or trail will likely reposition to counter assault friendly forces as they assault through the enemy ambush assault element or immediately afterwards.
Coordination of friendly forces by the OIC is very important to reacting to a near ambush. During the course of the reaction to near ambush drill, the OIC will ensure that the base of fire element located outside of the kill zone shifts fire away from friendlies assaulting enemy positions from inside the kill zone. He also determines the limit of advance for forces assaulting through the enemy positions. Presuming the assault through the ambush is successful, friendlies consolidate and reorganize before continuing with their original mission.
Now one major consideration in reacting to a near ambush is determining which formation the enemy is using to conduct it. If the enemy is using a linear ambush, reacting to it is very simple. Take cover, then assault through the enemy assault and support element. Once those positions are destroyed or disrupted, then mop up the left, right, and rear security teams.
With an L shaped ambush, it is a little more difficult. Unfortunately, if you are ambushed near a sharp bend in the road, trail, or stream bed that you are using for movement, a competent enemy is likely using an L shaped ambush. In such circumstances, return fire, then assault through the long leg of the formation where the enemy assault element is located. You can identify the long leg of the ambush based on from where direct enemy fire is coming. Direct fire that is passing lengthwise through your unit and parallel to the unit's direction of travel is originating from the support unit. Also, since support weapons are typically in place with the support unit, as opposed to the assault element, you can identify the support element based on from where you are receiving heavy support weapon fire.
Because of the way your unit is likely oriented in the kill zone, it can put more direct fire on the enemy assault element without masking fire of other members of the unit. The more direct fire you can put on the enemy assault element, the more likely you will achieve fire superiority over it. Combine that volume of fire with the violence of action created by assaulting through the enemy assault element, increases your unit's chances of disrupting the ambush and surviving it.
When you assault through the enemy assault element's position, be cognizant of the location of the enemy support element on your flank. And reposition to either repel a counterattack from the support element or to continue the attack to destroy it as well. Finally, remember that there are likely to be left, right, and rear security teams in the vicinity that need to be neutralized.
Now, presuming that the assault through the enemy's positions is successful, friendly forces need to establish security before continuing their original mission before they were ambushed. Now, as you can tell, reacting to a near ambush is up close and dirty. Violence of action and fire superiority are the name of the game. You want to overwhelm the ambushing force by volume of fire and the violence of your assault through the enemy's positions.
Now, with a near anti-tank ambush, vehicles in the kill zone need to disembark troops they are carrying in order to suppress the enemy. Dismounted troops should use smoke grenades to obscure targeted vehicles. While they move to exit the kill zone, dismounted troops suppress the enemy and immediately assault through enemy ambush positions. The primary targets of dismounted troops are anti-tank capable weapon positions, followed by the elimination of any other enemy troops in the area.
Now for a far ambush, the React to Ambush drill is somewhat different. Instead of using Battle Drill Four, Friendly Forces react to a Far Ambush in a manner similar to Battle Drill One, Friendly Forces react to a Far Ambush In a manner similar to Battle Drill One, like the React to Near Ambush drill, friendly forces in the kill zone take cover and react to fire. However, the OIC then determines whether he wants the unit to continue engaging the enemy or to break contact. If the OIC wants to continue engaging the ambushing enemy unit, it will first destroy any enemy crew serve weapon first. The unit will then use fire and maneuver to move to the enemy position before assaulting through it using Battle Drill 2 Alpha. That being said, and unless continuing the engagement with ambushing enemy forces furthers the unit's mission, the OIC will most likely order the unit to break contact, consolidate and reorganize, and then continue to proceed with its original mission. If the OIC decides that friendly forces need to break contact, it will likely do so by implementing Battle Drill Three.
As you are aware, squads are typically organized into Alpha Fire Team and Bravo Fire Team. For purposes of illustrating Battle Drill Three, I will refer to each squad element as either Alpha or Bravo Team. So here is how Battle Drill Three works.
First, the OIC designates one element, in this case Bravo Team, to suppress the enemy. At the same time, the OIC, in this case the squad leader, notifies Bravo Team of a distance and direction, terrain feature, or last rally point for it to move toward after the drill is fully executed. At this point the OIC can also direct and employ indirect fires or close air support to suppress and or destroy enemy positions.
Next, Alpha Team, as the bounding flanking unit, uses smoke to screen its movement as it breaks contact and moves back to its next overwatch position for Bravo Team. Once Alpha Team is in its next overwatch position, it suppresses the enemy with direct fire. In an effort to facilitate Bravo Team's efforts to break contact with the enemy.
Once Alpha Team initiates suppressive fire on the enemy, Bravo Team pops smoke before moving to its next covered position behind Bravo Team. Alpha and Bravo Teams then continue to bound away from the enemy until one of three conditions are met. One. It breaks contact from the enemy where it can no longer effectively suppress the enemy. Two, it passes through a higher level support by fire position, in this case a platoon level support by fire position. This is because the larger support by fire unit acts as a blocking force against the enemy pursuit. Or three, both elements are in their assigned positions to continue their original mission before the ambush was initiated.
Any disrupted elements or players move to the last rally position designated by the OIC when he ordered execution of Battle Drill Three. Any friendly vehicles would also move to that position. Think of breaking contact as the reverse of fire and maneuver. Instead of bounding toward the enemy, friendly forces are instead bounding away from them.
So these are the basic methods for reacting to an enemy near or far ambush when your unit is already in the kill zone. That being said, the best defense to an ambush is to detect it before you enter the kill zone. The OIC can then determine whether to attack the ambushing enemy or whether to break contact and avoid it altogether.
So how do you detect an ambush? Well, one big factor is to conduct SLLS checks, S L L S, frequently while moving on roads, trails, and streambeds, especially if they are bordered by constraining terrain. SLLS is an acronym that stands for Stop, Look, Listen, Smell. As you know from our earlier discussions concerning ambushes, near ambushes rely on surprise and concealment to be effective. As such, your risk of ambush is certainly higher in wooded terrain where concealment is readily available. By periodically stopping and conducting SLLS checks, players are more likely to see out of place movement, to pick up sounds of the enemy, and other clues as to their presence and location. Where enemy surprise is lost, especially when it is unaware of its detection by friendlies, the enemy ambushing force is vulnerable to attack from its flanks and rear.
The very nature of the terrain used by ambushing forces works against them if it is detected early. Friendly forces can use the concealing terrain around the enemy to move into advantageous positions where it can surprise and largely destroy the enemy. In essence, the hunter becomes the hunted. If there is a reasonable chance that enemy contact is imminent, the OIC should consider moving small recon/security elements into wooded areas on each side of the road. As your unit moves up, the recon/security elements on each side move ahead of the main force so that they are more likely to identify and locate the enemy before the main force is in danger of entering an ambush kill zone.
Once the enemy is detected by recon/security elements, the main force moves off the road or trail it is moving on. The main force moves off the road or trail it is moving on and into the woods or other concealing terrain. It then moves into a position to eliminate the enemy security team before attacking the enemy ambush, support, or assault elements from the flank.
Whenever possible and as a general consideration, friendlies need to avoid using roads and trails in concealing terrain because of the increased risk of ambushes in that terrain. Although use of roads or trails can speed movement, the enemy is expecting contact along those roads and trails. And are more likely to set up ambushes near those locations.
The OIC will use OCOKA, O C O K A methodology to determine whether the terrain in question is conducive for an ambush. Briefly, OCOKA is an acronym that stands for observation and fields of fire, cover and concealment, obstacles, key terrain and avenues of approach. Now observation is the ability to acquire enemy targets in a particular area. The best observation is from the highest terrain in the area. Fields of fire refer to an area a weapon can cover effectively from a given point. It is limited by each weapon's effective range. Cover is protection from enemy fire. Unlike cover, concealment only protects a force or unit from observation. Obstacles are trained features that stop, impede, slow, or divert movement. On the other hand, Key Terrain is a terrain feature, which if controlled, will give a marked advantage to whoever controls it. And then finally, we have Avenues of Approach. Avenues of Approach mean the ability of friendly and enemy forces to reach objectives.
Think of an Avenue of Approach as a mobility corridor. Now, in our next episode of Tactical Tuesday with Modern Millsim, we will talk about Terrain Analysis and Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield. During that discussion, I will talk about OCOCK in more detail.
For purposes of today's discussion, observation, fields of fire, cover, concealment and obstacles are the elements of a OCOKA that will have a significant impact on the evaluation of the ambush risk in particular terrain. For example, as the density of vegetation and foliage near the road increases, the risk of an ambush also increases. It is fairly unlikely but not impossible for the enemy to stage an ambush from open ground, especially where cover and concealment can be provided by any constricting terrain in the area.
Similarly, the presence of constricting terrain that would likely prevent friendly forces from escaping the kill zone is another factor that raises the risk of an ambush. So these are some of the basic tactics, techniques, and procedures to effectively react to or better yet avoid enemy ambushes on the Milsim battlefield.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Tactical Tuesday. Next week we're going to discuss how to retrain and analyze it to your advantage on the battlefield. If you have any topics you would like to see covered in future episodes of Tactical Tuesday, please let us know by posting it on the Modern Milsim Facebook page.
I'm always interested in input from my subscribers. If it's not one of the topics that we are already planning to cover, we will likely add it to our ever growing topic list. If you like this podcast, please subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, as well as many other podcast directories. As always, thank you for your support, and I'll see you at our next episode. See you then.
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 tactics, techniques, and procedures for reacting to and defeating enemy ambushes on the MilSim battlefield.
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.
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