Part I: Use of your map
( a tiny foreword)
First of all let us get something straight. We hear countless players pointing out enemies and saying enemy contact at what ever bearing. This is not the correct thing to do, a contact is when you are actually receiving fire. In these situations you would say “enemy sighted” or something along those lines. Now we have that sorted lets get on with the guide.
(end of my tiny foreword)
Before heading off to a location it is imperative you look at your map to check for features that will make your journey more secretive. One must remember that it is preferable to engage an enemy on your terms. Therefore, leading your squad through open plains is not ideal. Second off, never place the marker on where you wish to end up at the end of your march. Viewing your map and placing arrows along the way will allow you to methodically choose and review the optimal terrain providing cover, speed, and secrecy en-route to your eventual target. For example: you are at A and you want end up at B. Simple…?
Simply placing an arrow directly to location may seem to be a shorter alternative. But is it more safe?
Before scrolling down just attempt to find your own route to B or decide what may prove dangerous to your squad.
Right o, if you were to observe area "X" one could find that this is a potential "KILL ZONE".
Notice that it is located in a valley which would make it difficult to fire back up on to ledges, also this provides less cover in the eventuality you are fired upon. Second of all to get to “B” from going to the valley there is a small slope which is a definite no go! For one it is narrow which means your squad will be bunched. There is literally no cover from fire or grenades from above; there is no tree cover!
Let us now assume as a squad leader you have ruled out that route, observe the route I created just now. Although this may not be optimal ( I am sure you can be more imaginative) it certainly is better:
Ok let us review the importance of splitting your journey in these five parts:
I: It keeps your squads attention to a maximum. One long journey will definitely reduce your squad's interest as soon as they near the objective they will definitely be fired upon. The long journey means that they would have become less alert due to reduced activity. Breaking down your route in this fashion gives your squad sub objectives, so to say. You can tell them:
" I have analysed the map and it is of tactical importance we advance in this way (make your squad members feel involved, get them to open their maps when in cover) we will first head for this direction and hold for a moment while we scout the next way we go."
II: Heading in this direction covers you from the fort east of waypoint "Z" while it avoids "kill zone" "X". Although one may argue that you are advancing parallel with a road, it does provide more cover to retreat back into while there is a more even fire fight going on. Second vehicles can be heard from a distance, hit the dirt and move slightly west, as I always say:
"If you can see them, they can see you"
III: You do not head up that damned slope( observe route number “V” of the march from position “U”
, you climb at a much slower rate while there is more cover, you can actually flank an enemy instead of being butchered like sheep.IV: There are of course many more reasons for doing this. However, I hope you can understand for why it is imperative that one does this.
Part II: Appointing a Second in command (2iC)
Now that we have established the importance of using your map to avoid a fire fight or to deciding which route provides more cover we need to give some extra support to your squad leader. This guide ties in with part III; i have decided to write this first as not to lengthen part III.
During matches where you are in charge of "pub players" or players who have little or no experience of playing in a tactically literate clan, a 2iC does not have to keep an eye on their main objective (the squad leader is at the head of a column).
How can a 2iC benefit you?
- He can concentrate on keeping the men's spacing at a sound distance
- He can keep order and discipline at the back of the column
- He can take charge of a Fire team which is laying down suppressive fire for the flanking team and Squad leader
- He probably knows the squad leader to some extent if both of you are playing on a server where you regularly play on. Therefore, he can make decisions which will help the squad leader in combat, or on patrol.
- He can be left to defend a position while the squad leader is away (on patrol or getting supply crate; maybe the 2iC can lead the patrol)
- He can run errands and do it to your liking, he would take less time faffing around and you know he is reliable (i.e. he wont drive a logi truck straight through AL Basra's downtown Mosque, nor will he flip the thing on the slightly hilly outskirts)
- You have selected someone for their capable behaviour, this will boost his confidence and performance while in your squad.
- If your rally is over run and in a circumstance the medic can't get to you the squad leader, he can lead the rest of the squad to their objective while you attempt to re group.*
- Of course you yourself can think of many more bonuses of a 2iC in game where you can find something relevant!
*on pr's loading screen you see a tip saying: when the squad leader is down, hold position and regroup before carrying on.
If your squad leader has been downed, why hold position where you are! Move along, closer to your objective, regroup there or lead the squad as a 2iC all the way.
Now one must be careful when choosing a second in command. For one he may start a little power play situation where he would want to usurp you from your lofty position as squad leader if he thinks he is better than you.
To avoid that simply choose someone you have regularly played with or some one from your clan. If there is no one from either of those two choose some one from your squad later on in the game who has distinguished himself, or when the need of a 2iC is required later on in game.
Part III: Fire Teams
If one was to read through many of the infantry and squad leader tactics forums you can see countless topics about fire teams, and even more suggestions that a squad leader should organize his squad by allocating three squad members per fire team. However effective this may seem on paper ( and trust me many things which seem like they have great potential to be successful when written down, usually fail horrifically), it simply doesn’t work for players who don’t operate in a clan which trains regularly. Therefore, in this section of my guide I would like to outline a more conventional method.
Firstly, let us establish for why fire teams are important, which I am sure most of you understand.
-They provide cover when moving over open grounds or when ever you manoeuvre across terrain whilst suspecting that enemies are operating in the area
-When ever you are opened up on you can do either two things:
1.Tactically retreat
2.Flank enemy positions
-When dividing to set up an ambush in a certain area you can create cut off points ( I think I will do a guide on ambushing next) with the main party firing to funnel the enemy troops into a kill zone which they cant escape. (2iCs are important for this as well, whilst one must remember that splitting a squad is NEVER recommended when traversing the map while both fire teams are not at an optimal distance to cover each other. ONLY SPLIT SQUADS TO: DEFEND AN AREA; SET UP AMBUSHES; PATROL FOR ENEMIES AROUND YOUR DEFENSIVE POSITION.)
-And as you know by now from reading my guide I usually say that there are a variety of reasons why Fire teams are important. There are more, just invent; remember learn from mistakes.
However, from reading the introduction to part III, I am not going to show you that dividing a squad into two teams is optimal, for pub players at least.
Lets begin with the nitty gritty details =P. I will try layout part of this section in a Question and Answer type fashion.
Q: When would you create a fire team, at the beginning of the round?
A: I only create a fire team when I need them. Spending time at the beginning of rounds explaining each person’s role and position in the order of march wastes time; the chances are that they will forget them, as they do not regularly practice section battle drills with yourself.
Q: What would be an example of when you would create a fire team?
A: I would create them when my squad takes fire (I am going to create the part on how to receive fire as soon as you are contacted later on; maybe depending whether it is clearer, I will move this section further up the guide.) Or when I have need to split my squad to create an ambush. This prevents confusion, and I can adapt the two fire teams for the needs I would require (its good, if you plan on having a 2iC[refer to section II] to have him with a rifleman kit) depending on the task at hand. For instance, if I would like to patrol around a defensive position, for our sake let this be the northern objective on “Operation Ghost Train”, I would take myself; a rifleman iron sights and a specialist. This way you can leave behind the medic, AR (I rarely use it on this map if I play as the British) and another kit. If you still have trouble understanding this answer I will make a quote of the question and answer it further down the thread.
Q: Why would you create a fire team as soon as you receive fire! Surely you would want the fire teams to be in place to save time and potentially lives.
A: This is a game and not real life, and as much as I enjoy playing Project Reality in a professional manner there is a limit to which I can do this in order for my tactics to be effective in game. Think of it this way. As I pointed out above, the use of fire teams is to place effective fire on targets in order for a flanking team to reach the enemy positions and exploit the weaker defences. I find many PR players do not fire their rifles effectively. RAPID FIRE IS ONLY 1 SHOT EVERY THREE SECONDS! You need to learn trigger control if you fire 1 shot ever y half second which I find many people do. This will improve the accuracy of your weapon, improving drastically the amount by which you can suppress a target effectively. What is the point of sending a fire team to flank when they will just get mowed down due to ineffective cover fire! This way I can tell my squad to get down and the usual stuff, and control their fire(if I have a trustworthy 2iC I will let him do it) and make sure the target is suppressed effectively before I move to flank.
Q: Nonetheless, how can you flank without fire teams? You can’t do a Rambo as a squad leader!
A: After doing the above I will just tell my squad:
“All right, listen in. Danger_6000 you stick behind me, you ready to go? (make sure you ask for confirmation) Rest of you carry on firing as normal. Ok Danger, lets move now. Behind me!”
This way I can quickly choose the kit optimal for flanking an enemy position ( I.e. specialist for cities). As I then near their position I will ask me squad to cease fire. Pop a frag over, or something along those lines to wreak havoc =D. After I have checked the location for in-depth positions I will ask my squad to “RE ORG” (reorganize, or re group) I will also make sure that they reach my position by advancing through the route that I took with my support squad member as this has a much higher chance of being clear as I just ran through there. By this I refer to mines, any hidden mg’s or what not that may tear you up as you take the short way which we have never been through!
I do not wish to go into more depth about clearing positions as that is one of the last sections I will go though. However, I just wanted to give a brief outline.
Ok to summarise, why do I use fire teams in this way?
-Prevents confusion when in battle, my squad will be focused on firing on the enemy; not wondering who is in which fire team.
-I can chose which kits to come with me as they will probably be of more use than if I had placed the kit in a fire team different to the squad leader
-Most players playing on servers with unknown players do not have any experience with extravagant manoeuvres that regulars use in the army. (I don’t either, I’m just a measly little cadet =P) REMEMBER: KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID)
Part IV: CONTACT
Imagine a situation. You and your squad are patrolling through an area; you have no clue where the enemy might be. However, it is of importance that the squad clears their objective area. You are walking with a distance of fifteen to twenty metres between each person (optimal spacing for open ground during day light hours) when suddenly you take fire from the tree line up ahead.
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
1. DASH: You are in open ground if you were to get down where you are standing the enemy would know your exact location and you will probably be in open ground. If the whole squad runs for 5- 10 metres in a frontal direction you will be in a much safer position for returning fire.
2. DIAGONALLY: Ties in with section 1, no point you running straight ahead. Chances are that you don’t know where the fire is coming from. If you were to run forwards you would present an easier target. Running diagonally reduces the chance of running towards fire.
3. DOWN: Now it’s time to get down. Hopefully you have managed to find some cover if not you will have still improved your chances of survival. Make sure that when your whole squad gets down you are down; no point you being left running around presenting a single target...
4. COVER: Once you get down make sure you start crawling to cover or slightly to the side as there is a chance you would have been targeted thus enemies would know where you are.
5. OBSERVE: Now you have some cover attempt to locate the enemy, there are several main things you are looking for:
- Abnormal shapes
- Silhouettes
- Shine
- Muzzle flashes
- Movement
Once you believe you have located an enemy position relay this information to the squad leader. If you are the squad leader store it.
6. SIGHTS: This only applies to grenadiers as you can’t adjust the sights on your rifle to change the distance. The squad leader would give the distance; in PR you can just place an arrow. That way your squad and grenadier know the enemy’s location and distance.
7. MUZZLE CLEARANCE: Again not so much an issue in PR as if someone was to fire into a rock nothing would happen to the guy firing. (if you really want to know here you are: you are checking that the muzzle of your rifle is not being obstructed by any object which would prevent you firing effectively or result with shrapnel off an object being sprayed around if you were to fire into it.)
8. FIRE: simples...
So what have we just learnt here? D3COSMF
Dash Diagonally Down Cover Observe Sights Muzzle clearance Fire.
Simple anagram if you don’t train with a clan all i do is tell my guys to run forward or get down and spoon feed them orders. I.e. if I was squad leading in Ghost Train and we would get contacted. I would tell me squad:
“GET DOWN. Ok medic stay at the rear, rest of you crawl towards this arrow with me. NO BODY IS TO STAND UP. GET IT? If you are hit fall back with the medic. Just keep crawling forward. If you see an enemy shoot him. Don’t use grenades.”
I have played a single match in ghost train without losing their life in my squad. Sure we needed the medic to “pick em up” however; we were not outright killed as when someone was shot the rest of the squad pushed through and cleared the enemy position.
So at the end of this sequence we should have the whole squad suppressing the enemy. No one should have moved to flank yet. This will be covered in part V.
Part V: Assault or Retreat?
We have just completed the actions in the anagram D3COSMF. What should we do now? Bearing in mind there is still an enemy threat.
This is where the importance of squad leader really kicks in, at this moment in time the choice to attack or retreat rests on your shoulders. Before assaulting in retreating you should be analysing several factors which could hinder or abet your choice.
If the enemy are well dug in and there is no dead ground for you to flank them there is no other choice than to retreat and engage them at a later stage in the battle. Or if there is a dense forest to your left which could easily cover a flanking party, should you attack?
Option 1: retreat. What would influence this choice:
-whether there is dead ground suitable enough to use and flank in.
-there is a chance you are losing the firefight and you dont want to be pinned.Better to tactically retreat than bug out (if you bug out your whole squad will just run away, and i mean run. Last resort for squads being pinned, and remember there is no one to cover you if you do, so remember tactically retreat would be a more sound option)
-whether winning this fight would aid the outcome of the match. If you are urgently needed somewhere north in the map, what is the point spending 10 minutes to attack, re-org in a place with no significant value!
-the commander orders you to. As much as people hate to listen to the commander, you might aswell listen to his "stupid" orders. (Better a stupidly co - ordinated disciplined army than a well co ordinated rabble.)
Section VI will be about pepperpotting and other tactical movement, so il briefly outline what to do here.
OK you have decided to retreat, how would you do it?
1. choose 3 members of the squad (NOT YOU OR THE MEDIC) to provide covering fire
2. tell your squad how far you are to pull back, then turn around and provide covering fire(peperpotting)
3. do this until you are in dead ground.
Option 2: You have decided to attack, why would you choose to do this?
-your main objective is the enemy position
-there is suitable cover for you to approach the enemy
-you like to attack....
-you have another squad moving up the same way as you to the same objective, eliminate these gits so they dont hinder the other squad.
How would you do this? Find out in part VII...
To summarise:
You should always remember that it is ideal that you open fire first, or you open fire on your terms. hence there are more solid reasons for you to retreat than to attack and push through an enemy position once having been shot at. Also, remember that i am talking about reaction to EFFECTIVE enemy fire. not enemy fire. if johnny taliban has an AK and is taking pot shots at your squad, just bug out to cover! Easy, dont complicate things. remember "KISS" (read somewhere above)
The choice rests with the squad leader. Being a squad leader is not about shouting and telling your guys what to do. Its all about analysing situations ( and shouting too, otherwise it would be boring =D)
You rarely find squad leaders with a natural talent for squad leading. Sure you get average fellows who know what they are doing to some extent. But you can easily differenciate the bad squad leaders from the good from how they manage their squad and various other circumstances around modern warfare.
I hope, if you are reading this guide that you can take something from it and hone your skills. Of course im not claiming i am the best squad leader out there, infact im far from it. i can learn from advice from people reading my guide and you can learn from me. Arguing is good, as people can convey their thoughts. (Just make sure you do it sensibly otherwise people get angry)
Part VI: Assault
You have chosen to assault an enemy position, before moving off to flank you need to decide on several factors:
1) Where is the enemy, when you locate them make sure your squad keep constant fire upon that position
2) Which route shall I take towards the enemy, don’t bother with opening your map, quickly use a visual position of cover/dead ground.
3) Decide who will come with you, not your best player, the optimal kit (most cases)
Once you have done a quick check of that inform your squad with a marker of the enemy position and keep them firing upon it. Choose the correct kit for the assault, built up areas may require a specialist; enemies which are in cover in a field may need the grenadier etc. Tell the guy to follow you, don’t bother with names it’s too slow, address them by their kit as to avoid confusion. Make sure the enemy is sufficiently suppressed for you to break cover to move towards dead ground. Move off quickly. Flanking can be over several miles in reality so don’t think you need to take the direct route. Remember, the rest of your squad has the medic and you don’t so take your time with this part to get as close to the enemy and cut through them. Usually when I near the enemy positions I tell my support team to cease fire and "watch and shoot" basically watch your fire to determine who is friendly and who isn't. Also, i ask the guy to cover me while I lob a grenade (only 1 you want them to be disorientated then rush in as soon as possible) and move in with your weapon on automatic to clear. You should be moving quickly with your other team mate. Once you are sure you have cleared the position of enemies scout further back for in-depth positions, rally points or FOBs. If you are happy that there are no enemy re-enforcements on their way call the Re-ORG.
Re-Org, or re organization is when the supporting element (suppressive fire squad) regroups with the assault group.
- Always re org away from enemy positions to avoid: enemy counter attacks, missile/artillery bombardments/ and just to prevent the enemy from finding your exact location.
- When your squad regroups with your assault section make sure they run through the place you had been through earlier to assault. This can prevent casualties, as other more direct routes may have enemies counter attacking through them, or defensive positions that are unknown to you destroying your squad.
Once you are re-grouped with your squad make sure everyone is healed, specialist equipment is reloaded and magazines recharged with full fresh ones. Then move off towards your next contact
.Part VII: What next?
As a squad leader your role is not only to lead your men but to allocate the manpower of your squad around the battlefield to make sure you will be where you have most effect. The game isn't as complicated to have platoon commanders so you need to think on a platoon commander's level. Most times all other squad leaders don't think about other squad which means either every one defends or every one attacks. Its your job to be patient and do the more "boring" alternative which is in most cases defending.
Whether you plan to move on or stay, check the area you are defending/moving out of. If you move on you could find yourself flanked from behind. If you are defending you could have pesky counter attacks from the most random places. In which case you couldn't mount an effective counter-counter attack.
Another point to quickly add in about the role of a squad leader, your job is to direct troops. If you are on a desert map with mixed surroundings (i.e. buildings and open desert locations) have your squad use iron sights then you can spot with your binoculars. This way you maintain the effectiveness outside cities and in Close Quarter Combat situations. You don't need to fire your weapon, you sometimes need to sit back and let your squad do the work. This way you can make sure your squad is giving the enemy hell while you could also be checking for enemy flanking teams. If your eye is down range at the enemy you wouldn't see the flank attack, then your squad will be leaderless for a vital few seconds in which time you could be over run.
Part VIII: Digging In
What you are looking for:
-Easily defend able
-Cover from view from ground (and air if you aren't playing insurgency)
-Avoid Obvious positions
-Location with purpose
Building Fobs is what this part is mostly about, however you can dig in temporarily if you are waiting for a squad leader to come to your position or sending a recce team towards a known enemy stronghold and are preparing to assault.
Building Fobs are mostly done incompetently by many squad leaders, they are either built close to other fobs/main bases or in the most irrelevant positions. I'm not saying build it right next to a weapons cache or on a flag, build it at a tactical distance. If you are defending a flag place your fob outside the fab radius closer to your lines, that way you can mount a counter attack instead of the fob being over run and the flag being capped if you build right in the middle of the cap radius.
Fobs aren't designed to be positions of strength - in most cases (i.e. to use HMGs to rip up the enemy.) A few exceptions i can think of are Fobs built in bunkers with limited entrances. (be mindful that unless you are working with a well trained squad you will be easily over run and cut off.) Fobs are used effectively if they are used for spawning in troops to assault or defend. In that respect they are valuable assets, and you don't waste valuable assets by letting the enemy know their positions.
Defensive positions to be effective need to have DEPTH. That means having several lines of defense not just on well defended, easily flank-able line. This way, the first line can retreat to another defensive position allowing the enemy to exhaust itself with constant battery on solid defenses.
Part IX: SMEAC
Briefing your squad is extremely important, it sets their mind on the particular objective so team members will be more focused on helping each other rather than getting kills etc. The most important thing about briefing and delegating is playing to your soldier's strengths. When you plan out a mission you must consider three things:
Task needs: what your objective is
Team needs: what your team needs for the task, i.e. what equipment you require
Individual needs: what each team member needs. If a player is better than another with an LMG give him the LMG, if some one is better with specialist let him run around with a shotgun
. Not only do you make sure you have maximum efficiency but your team is also happy. Briefing your squad follows under the acronym:
S-ituation: who we are, i.e. "we are completely idiots with rags on our heads" or "we are the best: the British army"
M-ission: what we need to do i.e. " our objective is to capture this location and defend it from any counter attacks"
E-xecution: how we are going to do this i.e. "we will move along this path then when we reach the fork in the road we will split into two fire teams and then carry out section battle drills accordingly."
A-ny questions?: ask your team if they have any questions, then answer them.
C-onfirm understanding: ask your team questions so you make sure they know what they have to do.
Now this will usually be done when moving from FOB to FOB or from Main to FOB or from main to an objective. Doing it in the middle of downtown al basrha will be daft...
During your brief under execution you can ask your fellows not to choose any kit save medic and LMG or specialist depending on terrain. Then discuss "Individual needs" with your team and decide their kits with their input. If some one says he is good with lat, let them have a go with it. If they muck up, YOU ALL DIE ( but don't worry its just a game
) Il give you an example of a brief.Situation- We are an elite British Regiment of Grenadier Guards in Helmand province
Mission- Our objective is to destroy the weapon cache which is around the square XN
Execution- (after choosing the kits which you think are pertinent towards the mission, i.e. if the enemy have light armor take a lat or hat and have let your team have their say in what they think you should have continue)
All right i want soldier X with the LAT, Soldier Y will take up a Grenadier Kit, Soldier Z will remain with Rifleman ironsights. Soldier A will stay with Medic, while soldier B will keep the LMG also.
With regards to vehicles we will be air lifted in by Chinook and from there we are to continue on foot from the DZ grid reference YN
Any Questions?- Right Fellas, any questions?
soldier X "should i stay at the back of the patrol to avoid losing the lat?
Myself "Good thinking X, stay near the back then but stay in front of the last man please.
Confirm Understanding- Soldier A where are we going to search for the cache, give me an answer near one grid refrence.
Soldier Z what kit are you to take?
etc
