One Minute Battle Drill #1

[Darkpowder]

One Minute Battle Drill #1

First in a series, i will try and post more of these perhaps one a month in future....

In the near-future, armies will have vehicle situational displays where all friendly vehicles are displayed by a computer icon derived from automatic position reporting emittors in each vehicle, and a pen to write a concept sketch that could be transmitted to some or all of the other vehicles will be done before the play as a "visual" instead of the radio created "audibles" we have been using to communicate battle commands since the creation of the radio.


But is our MENTAL awareness up to the task of using this "situational awareness"?

Do we think in terms of the magnetic compass at all times? Measure things in meters?

Its time for the "one-minute battle drill" as opposed to lengthy 30-minute "Tactical Vignettes" or "Tactical Decision Games" popular in U.S. Army ARMOR magazine and marine corps gazette. The Army leader will hear the situation in cardinal directions and magnetic degrees and he has 1 MINUTE to draw a concept sketch of what he is or is not going to do. This can be done on paper, or on a computer screen with telestrator pen, a button should change colors from enemy red to friendly blue for better communication of intent prior to transmission.

Ready?

PROBLEM

You are a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) Platoon Leader with 4 x M2A2 BFVs in the middle of a company team heading at a northerly 348 degrees up a dusty road in central africa. Behind you are FMTV trucks filled with relief supplies. Ahead of you is a M1 tank platoon, lead vehicle with mine rollers, Combat Engineers in a stretched M113A4 MTVL behind them. The terrain off the shoulders of the road are "NO-GO" terrain for your vehicle. Off to your right, bearing 20 degrees and 100 meters away, you see 2 enemy T-72s dug-in, surrounded by enemy infantry.

SOLUTION

What do you do?

You have 1 minute to come up with your answer. In real life you'd have about 10 seconds.

Then explain WHY you chose your Course Of Action (COA).



- Be honest to yourself and just take one minute to come up with an idea.
- I would like to see as many as possible. For a true test, dont read other peoples submissions until you have come up with your own. You might end up with a better solution that way, but you wont learn anything about your own instincts that you probably use in-game.

- There will be some sort of "reward" from me for the best one.

[PR]RFAD|Darkpowder

glossary:
MTVL - Mobile Tactical Light Vehicle (Light APC with .50 cal) (M113 chassis)
FMTV - Family of Mobile Tactical Vehicles (trucks).
I'm sure most people know what a Bradley Fighting Vehicle is.

[Red Halibut]

Assumptions based on my understanding of your scenario:

1) Bearing 20 is relative (008 absolute)
2) Distance to Tanks along road is approximately 100m.

Actions

SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE!

M1s Traverse 90 Right, engage T-72s.
M2A2's (Assuming M242 and M240C) engage infantry (30 degree traverse should take about half a second)

Relief vehicle personnel bail and find cover.

Infantry out and drop.

__________________


That's my starter for ten.

Reasoning: If the T-72s haven't opened fire already then either

1) They are friendly (I'm assuming that in this instance they aren't)
2) They are surprised or
3) They were waiting for us to pass to attack the relief column.

If 2) Then smoke adds to the confusion and maintains the element of surprise while hopefully getting their attention to give the M1s time to traverse and engage. Using the Bushmaster on the enemy Infantry should allow the troops to dismount and engage.

As the terrain is no go for the Bradley, I'm assuming its also no-go for the M1s so we have no opportunity to flank with the armour, in which case speed unfortunately must take precedence over tactical advantage. The only advantage we have right now isn't positional it's speed.

If 3) Then I'd rather lose the supplies than the men, hence the reason I want them to bail. Trying to get the trucks to reverse out of range in any reasonable timescale is a no-go.

[KP]

Pop smoke, let M1s take on the T-72s and machine gun the infantry. Make sure the relief personell/vehicles find cover if possible.

[IronTaxi]

alert units and fire all guns for all we are worth...everything we got blazing..

Im going to assume that said units are irregular or merely scraped up units.

I would have tanks continue through the position as fast as possible and our other units fall back to the relief convoy with smoke..

infantry units fall back and start moving 90 degrees to the right to provide a better angle of fire on the enemy position.. retreating bradleys maintain supressive fire as they roll back until they are able to disengage from the enemy units..

tank group that pushed through the ambush point would attempt to go 90 degrees from bearing and or find a piece of high ground to fire from... barring that have them come back down the road to a firing postion...

idea would be to have infantry due south of enemy position but covered by rellief convoy and bradleys..slightly southwest of enemy position..

tanks shoudlnt have to worry too much against irregular units and would focus solely on the t72s...coming in and providing pressure from the north

i really cant see the terrain though or i might have some more ideas...


BTW anyone read rommels diaries? great read...

cheers!

[Red Halibut]

IronTaxi, heh, yeah, the mad minute.

[Darkpowder]

nice work lads... so far.

[77SiCaRiO77]

why t72? they are easy to take down .

1. SMOKE
2. termal view
3. TOW
4. laughs

[Guerra]

M1's engage and keep them busy while infantry launches a couple of javellins to take them out.

Withdraw the vulnerable supply vehicles and have whatever infantry available flank them from the right.

Then call in for air support, in case there is more.

[El_Vikingo]

I'd run away, I ain't dying cause some twat in a uniform tells me to.

[Top_Cat_AxJnAt]

Tanks and BFV smoke and engage, All enginneers in their M113A4 and any driver in a FMTV truck HLAT to bail out and run to the left into the "NO GO" area for vehicles - i presume this is either filled with vehicle mines and is quite bumpy - therefore limited threat to people and should offer cover from any friendly vehicles that happen to burst into a fireball, i have no personal experience of bailing out of vehicles so this might not be possible, but hay...

[WNxKenwayy]

First.

Slap the shit out of your recon team for allowing the convoy to get within 100m of enemy armor.

Second.

Slap the shit out of your armor team for allowing the convoy ....

Third.

Pretty much what the first guy said. Coax/25 infantry, tanks for the armor. Instruct gunner to use HE.

I wouldn't use TOW against the armor because the tanks are to close. Min arming range is supposedly 65-75m but I wouldn't trust my life to it.

I'd like to slap the shit out of the people suggesting the infantry go straight at the enemy in the 'no-go' area. You don't fire tanks over/behind friendly infantry. Overpressure and the fins from the sabot rounds can/will kill them. Only reason I wouldn't have advised a full reverse for the brads/113's is you never gave distances, so I don't know if the trucks in the rear would have enough time to back out of your way. I would NOT advise dismount at that range with enemy infantry. Since its a M2 not a M3 I have to assume you have a full load of infantry in the backs of your brads, and since they will be manuvering to avoid the tanks, no go for dismounting them. Enginers stay in as well to avoid the small arms which at 100m would be close enough for most forces which would employ a armored force, to hit.



Here's the big problem, we need more METT-TC information. Mission, enemy, time, terrain, troops available, civilian considerations. I have no idea what the mission is, what enemy we are facing, the 'terrain' description was retarded at best, same with troops available. All those things would be known prior to any engagement

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

M1's engage
Bradley's pop smoke and engage suppressing
Bradley's dismount troops to the NE & E
Armor cover's infantry's attack when t 72's are destroyed
Bradley's cover trucks in rear
_______________________________________________________
EDIT:...After reading all other posts
I forgot the truck driver's ....they should bail
What about the M1's moving foward ?
Should some of the M1/ Bradley's look West as well ?

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

When do we get our report cards ?

[BLind]

order every1 to produce thier bayonets and charge, well at least it works in PR

[RGG:Dale]

inform over the radio the m1s on the t72s postions and proceed to engage to provide a destraction.

meanwhile the trucks are to unload the men and prepare to move out, depending on conditions i would then proceed to pop smoke all around the vehicles.

i would then inform an squad to move up to the bradleys and another into the m1s

then a squad would then be informed to start providing strategic fire from the bradleys, onto the enemy infantry.

then i would start to provide mortar fire from trucks which have poped smoke, and supresive sniper rifle fire.

i would then ask the anti mine m1 to proceed to move into the NO GO zone followed by a squad which has been moved up

i would then proceed to ask the mortars to stop firing.

and the m1s would only provide strategic mg fire ie suppresive

the m1 anti mine would then proceed with the squad following behind to take out any remainder troops and the squad would move into to clear out the
t72s.

the convoy would then proceed to move up road and do an allround defence pattern, and then a casualty check, and vehicle check.

then we would prepare the m1 anti mine to move up to the front and proceed as usual but slower just incase of enemy positions being "filled".

[ReadMenace]

1. Order engineers & truck drivers to dismount.
2. Order engineers to place C4 on trucks.
3. Order trucks drivers to mount up.
4. Order trucks to drive towards troop formations.
5. When in range, order engineers to detonate C4 charges.
6. Order remaining forces to discharge their magazines as vertically as possible while jumping and or driving in circles.

[/tongueincheek]

[Bob_Marley]

1. Pop smoke

2. Fall back. Really fast.

3. Call in airstrike

4. Invade Poland

[/nonseriousness]

[ArmedDrunk&Angry]

LMAO
invade poland
ROFL

[Clypp]

Assuming there is enough road cleared for at least 2 vehicles side by side.

The escort is still the priority. Have the M1s move off the right side of the road (depending on how far ahead they are) and face the T72s and infantry. The BFVs move on the right at reduced speed. The BFVs target the infantry on the move, the M1s target the two tanks while the convoy and engineers pass at full speed on the left. The mine rollers continue at full speed. After the BFVs pass the M1s slip back into the rear of the column.

Worst case: A BFV or two are destroyed. The Abrams is superior to the T72 and if things go right the T72s are destroyed before they claim any kills. The infantry will become hard to hit and this is why it is vital the convoy passes and the BFVs continue before RPGs score hits. Hopefully the enemy is too concerned with the tanks to hit the convoy or BFVs.

EDIT: I dont know the troop complement of an M2. If it is greater than 4 do not reduce speed because the cost will be too high fore a BFV loss.