Fighting Positions

REF FM 7-7 REF FM 7-7 THE MECHANIZED INFANTRY THE MECHANIZED INFANTRY PLATOON AND SQUAD (APC)PLATOON AND SQUAD (APC)

SSG Christian J. Behr

1st Squad Leader

Det 1, 169th MP Co.

General

Whenever a dismount team dismounts to conduct the defense, it prepares fighting positions. A well-built fighting position gives the defender a marked advantage over the attacker and enhances his weapons’ firing capability. Fighting positions must provide cover and concealment against aerial and ground fire and observation, and provide for mutual support among fighting positions observation and fields of fire.

COVER

Protect the firing team

Thick enough in front, rear and flanks and overhead

provide cover to shoot to the oblique, if under fire to the front

FRONT AND OBLIQUE

• Cover should be at least 18 inches of dirt to stop small arms.

• shooting oblique requires that the cover be long enough for two men and hide the muzzle blasts of their rifles.

CONCEALMENT

• Readily available• will not attract enemy

attention• need not be replaced• make it hard for

enemy to see• conceal from enemy

aircraft

FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Hasty fighting position

FIGHTING POSITIONS

One man position Two-Man Position.

FIGHTING POSITIONS

Modified Two-Man Position

FIGHTING POSITIONS

Steep Terrain

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

Dig a fighting position armpit deep to lower the profile of the occupant(s) and still let him shoot his weapon.

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Provide support by having a distance between the hole and the frontal cover that should be enough to let a soldier shoot from a supported position (elbows on the ground).

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Dig elbow holes that serve to stabilize the shooter’s arms and lower is profile

• Dig trenches for the bipod legs of an automatic rifle to get it close to ground level

• Use aiming stakes to help a soldier fire his rifle on dangerous approaches at night

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Use sector stakes, right and left, to define the sector of fire. They prevent accidental shooting into adjacent positions. A soldier should not let takes spoil his position’s concealment.

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Shape the floor of the hole so that it slopes toward the grenade sumps. Water will run into the sumps, and grenades will tend to roll into them.

• Dig two trench-shaped hand-grenade sumps at each end of the position. The trenches should be dug as wide as the blade of an intrenching tool, at least as deep as the intrenching tool, and as long as the position is wide. The slope of the floor should channel grenades thrown into the position into one of the sumps.

PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

Building overhead cover• protect from airbursts & shell fragments• use logs, 4 to 6 inches on top of each other

along the entire length of the frontal and rear cover

• high enough so that men can shoot beneath when complete

• room for night vision and other devices

Base is made of logs, 4 to 6 inches placed side by side across supports

Water repellent layer, such as packing material from dragon roundsis then laid over the logs.

About 6 to 8 inches of dirt is added and molded to blend with the slope of the terrain. And finally, the overhead cover is camouflage. When it is complete, the man in the position will have protection from shell fragments and still be able to shoot.

When overhead cover would make a position easy to see, it can be

built off to both flanks. When flank overhead cover is used, only one grenade sump is dug in the center of the floor against the back wall.

• After removing sod and 25 to 35 centimeters (10 to 14 inches) of dirt, 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) of supporting logs or planks are laid across that place to support the rest of the over head cover material

• The logs are covered by piling on them 15 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches) of dirt. Sod is used to camouflage the dirt. It all must look natural.

Revetments

Revetments are supports put against the sides of a fighting position to keep them from collapsing. Revetting is necessary when positions are dug in loose or wet soil. Anything that will hold in the walls (wire, boards, logs, etc.) can be used to revet as long as it is staked and anchored. After anchor lines are attached, stakes are driven all the way into the ground. That hides them so they will not be mistaken for aiming or sector stakes.

FIGHTING POSITIONSREF FM 7-7

ANY QUESTIONS????ANY QUESTIONS????