Combat Mission-Anatomy of an Attack

Article written by Paintman (FGM)  [Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:42 pm]

OK! So far it's been blah blah defense this defense that blah yackety yack! Time for a change of pace!

Some basics:

Every attack, from the platoon level to the regimental level, consists of three basic components:

- The Base of Fire: This can be as simple as a couple of squads and an MG or as complex as a company making a small advance to pin down the enemy with FOs and tanks and smoke. The base of fire's job is pin down, suppress the enemy, so that the assaulting element can accomplish its objectives. It will not cause tons of infantry casualties usually, at least not enough to win the game. That's the assaulting element's job. The base of fire is also useful for pin-pointing and destroying enemy guns, vehicles, directs artillery, and to some extent "recons by fire", meaning you get intel from them simply by seeing what shoots back at them. ALSO, it's the base of fire's job to provide security during the attack, so that something nasty doesn't come up and mug you on the flanks.

- The Assaulting element (Or maneuver element): These guys will do the nitty gritty and stand on the top of the hill when it is all over. Their freedom of movement is earned by the use of covered and concealed routes to the objective, and the suppressive fires from the base of fire.

Now keep in mind that whether a group of units are the base of fire or the assaulting element will change from moment to moment. You can alternate duties, one section covering as the other moves, or whatever.

- The Reserve: At anything above the platoon level, you should always have a reserve, ready to commit where you need it.

It can exploit a breakthrough, join the base of fire, whatever you want to do with it. Even at the platoon level, that squad sitting just out of LOS of the fight, while you decide what to do with him is technically a reserve, because he is not committed.

Example of a small-scale Attack: React to Contact:

This is almost straight doctrine from our infantry battle drills, albeit modified for CM.

Imagine this situation: You have two platoons of infantry moving in a column through the woods, you have several MGs and mortars with you. Your lead scout HS comes into contact as he moves into a clearing, and takes 1 casualty. Fire, but not heavy fire. The first step is locate the opposition. In this case, infantry sounds 100m to the front.

PAUSE! Something very good just happened for you here. You made contact with the smallest element possible.

Right now, the only unit you have that you don't have complete control over is that HS. And the only unit that he knows of is that HS (Hopefully).

Continue. You decide to move your lead platoon up to the edge of the forest where the HS stepped out and estabilish a base of fire. Doing so you also move up your MGs and set the mortars slighty back in command of the lead HQ. Your second platoon, furthur back, stays put and out of site, but where they can watch the flanks in case your opponent wants to do the same thing to you. Right now,they are the reserve.

At the base of fire, you spread your units out but still in command, and try to keep the HQ from getting harassed. His leadership is more valuable than his meager firepower. You immediately try to gain fire superiority with all of your weapons, although you hold off on the mortars because they have sparse ammo. IF your troop type has a high ammo load, then you will area fire all over even when the enemy ducks his head and disappears. You want to KEEP his head down. Once you get fire superiority, you are like a pit bull humping someone's leg; you OWN him. He can't see, he can't shoot back well, and he can't move.

At this point you decide that it is safe to assault his position. You select a covered and concealed route (Well, if you can), that goes around and hits him in the side. You engage with every weapon on the base of fire that is needed, the mortars now too if you need the extra punch. Alternatively, if you need it the mortars shoot a smoke screen for an exposed flank of your assault element's move. You take your platoon and move in at a run, then advance, then assault as you near the position.

Once you are very close to making that final sweep through, put your platoon on line. One squad going in at a time can be chewed up; one at a time. JUST before you make that last 50 meters, your base of fire "lifts and shifts" their suppressive fire. They either stop, OR they "shift" it to another area of known or suspected enemy's that might interfere.

Your assault went well, with minor losses. But the attack is not over! Now you have to consolidate and re-group. An attacking force is at it's most vulnerable just after it's attack. You need to immediately see what you have left, and determine your next course of action; in this case, you move the assaulting platoon to provide forward and flank security from the patch of woods you just took, while your base of fire, moves up (same route) to consolidate with them. Immediately set up your MGs and assume you are about to be counter-attacked, just for security. You don't know what's ahead of you.

What is fire superiority? It's when you've got him ducking more than you are and you can move relatively safely and he can't. You should NEVER assault until you have this, unless you are desperate, because it will usually just end up in closed caskets?
(FGM) Paintman