In Section Battle Drill 2 - Reaction to Effective Enemy Fire (the Brit version) it is as follows: "Effective enemy fire is fire which is causing casualties, or likely to do so if the advance is continued." Does not matter what source.
Its all about whether its effective fire. Some bangs in the distance with the odd high crack overhead is hardly worth responding to. The question needs to be asked again what are the troops doing out in the open and exposed to someone with any weapon 900m away?Depends on the weapons. If the opponents have SVD(s), any of the PK series or even old Nagants or Enfields -- even an RPK -- much less a Dshk, they can bring very effective (by any reasonable definition) fire on you at those ranges. Conversely, the M-14 series, the M240/MAG 58s and the various other long range weapons can initiate or return effective fire at those ranges. So whether one even bothers to take cover is -- as always -- situation, state of training and / or experience and all that METT-TC stuff dependent. The only rule in combat is that there are no rules...
I appreciate it touches a nerve with you Ken but your responses don't address the issue. I ask again what do these patrols wish to find out there on the open ground they walk over? If they were there to draw fire that a few Gunships would respond to then I can understand it. But then we know this is not the case.Or the Soldier led into harm's way by a quite competent officer or NCO not by strolling -- as you so repetitiously, drolly and ignorantly put it -- but by crossing open areas that are forced upon them by the situation in as tactically sound a manner as is possible.
I asked this question before and now I ask it again:I know the Brit teaching on this and they are deviating from the doctrine (they will probably say they have no choice because of the large tracts of open ground - but will forget that under such circumstances the requirement is to picket the high ground).... what kind of tactical movement is being used by these patrols where they are out in the open and able to be seen from 500-700m? Not to mention fieldcraft and "selecting lines of advance" issues.
Then we got into the supposed need to get from point A to point B. And it turns out they wanted to have a chat with the civvies in the villages.
Its called the pursuit of excellence Ken. Keep questioning and keep trying to improve. The competent will continue to learn and improve and the incompetents will continue to go like lambs to the slaughter.The good news is that you don't have to worry about any of that, you can just fulminate at length over the internet while a lot of others ranging from more competent than you or I ever were to those incompetents you seem to see everywhere get on with business...
Bookmarks