Tactical Movement (Part 1) from our New Infantry Combat Online Course
This short article is the first part of a 2-part article taken from our new Squad-Level Infantry Rural Combat book and online course. The article discusses how to incorporate individual movement techniques into small-unit tactical movement in a real-world combat scenario. We welcome your reactions, comments and ideas on our Facebook page and if you like the article, click below to check out the book on Amazon or enroll in the online course and earn your completion certificate.
Combat Applications: Individual Movement
Even if a unit masters and correctly employs all of the movement formations and techniques discussed so far, they may still find themselves at a great disadvantage in combat against an adversary that knows how to apply movement formations and techniques to the reality of combat. One of the most common mistakes is to simply walk forward in a straight line without paying attention to the surrounding terrain. Individual squad members are either more concerned with maintaining the exact “shape” of the formation, or perhaps they are fatigued or not paying attention. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself walking in a straight line and the squad unexpectedly takes fire, you may find yourself in the open when the bullets start flying. This will bring up the question of whether you should immediately dive to the ground, or sprint to the nearest cover and then go to the ground. Ideally, with more forward thinking and better individual movement techniques, you would not even have to make that decision. The image below illustrates how an individual squad member can walk forward in a straight line without regard for cover, concealment and the surrounding terrain.
It is better for every individual squad member to move from cover to cover, even when walking through the woods when enemy contact is not likely. Using the same diagram from the previous page, if you had moved a few meters to your left you would have been walking along a path with plenty of available covered positions. You don’t actually need to take cover behind each of these positions but should you come under fire at any given moment, you are either already behind cover and all you have to do is get down, or you are already moving towards the next piece of cover and you will not be caught in the open for long.
When moving as a unit, each individual unit member should use the same movement technique of proceeding from one covered position to another. The team or squad can still maintain its formation, spacing and general orientation but positioning will fluctuate as needed based on the surrounding terrain. When moving from cover to cover as a unit, you must also consider where your teammates may take cover. For example, in the illustration below, the team member on the far left should not move along the dotted red line and take cover behind the tree to his/her front right. Even though there might not be anything wrong with taking cover behind that tree when moving as an individual, when moving as a team you must consider that the team member to your right will move to that tree. While it is possible for two team member to take cover behind the same object, it is generally preferable to stay spread out if possible.
When moving from cover to cover, you shouldn’t just change direction, you should also change speed. Pick up the pace between cover and slow down when you are close to cover. If there are big gaps you may even want to run. Speeding up between covered positions reduces the amount of time you spend exposed in the open. However, when you are moving fast, it is harder to spot movement around you and harder to hear the enemy. So, when you are moving fast, you might as well focus your attention on the path in front of you, watching out for obstacles and ensuring you do not trip. Then, when you slow down next to each cover, take that time to carefully look around you for the enemy. You can even momentarily stop to look and listen for signs of enemy presence. Before you speed up again and move to the next covered position, quickly make eye contact with your fellow teammates to ensure no one is trying to signal you or drifting out of contact. Finally, identify the next covered position before you speed up, then pick up the pace to reach the next covered position.
We hope you found the short article useful and once again we welcome your reactions, comments or suggestions on our Facebook page where we frequently hold constructive discussions on tactics with people from various tactical backgrounds and experience levels. Also, click above if you would like to check out the full book on Amazon or enroll in the online certification course.
