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Recon and Patrolling


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Hi had a looskie around and could not find much on this subject.

So, just like to get some peoples thoughts on the subject.

For Recon, ive always though a half squad to be good enough as there no looking for a fight there looking for the enemy, hence these few men will be able to find the enemy (since that is the plan) and then you can bring fire down upon or plan your attack etc.

Do people find this to be the best idea on the subject or is there better ways to go about it?

As for patrols, i like the idea of sending out a patrol to seek and destroy the enemy but this just usally ends up being a set piece attack, overwatch covering while the assualt guys go in etc.

this isnt really a patrol lol, so any idea show to conduct a decent and agressive patrol?

Thanks for any help smile.gif

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The main thing to remember with patrols is to stick to your mission. What are you trying to do, locate the enemy, counter recon, search and destroy? For each you will need a different TO&E.

A recon patrol should be light but not so light that they will die at first contact. You want them to be able to gather information not just get shot. For this reason I tend not to use split squads as mine tend to die too quickly for my liking. Several platoons without heavy support works well. One thing to avoid is trying to turn your recon into an attack against a set defense. Have forces ready to exploit any opportunities but don't rely on your recon element to be that force unless you have very favorable circumstances.

For counter recon you need to keep forces moving along likely areas of approach and especially on terrain that the enemy will find useful. They should be a little heavier than recon patrols so they can expect to eliminate them. Nothing worse than losing a patrol and giving up information to the enemy. You will probably want to give them at least minor AT capability to counter ACs and HTs while tanks should be targeted for other systems. Good counter recon requires constant supervision as it is very easy to just move the patrol into a position and leave them. Always remember that it is the route you aren't watching that the enemy will always take.

For search and destroy I find it best to treat it as a small movement to contact. Try to make contact with a small element that won't die before they can establish good contact. Then manuever the main body to deal with the contact. If it turns out to be larger than your patrol can handle you can either have them become the base of fire for the rest of your force or use their firepower to enable the patrol to withdraw.

Just remember to keep to your intended purpose unless the situation absolutely requires it.

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A half squad can scout but it will be stopped by the first enemy unit it finds. If you want real information about what is behind thin enemy screens, you need to send a full platoon that backs up a half-squad point. Even a full platoon cannot attack, it can only push to contact and pin once it makes it. To actually attack requires a company with heavy weapons support and multiple platoons, so the trailing ones can maneuver to free the lead platoon etc.

A company may dedicate to a particular route and stay narrow, or it may use two alternate routes with a full platoon scouting along each, the remainder trailing. You can't afford to attack with both prongs, but you can halt one that looks unfavorable and back the other. Full platoon scouting for a company means half squad ahead on move to contact, rest trailing 40-100m typically in 2 by 2 blobs.

I use patrols on sections of the front I do not intend to attack with at least a company. A typical patrol is a platoon HQ with 2 squads and an ATR or LMG. Note that ATRs and LMG teams typically have binocs, so a few along help with spotting. They also make the force look more like a full platoon. One of the squads is split and the LMG-less half squad takes point. The rest trail with the HQ. The LMG half and added weapon(s) fire at anything that hits the point and the full squad maneuvers against it, if I have one. If anything serious is found - a platoon say - the point withdraws at the run and the rest form a screen to stop it over open ground areas.

Patrols cannot attack, they only try to reach areas clear of the enemy. They are eyes and "dummy" platoons for enemy intel purposes. They just contain enemy half squad scouts and report what they see, and their successfully reaching an area proves it is clear of enemy etc. Once they make contact they go defensive, with limited moves to free up a pinned point the most they are ever called on to do for themselves.

Some platoon HQs are also used to command heavy weapons sections, typically built around 2 MGs and a mortar, or 2 mortars if they are very light (50mm). Snipers, FOs, ATRs are frequent additions. These sometimes retain 1-2 squads, which scout for a route free from enemy fire and lead them into position. It helps to have one fast unit that deals with enemy fire reasonably well, compared to an MG with set up time etc. Groups with the main body can just trail a full platoon and do not need them, however.

The squads stripped out of patrols and weapons sections are massed with higher level HQs and go with company main bodies, as an additional platoon. Particularly when they have decent bonuses, higher HQs with their greater command flexibility are essential to company attack groups, and should not be wasted on inessential jobs like spotting for mortars etc. They work best with at least 2 ordinary platoons, so the company HQ can sit between them and draw squads as needed from either flank.

Individual light armor vehicles sometimes suppliment my patrols. I keep them well behind the foot scouts when I do that. The main idea is simply to deal with MG nests and the like asymmetrically. The decent gun armed types (e.g. US M-8 or Russian T-70) can also threaten enemy vehicles with flank shots. A moving MG and AT shooter on each flank, used quite cautiously until some key moment, is frequently highly useful.

I find vehicular "recon by death" (drive until shot at) wasteful and ineffective at gathering information. The AI opens too readily at anything but humans do not.

Dense woods modify these forms somewhat. In dense woods the key is to make contact with additional men the minute after the point hits something, and to do so quite "tightly". It is also critical not to spread too widely and therefore too thin, hitting all enemies, etc. I therefore tend to scout in dense woods with a full platoon in wedge or 2 by 2 formation, and I strongly prefer having at least one other platoon behind them in column.

Thin patrols do not work in dense woods, because screens of eyes do not see far enough and they cannot defend themselves by just getting in cover and going stationary with a bit of open in front of them. Any real force just blows right through them. You can put out a few LMG or ATR listening posts about 100m apart and have them hide, if you want advance notice someone is coming - but do not try to fire, and expect the ones an enemy column walks right over to die. THs can also do this and those can fire back.

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Thanks for the info guys so to sum up,

To check if a route is clear, a half squad just wondering forth.

To actually perform recon, see where the enemy is is, strength etc, half squad (rifle section) up front on point with the rest of the platoon moving up behind, trailing at around 50-100m

This is all assuming your in on the offence or meeting engagement, on the defence loose the recon and put out listening posts – half squads or lmgs, not hiding and with a small cover arc so they don’t open up on people. (used this to great effect recently :D )

For a search and destroy patrol – ie the front is static, the infantry are not doing much so you want to send them to cause havoc.

Either wedge (^) formation, made up of a platoon or a company Hq, a few squads and LMGs ~(or ATR) if possible.

Who ever is on point is given a move to contact order, they stop open up on who they find and then next orders is to move up the rest of the patrol into positions where they can shoot at the enemy.

If possible splitting a half squad (rifle section – the assault team) and sending them around the flank (tried this one before to great effect but only against small numbers of enemies)

Patrols cannot attack, they only try to reach areas clear of the enemy. They are eyes and "dummy" platoons for enemy intel purposes. They just contain enemy half squad scouts and report what they see, and their successfully reaching an area proves it is clear of enemy etc. Once they make contact they go defensive, with limited moves to free up a pinned point the most they are ever called on to do for themselves.
So it would seem then, if one is wanting to fool the enemy as to your strength, deter attacks if possible.

Spread the line out – half squads to give the impression that there are a lot more men there.

I would assume this would only work then if:

A – a portion of the force is already in engaged with the enemy and fighting as whole squads for the majority of the time.

B – you then ensure that a few of the men your spreading out can be seen – giving away some intel to the enemy to ensure the deception of a lot more men.

C – send out the odd patrol if possible – a few half squads and a HQ. Advance to contact and then withdraw, again to give the impression of a platoon ‘attack’?

Btw Jason, I have to say ive read quite a few of yours posts around the forums – excellent stuff!

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You don't have to worry about the enemy spotting your patrols, he can handle that himself.

The main point of flanking patrols is to fill the parts of the field you *don't* intend to attack on. It tells you what is out there, keeps the enemy from knowing your point of main effort a little longer and makes him less sure about it, keeps him from sending his forces on the rest of the field to your point of main effort or getting frisky about counterattacks etc.

You don't want to spread you forces evenly - the way to get odds somewhere is to limit the part of the field you seriously fight over and use a large portion of your available force on that part of the field. In depth, through time, by using reserves - as well as more at once. But fighting over half the field only helps if the enemy stays spread or isn't concentrated in the right spots. So, you screen other parts of the front, thinly. That is what patrols do. Along the way they also bring in lots of info about the ground and the enemy, and reduce the amount he gets about you.

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So for example, the main portion of the fighting is taking place at X, you also want to occupy the ground at Z but that isnt as important.

You could then send around a company to Z, spread it out a tad and send patrols from this company to watch the flanks and pressure any enemy units in the area, while the majoirty of the reserves/reinforcements go over to help attack X.

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I would never waste a whole infantry company on such an inessential mission, not in typical scenario sizes anyway. I'd send a patrol or two instead (depending on the size area).

In a very large fight I have occasionally had a screening force as large as a reduced company, of two platoons and a weapons sections - but that then covered fully half of the map.

The whole point of screens is to concentrate the main body at the point of main effort, so don't send gobs of stuff to do it.

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