Battle Drill 001-React to Contact

React to Contact Drill

SITUATION: A squad or platoon receives fire from enemy individual or crew-served weapons.

NOTE:  this drill is primarily designed to get the player thinking about the enemy force and how to deal with it.  Once a determination has been made he then should use either a Break Contact or an Attack Drill as required

STEPS:

• Team in contact immediately takes up covered position and returns fire
• Assess the situation:
• Determine the size of the enemy force
• Identify vulnerable enemy flanks
• Identify covered and concealed routes for flanking the enemy.  
• Ensure that as you order your maneuver element forward that there is some terrain element between the route of advance and the enemy unit so their movement is not spotted, or is at least covered from enemy suppression fire
• Keep the crest of a ridge between you and the enemy
• Use a covered approach, such as that offered by thick woods
• Use smoke to create cover and concealment between the maneuver element and the enemy unit if necessary
• Identify any obstacles
• Player determines:
• Whether he must withdraw his force due to superiority of enemy force either in size or position
• Perform the Break Contact Drill
• Whether he has the means on hand to successfully deal with the enemy force
• Perform the Squad/Platoon Attack Drill

Example 1:

• The squad is moving in Traveling Overwatch
• The Lead Element comes under fire from what is determined to be an enemy team in the woods ahead
• The player takes stock of the situation and determines that the enemy team has a vulnerable flank to the right that offers a covered route of approach
• Player determines that he can eliminate this threat with the squad on hand and next performs the Squad Attack Drill

Example 2:

• The squad is advancing in Bounding Overwatch (Successive)
• The Lead Element comes under fire from what is determined to be three enemy teams in the woods ahead
• The player takes stock of the situation and determines that the enemy squad sized element is too large for this squad to tackle on its own
• Option 1: the player orders a Break Contact Drill
• Option 2: the player orders this squad to take up a support by fire position and orders a Platoon Attack Drill with this squad in contact providing suppression fire on the enemy contacts

 Example 3:

• The squad is moving in Bounding Overwatch (Alternate)
• The Lead Element comes under fire from what is determined to be an enemy team on the ridgeline ahead
• The player takes stock of the situation and determines that the enemy team does not have a vulnerable flank
• Player determines that he can eliminate this threat with the squad on hand and next performs the Squad Attack Drill
• Flanking movement is to have cover and concealment supplied by a smoke screen either to the right or the left