airsoft tactic - TEAM MANEUVER & TACTICS

THE TACTICAL TEAM
written by: Grim Ripper
The Tactical Team is a four to six-man team. On a patrol, the team comprises a Pointman, Team/Squad/Patrol Leader, Communications Officer/ Radioman, SAW Gunner, Corpsman/Medic who doubles as the Grenadier, 2nd SAW gunner, 2ic/Assistant Patrol Leader, and the Rear Security/Tail-end Charlie.

In the airsoft context, The Pointman moves about 30 feet ahead of the team and tries his best to spot an ambush. He is either armed with an M203, shotgun or an SMG set on full auto. The SAW Gunner should not be the pointman because the job calls for stealth and so the Pointman move as lightly as possible. The Team Leader naturally has the job of coordinating the patrol or attack, and the 2ic takes over if the Team Leader gets killed or the team breaks up. Depending on the Game rules applied (I'd prefer to call it "Rules of Engagement" or ROE), the medic is usually the only one allowed to "revive" a wounded team member. The SAW Gunner are the only ones allowed to use Hi-Cap magazines or to fire on full auto. Their function is usually to lay down sustained cover fire for an attack or withdrawal. Grenadiers are the ones with the M203 or hand/grenades. In urban terrain, the Grenadier lobs a grenade into the room first or pumps a round of M203 grenade into the room when he charges in first. The Radioman is redundant unless the game scenario involves friendly teams in the area or the team splits up, in which case the team members with walkie talkie becomes the Radioman.

The team laying an ambush or defending a position should have well placed Snipers ahead of the main team or on a vantage point such as elevated ground or building. In the airsoft context, Snipers are armed with weapons with better range or higher fps and accuracy, preferably with camouflaged clothing and skills.

FORMATIONS

example of formation

Single File
Used for moving through dense area/narrow path
Disadvantage – insufficient fire power in case of ambush from front

Line
Advantage – employment of full fire power in a frontal attack
Disadvantage – Flanks and rear susceptible to counter attack

Wedge
Variation of the Line, better protection on the flanks

Diamond
All round defence when moving

Moving As A Team
You will usually move as a member of a team. Small teams, such as infantry fire teams, normally move in a wedge formation. Each soldier in the team has a set position in the wedge, determined by the type of weapon he carries. That position, however, may be changed by the team leader to meet the situation. The normal distance between airsoft troopers is 3 meters or 10 feet.

Below is the picture of how a team move

You may have to make a temporary change in the wedge formation when moving through close terrain. The soldiers in the sides of the wedge close into a single file when moving in thick brush or through a narrow pass. After passing through such an area, they should spread out, again forming the wedge. You should not wait for orders to change the formation or the interval. You should change automatically and stay in visual contact with the other team members and the team leader.

The team leader leads by setting the example. His standing order is, FOLLOW ME AND DO AS I DO. When he moves to the left, you should move to the left. When he gets down, you should get down. When he fires, you should fire.

When visibility is limited, control during movement may become difficult. Two 1-inch horizontal strips of luminous tape, sewn directly on the rear of the helmet camouflage band with a 1-inch space between them, are a device for night identification.

Night identification for your patrol cap could be two 1-inch by 1/2-inch strips of luminous tape sewn vertically, directly on the rear of the cap. They should be centered, with the bottom edge of each tape even with the bottom edge of the cap and with a 1-inch space between two tapes.

CLOSE SUPPORT, FIREPOWER & EMPLACEMENT
It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of staying close to give support fire to team members. If the team members are near enough to hear the call for support, then they are also within range to give such support fire as needed.
Machine gunners or the light support weapons trooper such as the SAW gunner must always be placed on the flank when facing an extended line opposition from the front. The logic for this is simple. Take the analogy of a car travelling along a road with lamp-posts on the divider. The chances of the driver not hitting one of the lamp-posts in an attempt to cross over to the other side of the road is very slim when compared to another driver who is driving at right angle to the first driver. Likewise, a machine gunner is bound to hit some targets (lamp-posts) if he is firing from the side of the opponent as opposed to the front.

FIRE AND MOVEMENT
When a unit makes contact with the enemy, it normally starts firing at and moving toward the enemy. Sometimes the unit may move away from the enemy. That technique is called fire and movement. It is conducted either to close with and destroy the enemy, or to move away from the enemy so as to break contact with him.

The firing and moving take place at the same time. There is a fire element and a movement element. These elements may be single soldiers, buddy teams (discussed below), fire teams, or squads. Regardless of the size of the elements, the action is still fire and movement.

The fire element covers the move of the movement element by firing at the enemy. This helps keep the enemy from firing back at the movement element.

The movement element moves either to close with the enemy or to reach a better position from which to fire at him. The movement element should not move until the fire element is firing. Semi-auto fire should be used if the distance is great so as not to run out of ammunition at the critical stage, otherwise full-auto would give better cover fire.

Depending on the distance to the enemy position and on the available cover, the fire element and the movement element switch roles as needed to keep moving.

Before the movement element moves beyond the supporting range of the fire element (the distance within which the weapons of the fire element can fire and support the movement element), it should take a position from which it can fire at the enemy. The movement element then becomes the next fire element and the fire element becomes the next movement element.

If your team makes contact, your team leader should tell you to fire or to move. He should also tell you where to fire from, what to fire at, or where to move to. When moving, use the low crawl, high crawl, or rush.

Buddy system
The buddy system is the core of every team. No combatant must fight alone unless he is the last man standing. The two must have sufficient understanding and each one's level of dependancy must be sufficient and compatible enough for the other to rely on so as to survive as a unit. After all, it doesn't matter how good or careful you are, you can still die if your buddy screws up!
Tactical maneuver relies on the ability of two members to coordinate their movement and give cover fire to one another. When one member moves, the other lay down cover or suppressive fire at possible enemy possition(s). The process is then repeated with the roles switched between the two. The same tactics apply for an advance as well as a withdrawal.

Advance to Contact–Cover Fire
The advancing team or unit must never run directly towards the opposing fire. Running diagonally to the fire will offer a better chance of survival as it will be more difficult for the enemy to train his fire on a target that is constantly changing its position in relation to his aim.
In an advance to contact, cover fire will mean a continuous stream of fire at any likely enemy position even though the enemy cannot be seen. The common misconception is that cover fire is given only when the enemy sticks his head out to see what's going on. That would have been too late as the enemy would have spotted the advance and taken the necessary counter-measure. Remember, BBs are cheap, buddies are not.

ATTACK
An attack is a type of offensive operation characterized by coordinated movement supported by fires and effects. Attacking is the primary means of destroying or defeating an enemy force, of seizing or securing terrain, or both.

Special Purpose Attacks.
The Team commander can execute an attack to achieve different results or for special purposes. In the airsoft context, this can mean the entire objective of the game. The commander's intent and an analysis of the factors of mission, enemy, terrain, troops and support available and time available determine the specific form of special purpose attack. These forms of the attack share the same planning, preparation, and execution considerations as other offensive operations. These subordinate forms of an attack are—

Raids.
Counterattacks
Spoiling attacks.
Feints.

(1) Raids. A raid is an attack that involves swift, temporary penetration of enemy territory for a specific mission. The Team conducts raids to capture prisoners, installations, or enemy materiel (military equipment and supplies); to destroy enemy installations or materiel; to obtain specific information of a hostile force; to liberate captured friendly personnel or materiel; or to deceive or harass enemy forces. A raid is a small-scale attack that always ends with a planned withdrawal. Raids require detailed reconnaissance and surveillance planning. The Team normally assigns raids to a smaller unit. Specific planning considerations for a raid include the following:

Conduct detailed reconnaissance and maintain constant surveillance of the raid objective to ensure the enemy situation remains unchanged and within the capabilities of the raiding force.
Position fire support systems to provide responsive fires and effects during the approach, actions on the objective, and the withdrawal.
Establish clear abort criteria for the raid. These may include loss of personnel, equipment or support assets, or changes in the enemy situation on or near the raid objective.
Develop contingency plans (branches) for enemy contact prior to and after actions on the objective.
Plan casualty evacuation and raiding force extraction during the approach, actions on the objective, and the withdrawal.

(2) Counterattacks. A counterattack is executed from a defense to defeat an attacking enemy force or retake key terrain and regain the initiative. The counterattacking force ultimately conducts the decisive operation in the defense when committed; therefore, it should become the main effort upon its commitment. The Team commander may plan counterattacks as part of the Team's defensive plan.

(3) Spoiling Attacks. A spoiling attack is executed from a defense to disrupt the enemy's attack preparations and is executed in the same manner as an attack. Spoiling attacks focus on the enemy's critical systems and forces that would have the greatest impact on the Team. Spoiling attacks are conducted as often as necessary to deny the enemy adequate attack preparation.

(4) Feints. A feint is intended to deceive the enemy and draw attention and combat power away from the main effort and force the enemy to employ his reserves away from the main effort or remain in position, attract enemy supporting fires away from the main effort, force the enemy to reveal defensive fires or weaknesses, or to gain surprise. Feints must be of sufficient strength and composition to cause the desired enemy reaction. Feints must appear to be real; therefore, some contact with the enemy is required. Planning for a feint follows the same sequences as any other attack. Special planning considerations include the following:

-Assign attainable objectives.
-Ensure the feint is resourced to appear as the main effort or as a credible threat to the enemy.
-Establish clear guidance regarding force preservation.
-Ensure adequate means of detecting the desired enemy reaction.
-Designate clear disengagement criteria for the feinting force.
-Issue clear follow-on missions to the feinting force.

AMBUSH
Planning
Ambushes are complex multi-phase operations and are therefore usually planned in some detail. First a suitable killing zone is identified. This is the place where the ambush will be laid. It is generally a place where enemy units are expected to pass, and which gives reasonable cover for the deployment, execution, and extraction phases of the ambush patrol. A path along a wooded valley floor would be a stereotypical example.

Ambush can be described geometrically as:
- Linear, when a number of firing units are equally distant from the linear kill zone.
- L-shaped, when a short leg of firing units are placed to enfilade the sides of the linear kill zone
- V-shaped when the firing units are distant from the kill zone at end that the enemy enters, so the firing units lay down band of intersecting and interlocking fire. This ambush is normally triggered only when the enemy is well into the kill zone. The intersecting bands of fire stop any attempt to move out of the kill zone.

Preparation
To be successful an ambush patrol must deploy into the area covertly. The patrol will establish secure and covert positions overlooking the killing zone. Usually, two or more cut off groups will be sent out a short distance from the main ambushing group into similarly covert positions. Their job is twofold; first to give the ambush commander early-warning of the approaching enemy (usually by radio or cellphone), and second, when the ambush is initiated, to prevent any enemies from escaping. Another group will cover the front and rear of the ambush position (blocking force) and thus give all round defence to the ambush patrol.

Care must be taken by the ambush commander to ensure that fire from any weapon cannot inadvertently hit any other friendly unit.

Waiting
Having set the ambush, the next phase is to wait. This could be for a few minutes to even an hour depending on the size of the skirmish grounds and the scenario of the game. Under no circumstances must the ambushing team move from its position prior to contact. Otherwise the advantage of picking the right ground for the contact will be lost. During the wait, movement and noise must be brought to a minimum. It is however important to assume a comfortable position so as not to succumb to fatigue. Squatting or seated on the ground would be good. It is not advisable to wait in a prone position as you will be obstructed by the undergrowth. The idea of an ambush is to allow the enemy to move towards you so that you have the advantage of spotting the enemy first (by his movement). If you are well hidden from sight and your line of sight is also obstructed, you will lose the advantage. Then it will be a matter of the enemy trying to scan the area to spot you before he moves out of cover.

Execution
The arrival of an enemy in the area should be signalled by one of the cut-off units. This may be done by radio or by some other signal, but the enemy must not detect the signal. The ambush commander will have given a clear instruction for initiating the ambush. This might be a burst from an automatic weapon, use of an explosive device (such as a Claymore mine or other directonal weapon), or possibly a simple whistle blast. The ambush commander judges when the ambush will be most effective; therefore, giving the signal.