Fire & Maneuver: How Suppressive Fire Works - Teaching Tactics

This opening episode of Teaching Tactics lays the foundation for the rest of the series by covering fire and maneuver tactics. More specifically, the way fire and movement was used in the attack at the squad-level during the Second World War. The history and theory of fire and maneuver are covered in part 1, squad organization and armament in part 2, and finally: a detailed recreation of the British ‘Battle Drill for Section in the Attack’ is given in part 3.

Teaching Tactics by DigitalBattlefieldTours is a documentary series on the development and application of 20th century military tactics. Teaching Tactics combines in-depth analysis with a highly visualized presentation to provide an approachable yet comprehensive guide to military tactics.

BONUS CONTENT

COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS
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Acknowledgements:
Opening clips from: Band of Brothers (HBO 2001).
Screenshots captured in the EDEN 3D Editor from ARMA III (Bohemia Interactive).
IWM
NARA

ABRIDGED LIST OF SOURCES
Battle School (Unknown Author 1942).
Small Arms Training Volume 1, Pamphlet No.12. – Bayonet (War Office 1942).
Infantry Training Part VIII. – Fieldcraft, Battle Drill, Section and Platoon Tactics (War Office 1944).
FM 7-10, Rifle Company, Infantry Regiment (War Department 1944).
Colonel A.O. Connor, ‘Infantry Organization’, The Infantry Conference (The Infantry School 1946).
Infantry Training Volume IV. – Infantry Section Leading and Platoon Tactics (War Office 1950).

FURTHER VIEWING
Platoon in the attack, AWM Collection

How a German Squad Attacks a Position (WW2), FootageArchive – Videos From The Past

British Army, Section Fire and Manoeuvre, neil castell

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
01:38 History
07:25 Theory
23:04 Squad Organization
36:47 Battle Drill Explained
40:40 Section in the Attack
57:34 Closing Remarks

[maeson]

I just want to say, I have a combined watch time of your channel of about only 1 hour or so and from the limited time I've watched, the content you are producing is absolutely fantastic, unlike any other. I'm a 20 year old guy that has yet to make it to college, I have a deep love for WWII history and it is my hope to study it in school and make a meaningful career one day. You are contributing to this guy's dream and I have the highest hopes for your channel. May it one day sit with the greats on Youtube. You definitely deserve to sit next to, Military History Visualized, Indy Neidell, Mark Felton, among many others. Thank you for your commitment and take care.

[AlecFlackie]

Don't forget the gun group switching fire to the enemy's rear as the assault group reaches its location, it's preferable not to stop fire as this could cue the enemy to the assault.

[kknn-sh]

This sums up the dynamic between video game battles and irl conflicts: video games/simulations don't have the self-preservation element.

[owensthilaire]

A couple of my favorite quotes;
1- Any plan right now, is better than a good plan three days from now.
2- No plan survives contact with the enemy.
The first is Paton, the second I don't recall.

[TheZod]

This is brilliantly motivated, structured, and explained. Well done!

[DarkfireTD]

This is a fantastic video, I was US Army infantry and this is the bread and butter of everything combat units do. Very well put together, very good explanation! I'm going to use this to train my Squad/ARMA group lol

[nex]

As an average citizen of New York i consider this video very informative!

[kylesmith]

Oh my goodness. This video is 14k gold. My favorite part was the explaination of how the drill is limited as a teaching tool applicable to real life, and is simply a teaching mechanism.

I appreciate the meticulousness of this video. It’s long, but there’s no fluff. Everything meaningfully adds to my understanding.

I recently watched band of brothers. They perform this tactic all the time. Obviously the show is fictional, but you do see the drill.

Pls keep it up.

[stardekk]

Keep making these. I absolutly adore each minute. Thank you for your effort !

[joerionis]

I just watched History Buffs review of A Bridge Too Far and I can already tell that that's the reason why I got recommended all of these Military Science videos. Damn Youtube, thank you though and although I'm not interested right now I will definitely watch all of these LOL.

[kraagnjilwulf]

"only harassing fire"
Every sniper in history: I beg your fucking pardon

[yutakago]

This tactic was what I learnt 30 years ago when I was in National Service. In real war situation, it is not so simple. The Japanese in World War 2 use multiple machine gun bunkers that protect each other flanks. That' why the Americans suffer heavy casualties when they tried to clear their positions. The British also suffer heavy casualties in Burma when they fought the dug in Japanese. The American like to use close air support to eliminate dug in enemies to reduce their casualties.

[romanotsick]

Love your work. I know that you just covered basics in this video, but I wanted to know if you're planning to stick with ww1-ww2 battlefield or you're planning on covering modern-semimodern tactics?

[loltwest]

As I am watching this, I am slowly realizing this is the tactic Games Workshop built 40K around. It would make sense considering we’re looking a British training manual and GW is a British company making a very British Sci-Fi.

[guydespatie]

Splendid presentation. So well articulate and so detailed! Spent some years in the infantry and I don't recall having F & M being explained as well then has you have brilliantly done here...

[julianplentii]

perfect voice and volume mastering. No music or sound effect. perfect to listen at night to relax, learn, unwind before sleep. Keep that format up!

[Materialist]

The theory section is beautifully explained and cited, it’s rare in a video like this that a sound philosophical argument is presented about something that also has direct real life applications. That section in particular leaves nothing to assumption and lays out why things are done the way they are. Excellent video.

[samjordan]

This is such an informative video. Applied it to Hell Let Loose and it works so effectively. Thanks!

[The_Professor_]

The theory section was laid out perfectly. For further context I would look into the books “On Killing” and more importantly “On Combat” by LtCol Dave Grossman for more details on psychological effects of fires. I would like to make additional comments about the concepts of an SBF. When establishing support by fire (SBF) we aim to offset by ninety degrees as best we can, establishing an “L-shape” for our trajectories of fire. Within this arrangement SBF will establish isolating fires to the left and right of the target area (aka “the beaten zone”). This prevents enemy evacuation or reinforcement. The ricocheting rounds will then prevent egress to the rear, and frankly any movement whatsoever shy of subterranean. This isolation and suppression creates what we call a “movement corridor”. In this corridor the assault element executes fire and movement, emphasis on “movement” and not “maneuver”. This guarantees enfilade fires from two perpendicular (or nearly so) directions. As the assault element closes the SBF will execute a lift, shift, or cease fires. The latter being the least preferred until all the action has stopped. A shift fire is used to isolate while maintaining partial suppression on the position. Whereas a lift fire places the trajectories of the rounds directly overhead the enemy positions. This maintains the psychological affects of suppression as supersonic cracks are still heard intensely overhead, in addition to the fires of the closing assault element. The beaten zone then shifts past the enemy position to where ever ballistics has those rounds impacting, again isolating the target. Then finally as the assault element clears out the defense the fires can cease. Additionally within the assault element there can exist an IBOF, internal base of fire, used to suppress the enemy. However, rather than being a separate support entity enabling maneuver it is an integral part of the assault element not independent. This is often a SAW or an Automatic Rifleman role.

As for the battle drill displayed, I believe there is a 1950’s era American training film displaying this. It employs a BAR instead of a Bren against an MG42 nest but the points remain

I greatly appreciate your inclusion of audio playing the supersonic crack and thump of fires.

This channel is the first I’ve heard mention of “broom and dustpan”. I find it apt but I would always invite a discussion about beaten zones and grazing fires as it applies to creating the “dustpan”. Integrating fires (outside the scope of this video I know) also plays a hand at this.

A great thing that comes with experience is solely determining when fire is effective. That’s when movement becomes almost instinctual. The enemy is suppressed therefor I move. Experience team or group leaders can then inform juniors that it is time to move. Depending on the suppression and terrain the unit may assault through while on line to close with and destroy the enemy. Or they may execute successive bounds, these are preferable since they can advance so rapidly. Alternating bounds are also possible if enemy fire remains effective enough to still be a threat. It’s slower and more deliberate but this enables more accurate suppression. The demonstrated sniper and frag battle drill pairing is interesting. I certainly wouldn’t commit a sniper to a close action like this, at least nowadays.

[stavrosponiridis]

rhe 4 f's ..find'em, fix'em, flank'em, finish'em..