Fighting Positions

1
Fighting Positions

• REF FM 7-7 THE MECHANIZED INFANTRY PLATOON AND
  SQUAD (APC)
• SSG Christian J. Behr
• 1st Squad Leader
• Det 1, 169th MP Co.

2
General

• Whenever a dismount team dismounts to conduct the
  defense, it prepares fighting positions. A
  well-built fighting position gives the defender a
  marked advantage over the attacker and enhances
  his weapons firing capability. Fighting
  positions must provide cover and concealment
  against aerial and ground fire and observation,
  and provide for mutual support among fighting
  positions observation and fields of fire.

3
COVER

• Protect the firing team
• Thick enough in front, rear and flanks and
  overhead
• provide cover to shoot to the oblique, if under
  fire to the front

4
FRONT AND OBLIQUE

• Cover should be at least 18 inches of dirt to
  stop small arms.
• shooting oblique requires that the cover be long
  enough for two men and hide the muzzle blasts of
  their rifles.

5
CONCEALMENT

• Readily available
• will not attract enemy attention
• need not be replaced
• make it hard for enemy to see
• conceal from enemy aircraft

6
FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Hasty fighting position

7
FIGHTING POSITIONS

• One man position Two-Man Position.

8
FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Modified Two-Man Position

9
FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Steep Terrain

10
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Dig a fighting position armpit deep to lower the
  profile of the occupant(s) and still let him
  shoot his weapon.

11
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Provide support by having a distance between the
  hole and the frontal cover that should be enough
  to let a soldier shoot from a supported position
  (elbows on the ground).

12
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Dig elbow holes that serve to stabilize the
  shooters arms and lower is profile
• Dig trenches for the bipod legs of an automatic
  rifle to get it close to ground level
• Use aiming stakes to help a soldier fire his
  rifle on dangerous approaches at night

13
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Use sector stakes, right and left, to define the
  sector of fire. They prevent accidental shooting
  into adjacent positions. A soldier should not
  let takes spoil his positions concealment.

14
(No Transcript)
15
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Shape the floor of the hole so that it slopes
  toward the grenade sumps. Water will run into the
  sumps, and grenades will tend to roll into them.
• Dig two trench-shaped hand-grenade sumps at each
  end of the position. The trenches should be dug
  as wide as the blade of an intrenching tool, at
  least as deep as the intrenching tool, and as
  long as the position is wide. The slope of the
  floor should channel grenades thrown into the
  position into one of the sumps.

16
(No Transcript)
17
PREPARING FIGHTING POSITIONS

• Building overhead cover
• protect from airbursts shell fragments
• use logs, 4 to 6 inches on top of each other
  along the entire length of the frontal and rear
  cover
• high enough so that men can shoot beneath when
  complete
• room for night vision and other devices

18
Base is made of logs, 4 to 6 inches placed side
by side across supports
19
Water repellent layer, such as packing material
from dragon rounds is then laid over the logs.


About 6 to 8 inches of dirt is added
and molded to blend with the slope of the
terrain. And finally, the overhead cover is
camouflage. When it is complete, the man in the
position will have protection from shell
fragments and still be able to shoot.
20
When overhead cover would make a position easy to
see, it can be built off to both flanks. When
flank overhead cover is used, only one grenade
sump is dug in the center of the floor against
the back wall.
21

• After removing sod and 25 to 35 centimeters (10
  to 14 inches) of dirt, 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to
  6 inches) of supporting logs or planks are laid
  across that place to support the rest of the over
  head cover material

22

• The logs are covered by piling on them 15 to 20
  centimeters (6 to 8 inches) of dirt. Sod is used
  to camouflage the dirt. It all must look natural.
  

23
Revetments

• Revetments are supports put against the sides of
  a fighting position to keep them from collapsing.
  Revetting is necessary when positions are dug in
  loose or wet soil. Anything that will hold in the
  walls (wire, boards, logs, etc.) can be used to
  revet as long as it is staked and anchored. After
  anchor lines are attached, stakes are driven all
  the way into the ground. That hides them so they
  will not be mistaken for aiming or sector stakes.
  

24
FIGHTING POSITIONS REF FM 7-7 ANY QUESTIONS????