Infantry Squad Visual Signals, Formations, and Movement Techniques

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Infantry Squad Visual Signals, Formations, and
Movement Techniques
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• Visual Signals

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Halt or Stop

• Raise right arm up to your side
• Place palm to the front
• Hold position until everyone understands
• At night wave flashlight back and forth across
  chest

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Freeze

• Used to abruptly stop in danger areas
• Signals squad to be silent and not move
• Raise right fist to over shoulder at head level

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Danger Area

• Draw right hand, palm down across neck
• Move hand left to right
• Throat cutting motion
• Used if there is intelligence of or a hunch of
  enemy contact.

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Increase Speed

• Used to increase speed, double time, rush
• Raise fist to shoulder level
• Thrust fist upward to full extent of arm
• Perform rapidly several times

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Disperse

• Used to position squad members in various areas
• Point to squad or individuals separately
• Disperse to separate sides of road, or area

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Take Cover

• Extend arm 45 degrees from your side
• Place palm downward
• Lower arm to your side
• Repeat once to take a knee
• Twice to get in prone position

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Head Count

• Tap back of helmet with open hand repeatedly
• Used for accountability

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Pace Count

• Repeatedly tap heal of boot with open hand
• Used to appoint one or more soldiers to measure
  distance traveled

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Out of Action

• Out of ammo
• Used to let squad members know to disperse ammo

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NBC Attack

• Extend arms and fists
• Bend arms to shoulders
• Repeat
• Only signal used to come to a direct halt

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Assemble or Rally

• Used to assemble soldiers in one area
• While marching rally points are established in
  covered areas
• If separated while under fire meet at closest
  point.

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Wedge Formation

• Extend arms downward at 45 degree angle
• Palms out

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Traveling

• Extend arm overhead swinging in a circle
• Fast moving technique
• Used when enemy contact is not likely

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Traveling Overwatch

• Slow movement when contact is possible
• Extend arms straight out to sides 90 degrees
• Raise arms up and down repeatedly

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Bounding Overwatch

• Slowest movement technique
• Used when contact is expected
• Extend one arm 45 degrees
• Bend arm and tap helmet repeatedly

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Squad Formations
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Fire Team Wedge

• Basic fire team formation
• Allows immediate fire in all directions
• Interval between each person is 10 meters
• Wedge expands and contracts to terrain

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File

• Used while traveling through poor conditions
• -terrain
• -weather
• -poor visibility

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Squad Column

• Primary squad formation
• Allows large volume of fire for flanking
• Limited volume of fire to the front

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Squad Line

• Maximum fire power to the front
• Not used for flanking or rear security

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Squad File

• When not traveling in column or line
• Herring bone can be executed here
• Used for easy accountability

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Traveling

• When contact with enemy is not likely
• Provides least security
• Fastest movement

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Traveling Overwatch

• When contact is possible
• Attached weapons move near squad leader
• Allows squad leader to easily employ weaponry

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Squad Movement Techniques
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Bounding Overwatch

• Used when contact is expected
• Carried out when squad leader feels enemy is near

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Successive/Alternating Bounds

• Successive Bounds split both squads up
• Squads move towards same location
• One squad moves while the other overwatches
• Alternating bounds, squads move to every other
  point