1963 US Army Vietnam War Armor Operations ... - Survival Books

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMsidered in establishing the tactical proceduresseized. Once the isolation of the cityand techniques for this type of operation.has been completed, the attacker isa. Characteristics of City Fighting Favor- in a position either to press the attackable to the Defender.on the city or to contain it and forcethe defender eventually to capitulate.(1) A well-organized (1) A well-organizedand determined (2) Once the city has been isolated, theforce located in the confines of a built-attacker may select his point of entryup area can hold off a superior attackinglong force periods for of time.into the city. The attack may be coningforce forStrongly constructed cities give thedefender a decided advantage over the (3) The attacker may be able to bypassattacker in that each building orgroup of buildings is a potentialstrongly defended buildings in the cityby going under them, using cellars,strongpoint. By additional construc- sewers, subways, or other undertion,use of barricades, boobytrappingground passages. Other strongly heldof areas in the buildings, and otherdefensive positions may be bypassedmeans available to the defender, theby attacking over the roofs of thebuildings selected for defense becomebuildings.veritable fortresses.c. Building Arrangement in Built-up Areas.(2) The defender can select positions thatmaintain observation and fires on theThe construction patterns or building arrange-ments of a typical city are classified usuallyapproaches into the city.into three different categories:(3) The defender has a choice of buildings (1) On the outskirts or suburbs are foundto defend. These buildings also pro-normally isolated houses or smallvide cover and concealment. The at-groups of houses surrounded by smalltacker must determine which build-plots of land, gardens, farms, fields,ings are being defended and whichor vacant lots. When this part of theare not. Adequate underground covercity is attacked, the houses should beis usually available to the defendertreated as inferior pillboxes or indiandgives him some protection againstvidual emplacements, and the plan ofair and artillery bombardment.attack may be no different from that(4) Streets and alleys allow movement used in an attack over normal terrainand constitute ready-made fire laneswhere an occasional fortification isand killing zones. Streets and alleysencountered.can be blocked easily by mines, booby- (2) The second type of building arrangetraps,barricades, and other obstacles.ment found usually is in the residen.The attacking troops, by the nature of tial district, an intermediate area,the area through which the attackwhere there are more closely spaced,must be conducted, will find their detached, or semidetached houses,movement restricted and canalized.flanked by streets on one side and by(5) The attacker will be limited in the em- gardens on grassy plots on the other.ployment of indirect-fire weapons be-The general layout may or may notcause of restricted observation in thefollow some geometrical pattern. Thearea, and the nearness of his owntype of attack to be used in this areatroops to enemy targets. Employmentmay vary and will depend upon theof direct-fire weapons is subjected todensity of the buildings. A modifiedlimited fields of fire.form of street fighting will probablyb. Characteristics of City Fighting Favor- be used, but basic techniques will reableto the Attacker.main the same.(1) The attacker has the advantage of ma- (3) The center of the built-up area is usuneuverin isolating the city to beally the business section and will al-180 AGO 913gA