WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMOPERATIONSFigure 7-3. Offensive Operation, Step 37-10
WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COM<strong>FM</strong> <strong>100</strong>-5such an unintended collision. Successful attack maygive way directly to pursuit, bypassing exploitationaltogether. Such a pattern was typical of engagementsin Vietnam, where enemy forces attacked by US forcessimply sought sanctuary in Laos or Cambodia. Pursuitoccurs infrequently and exploitation usually endsshort of annihilation, curtailed either by insufficientsustaining capability or by deliberate strategic restriction.Whenever possible, however, commanders usepursuit to overwhelm and shatter the enemy, makingfurther resistance impossible.Commanders rarely use all four forms of the offense;they select a combination and order that providethe greatest advantage. Thus, the objective soughtfrom the different attack forms does not always leadto exploitation. Spoiling attacks and feints rarely developinto full exploitation, although unusual circumstancesmay convert either into a full-scale attack.Demonstrations, which seek no real contact, serve todeceive the enemy into expecting an attack.Commanders recognize that the many types of operationsthey employ within the offensive and defensiveforms may run into one another with no abruptand discernible break. They employ spoiling attackswhile defending to slow the tempo until they are readyto conduct a sustained offensive. As they prepare totransition from one offensive operation to another orfrom offense to defense, they can conduct a feint inone area to divert the enemy as the condition for conductingoperations elsewhere.FORMS OF MANEUVERThe forms of maneuver are envelopment, turningmovement, infiltration, penetration, and frontal attack.Commanders use these forms of maneuver to orienton the enemy, not terrain. They determine what formof maneuver to use by their analysis of the factors ofMETT-T. However, this is art, not science, and morethan one form of maneuver may apply. The forms ofmaneuver and the forms of tactical offensive operationscomplement one another (see Figures 7-2 and7-3) and may apply to either linear or nonlinear battlefields.Further, a commander’s statement of intent orconcept of operations should articulate how fires willbe used to support whatever form of maneuver he decidesto use.Reconnaissance is a precursor to maneuver andfire. Reconnaissance elements maintain contact withthe enemy, develop the situation, and forewarn maneuverunits prior to initial engagements. Orientingtheir movement on the movement of the enemy, reconnaissanceelements avoid decisive engage-ments.Tactical reconnaissance includes cavalry regiments andsquadrons, army aviation, drones, SOF, scouts, engineers,and maneuver units.ENVELOPMENTEnvelopment uses maneuver and fires to putgreater relative combat power against the defender andstrip him of his advantages. To use this form of maneuver,commanders must find or create an assailableflank, pitting their strength against the enemy’s weakness.Sometimes the enemy exposes his flank by hisown forward movement, unaware of his opponent’slocation. In a fluid battle involving noncontiguousforces, the combination of air and indirect fires mayisolate the enemy on unfavorable terrain and establishthe conditions for maneuver against an assailable flank.The attacker may develop the assailable flank byarriving from an unexpected direction. He may alsofix the defender’s attention forward through a combinationof fires and supporting or diversionary attackswhile he maneuvers his main effort to strike at theenemy’s weak flanks and rear. The attacker needs tobe agile enough to concentrate his forces and mass hiscombat power effects before the enemy can reorienthis defense.An encirclement is an extension of either a pursuitor an envelopment. A direct-pressure force maintainscontact with the enemy, preventing his disengagementand reconstitution. It attempts to inflict maximumcasualties. Meanwhile, an encircling force maneuversto envelop the enemy, cutting his escape routes.If necessary, the encircling force organizes a hasty defensebehind the enemy, blocking his retreat, whilesynchronizing the fires of the joint or combined teamto complete the destruction of the encircled force.Forces must also be positioned to block or interdictthe enemy’s attempt to break through to the rear orbreak out of other points. All available means shouldbe used to contain the enemy, including obstacles.Then, all available fires are brought to bear to weakenor collapse the enemy.TURNING MOVEMENTThe turning movement, like the envelopment, usesfreedom of maneuver to create a decisive point wherethe enemy is unprepared. The attacker secures key7-11