FM 57-35 Airmobile Operations - Survival Books

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COMbe employed to reinforce installations and columns underattack. Guerrilla tactics of blocking routes or reinforcement when attacking installations or ambushing columnsare readily combated by airmobile forces.(2) Airmobile forces exploit their mobility by attacking guerrilla bases of operations which usually are located inmountains, jungles, swamps, or other difficult terrain.During encircling operations against guerrilla forces, airmobile forces may be employed to simultaneously blockall avenues of escape. The considerations for using airmobile forces against enemy infiltration and small guerrilla bands are generally the same as for their employment with security forces.c. Night Operations.(1) Airmobile forces may be employed effectively at night inany of the types of operations described in this chapter.They are less vulnerable to enemy ground and air firesand the enemy has greater difficulty in determining thelocation of the main landing than in daylight operations.Small airmobile units landing simultaneously at widelyseparated points may block movement, disrupt communications, and create general confusion while other groundor airmobile operations are conducted.(2) Night operations present certain disadvantages and special problems in comparison to daylight operations. Airmobile forces require a higher state of training than fordaylight operations. In selecting landing zones, greaterstress is given to characteristics that assist landing thanto placing units on or adjacent to objectives. Groundunits normally assemble after landing before proceedingon their missions, so assembly aids may be necessary.Pathfinders at landing zones and sites and special aidsto navigation are more necessary for movement and landing than in daytime. Time and distance are increasedbetween flight serials that use the same landing zones.The distance between aircraft in a formation is increasedfor flight safety. Landing sites need to be larger orflight units smaller than those used in daylight operations.Routes are more direct to facilitate navigation. Thepossibility of friendly and enemy use of artificial illumination, including infrared devices, is considered when planning for night operations.d. Operations Under Conditions of Nuclear Warfare (fig. 16).(1) General. Airmobile forces can rapidly concentrate after62 AGO 2294B