Lesson-7-scouting-and-patrolling

tactics
PRO TIPS:
The Infantry
Lesson 7: Scouting and Patrolling 1
References: FM 21-75; Study assignment: Read FM 21-75, Chapters 1, 2, and 7; FM 21-5,
para. 21; FM 21-25, Chapters 7-9; lesson text.
The missions of scouting and patrolling are fundamental to infantry combat, and such missions
are typically the smallest independent tactical operations. An infantry patrol may, for example,
be a reconnaissance probe formed from one squad or even less; a combat patrol such as a
raid or an ambush might require a platoon or larger. All infantry soldiers were and are trained in
scouting and patrolling, and all officers and NCOs at company level and below should be prepared
when ordered to plan, brief, and lead a patrol.
As with most Army skills, the usual
reenactor’s concept of how a patrol or
scouting mission is undertaken is limited
to television or film representations; these
A reenactor who has not studied FM 21-75 has
not learned how to be a trained soldier.
interpretations fall far short of the complexity of small-unit missions as well as the diligence required
to make them happen. Most of the emphasis in the Army Ranger School is on small-unit
missions of this type; by the time I put on the suit, Ranger training had a nine-week duration,
principally patrol (recon, raid, ambush) techniques, and was conducted in woods, mountains, and
swamps under conditions of fatigue, hunger, and stress that partly replicated the environment of
combat.
There is no need for reenactors to experience that kind of challenge, much less actual combat.
But these are basic soldier skills (advanced skills for officers and NCOs who will lead), and
require first a basic knowledge of infantry tactics and weapons. For our purposes, doing patrols
is basically as fun as it is challenging, and—here is the secret of advanced reenacting as well as
the reason for having ReenactorPro in the first place—it is even more challenging and satisfying
(and fun) when it is done right.
No, you can’t lead a patrol based on an online lesson. But this lesson will give you a baseline
understanding of the language, techniques, and problems of small-unit combat. Without that
foundation, any “patrols” you might attempt will be silly reenactor games.
Scouting and patrolling?
Oddly, FM 21-75 doesn’t distinguish clearly between the two activities. They both involve
gathering information about the enemy, usually to the front of friendly positions, but there is a
difference.
1 Your principal reference should be FM 21-75, Scouting Patrolling and Sniping. This lesson addresses how these
skills can be taught and how they can be integrated into hobby activities.
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Scouting is done by small numbers of troops (typically two members of a rifle squad) and is
generally limited to the immediate front of the sending unit. Scouts may move down a road to
look for enemy activity, or move to a higher observation point to observe. Sometimes they simply
form a point element ahead of the lead unit in a column. But they are there to discover and report
on the enemy within a limited area; if they get into a fight their mission is compromised.
Patrols are detachments from a unit, task organized for a longer mission (longer duration and
probably a longer distance from the home unit). They may be reconnaissance patrols, which are
like scouts but usually larger in number, or they might be combat patrols, organized and directed
to achieve a specific outcome: a raid on an enemy position that requires stealth and a high degree
of coordination with the application of limited force; an ambush to disrupt enemy movements.
Scouting is generally done by application of standing unit SOPs and skills mastered in training
and combat. Patrols are often intricately planned and unique to a specific task.
We will examine scouting first.
Scouting
Going into WWII, the US Army’s rifle squad had two designated scouts. These were to be
riflemen expressly trained in “sneak and peek” reconnoitering techniques. This soon changed.
The first problem was that the designated scouts were as a
practical matter more likely to be exposed to enemy detection
and fire; they moved frequently, operated to the front, and were
obliged to expose themselves more often than the other squad
members. I suspect designated scouts soon resented this unequal
exposure to danger; but resent it or not, scouts will on the
average be more exposed to danger than the other squad mates,
and would take casualties. Soon enough, the designated scouts
were gone, and had to be replaced with other riflemen or new
replacements. (It is a sad fact, to which the writer can attest
from bitter experience, that a common practice in poorly-led units involves using “fresh meat”—
new replacements—as sniper bait. This is extremely bad practice.)
In any case, the prewar system was soon abandoned and all the squad’s riflemen (not the
BAR team) were expected to function as scouts, and trained to do so.
A catch: as the Manual sagely informs us:
Although all soldiers should be able to act as scouts, some are better suited than others for this
work. Men selected to be scouts should be reliable, persevering, intelligent, patient, and should be
able to read and write clearly. They should be physically and mentally hard, have unimpaired vision
and hearing, and be able to swim. Scouts must be resourceful and possess courage and initiative.
They must be good shots and good close-in fighters. Men with hay fever, night blindness and impaired
sense of smell should not be given duty as scouts, for they will betray their own and others'
presence. [FM 21-75, 1944: para 3]
Translation: “any soldier can function as a scout, but some live longer doing it than others.”
Folklore suggests that Americans are bred to be eagle-eyed, skilled trackers and scouts. In practice,
they are as good as they can be trained to be, subject to personal potential. It’s a good idea
to have every rifleman trained as a scout, but if one or two are klutzes in the field they should not
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be considered expendable (exceptions involve such complications as gambling debts). Use what
you have.
Training scouts. A scout must master several skills, including:
Map reading and use of the compass for land navigation. This is a basic soldier skill, but
a scout has to be very proficient, with a “feel” for ground and high accuracy in finding locations
and specifying them as map coordinates.
Tactical movement—how to move by day and night, using cover and concealment, creeping
and crawling— is essential.
Camouflage methods are an essential skill: if the enemy can see you, your scouting career
will be short.
A scout must learn arm and hand signals. Shouting back over his shoulder to the guys to
report enemy activity can result in a report like “Hey! There’s krauts moving up the—” (Note
that all infantrymen should learn those same hand signals so they can understand what the scout
was trying to say; and last, somebody has to have his eyes on the scouts at all times. They can
only whistle so many times.)
Range estimation: Locating enemy activity or other points of interest requires a scout to
be able to estimate the distance from his position to the target (as well as the compass azimuth.
Training methods and goals. Here are the suggested ways of training reenactors as scouts.
(Practical details of military training methods can be found in TM 21-250.)
Map reading. Learning to read a map—recognize
symbols, estimate distance, specify map coordinates and
azimuths (compass directions) and similar skills to a
level suitable for a “simulated” soldier requires about
three hours in the classroom, with table space, sample
topographic maps, map protractors, and other gear.
Time can be shortened by taking the map reading online
course at ReenactorPro, but classroom time and coaching
are still required.
Land navigation—moving by map and compass
across unfamiliar ground—can begin in the classroom,
but will require practical exercises in the field using a
surveyed compass course. Since methods are different
for day and night navigation, set aside a full day.
The first requirement is to prepare a training area. While map reading can be taught in a developed
area, application is difficult unless the soldiers can walk through buildings. Basic map
and compass skills are best taught in open areas where trainees can simply shoot an azimuth and
move until they find the marker corresponding to their destination.
Survey of the training course requires precision. Since this is fairly complicated, a permissible
crib is use of a simple inexpensive laser range finder to judge distances. The course should
use at least two “legs”, movements along a prescribed compass azimuth
Skills required include use of map, compass familiarization (including LARS rule), and practice
establishing a pace count (e,g., how many walking paces an individual counts moving over a
fixed distance (usually 100 meters)). The actual exercise should use two-man teams, rotating
from point to point.
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Tactical movement includes methods of using cover
and concealment, combat formations, creeping and
crawling, and other techniques by day and by night.
Demonstration is quick and easy, but supervised application
is necessary. Once learned, these techniques should be
enforced in the field or they will be forgotten. (Exception:
make one round out of 300 live and even reenactors will
use these techniques. Note: this is a joke. Do not try this in
the field or at home.)
Camouflage. FM 21-75 includes basic tips on
camouflage. For those who want to know more about principles and methods, the Engineer Field
Manual on Camouflage (FM 5-20) is of some interest (though
it concentrates on camouflaging larger places and structures),
and TM 5-267 of June 1943 has excellent illustrations and
practical explanation. Four reenactor purposes, FM 21-75 will
generally suffice. Some guidance in the manual is not entirely
practical—making green face stain by crushing grass is not
worth the effort. Note also that natural garnish for the helmet
and pack looks good at first, but needs to be changed regularly,
as a smart enemy will start shooting at small patches of
dead vegetation. Soot from the field kitchen is a good darkening
agent. Don’t use soil—you don’t know what’s in it, and it
may cause skin problems. At night, shoe polish is excellent;
however, it’s a handy cheat to put skin cream or cold cream
on the skin first if you don’t want to take the polish off with
steel wool.
Don’t forget to darken the hands and neck; never forget
to button the collar of your jacket if you are wearing a white tee.
Fitness. This often a sensitive topic for reenactors, but it needs to be considered. There are
three compelling reasons:
1. Health and safety. Even simulated tactical operations are
physically challenging, and scouting and patrolling especially so.
If your unit is a “hang around” group that does low-impact public
interpretations, risk and challenges are low. If your unit wants
to go to the field and try strenuous activities, a minimum level of
aerobic fitness is essential if you are going to be able to perform
your duties safely.
2. Performance. If you are tired and lacking stamina (“making
three tracks”, as we used to put it)a leader will be compromised;
if you’re a private in the rear rank, you will hold the others in your team back.
3. Impression. Soldiers in WWII were on average much younger than typical reenactors. If
some in the unit are fit enough to go on a night patrol and others are not, your unit will be split.
This causes team-building problems.
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Patrolling.
A patrol begins with a requirement from above. It may well come from the battalion S-2 because
he needs specific information about enemy activities that can best be gathered by a small
reconnaissance patrol. It may come from the commander and the S-3 as a mission to sting the
enemy with a combat strike of limited scope (raid or ambush). Soldiers don’t usually just sit
around eating K rats and suddenly decide to go on a patrol because nothing else is going on. A
patrol has a specific purpose, and that is usually determined by battalion or higher.
Let’s see what happens (by the book) when a patrol requirement comes down.
The situation: Friendly forces: 1/175 Infantry occupies a defensive position on the west
side of UPATOI CREEK. 2 The 1st and 3rd platoons of E Company are deployed on the MLR,
west of the Upatoi on a low ridge that commands the marshy land to the front; 2nd platoon is in
reserve. (See map.)
Figure 1: Area of operations, E/175th. This overlay shows only details for E Company; to the right (south)
of the E Company sector is F Company/175; to the north (not shown) is B Company/1/175. The placement
of Easy’s heavy weapons (mortars placed in battery, LMG’s on the flanks) is shown, as well as the
locations of two OP’s, one from each platoon forward, covering the Upatoi line. [NOTE: If you have no
2 For those not familiar with this name of great consequence: Upatoi Creek is a tributary of the Chattahoochee River
in western Georgia near the Alabama border. Fort Benning lies near the confluence of these great waterways, which
bear Cherokee names. Anyone who has had the fortune of training at Benning knows the Upatoi only too well, a
stream celebrated in song: Far across the Chattahoochee/To the Upatoi/Stands our loyal alma mater/ Benning’s
School for Boys. Get used to it; many of our maps in this course and others are of Fort Benning.
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idea what these overlay symbols mean, PLEASE go back to Lesson 2 of the map reading course, and
review the course on Operations.]
Important note: Almost no topographic map in war time will be up to date, particularly as to details of trails
and vegetation. You will generally have to do a ground reconnaissance before taking a patrol past the
OPL. We will revisit this point shortly.
Enemy forces: Elements of the 426 Volksgrenadier Regiment have recently moved to the
front of the 175th, east of the UPATOI line. Precise locations and dispositions are unknown.
Tasking: 2nd Battalion S-2 has directed Easy Company
to send a reconnaissance patrol across the UPATOI line at
1500 tomorrow to observe and report on enemy activity and
placements vicinity GRID 118922. Oral report from local civilian
indicates that the 426 has been reinforced by two SP AT 3
guns of the Hetzer type covering the east-west road.
The CO of Easy decides to give this job to 2nd Platoon,
currently in reserve. This is a common practice, since it does
not take soldiers off the line and allows the patrol leader to
prepare the patrol in relative peace and quiet. This is a price we
pay for being in reserve.
The platoon leader selects 3rd squad for this mission because
the squad leader, Sergeant Pebble, has served in his positions
for over six months, a local record; and because he is
known as a steady patrol leader. There may be a lesson here.
Sergeant Pebble protests that his squad drew the last three
patrols, and he’ll be damned before he lets his guys get
screwed again. The platoon leader is patient and understanding,
and offers to take the patrol out himself. Sergeant Pebble, horrified at the prospect of sacrificing
his men for nothing, departs to prepare his squad, cursing under his breath. The lieutenant is
learning fast.
So let’s follow Sergeant Pebble as he does his duty.
The Hetzer is a massproduced
armored selfpropelled
antitank weapon
based on the Skoda Pz38(t)
(t for “Tschechoslowakei”).
As tank losses in Russia
mounted, the Germans mastered
the ability of massproducing
AT weapons from
cereal boxes and rubber
bands; the Hetzer is a sturdy
and reliable product of Germany’s
industrial flexibility.
The warning order. Sergeant Pebble gathers his squad and lets them know what they will be
doing, and to prepare while he does a visual reconnaissance and starts coordinating with the forward
platoons. They’ve done it before, so the briefing is probably brief and light on details they
already know. And probably laced with profanities. The squad sings a stanza of “How f----d are
we now?” and the patrol leader snares a map at company HQ (see map) and visits the 3rd platoon
leader (see map) to coordinate. Then he finds a covered and concealed route to visit the two OPs
on the OPL to take a peek at the area beyond.
Q: Why does the patrol leader visit the line platoon leader(s)? A: Because he is taking a
recon patrol beyond the outpost line, moving out of the security zone. The line platoons
and the OP’s have to be in on the joke, or the patrol might be brought under fire by
jumpy soldiers. This counts as an essential coordination step. Don’t forget it or blow it
off.
3 Self propelled antitank.
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The ground recon. Whenever possible, do a “sneak and peak.” The map might be out of
date, or there may be some detail nor captured on the map.
Sergeant Pebble very carefully makes his way to the northern OP (triangle at 110925, 1 on
the aerial). He makes sure the platoon CP arranges to have the OP alerted that an NCO will be
arriving, and please not to shoot him (OPs in a case like this usually have wire communications
to the company CP). He pauses to let the OP know the timing, as he plans to cross the patrol’s
line of departure (LD) at that point. Since the OP will probably be relieved before the patrol SP
time, he exacts a solemn promise that the relieving OP be briefed to expect the patrol.
Sergeant Pebble now proceeds to scan the ground beforehand with the trusty M3 binoculars
his platoon leader has loaned him.
NOTE: The enemy is probably watching everything from their OP’s. An officer or NCO
spotted scanning with binoculars is a sure sign that there is some mischief afoot, and an
alert lookout will report the event to his Zugführer unless he is a complete idiot. Never
assume the enemy is stupid. Use careful concealment.
Okay, I have not the energy or time to drive two hours to Benning, talk my way into the
training area, and take pictures of the ground Sergeant Pebble is reconnoitering. Next best thing,
though not an option open to Pebble, is a current Google image of the area shown in the map at
Figure 1.
1
2
<—
Figure 2: Sergeant Pebble’s observation point is at the northern OP, manned by 1st Platoon
(1 marks the spot). The mission is to look for the suspected Jagdpanzers (red
arrow at GRID 118922. He notes that there are fairly thick woods of scrub pine
(something not made clear on the map) for about 500 meters on a direct line between
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the OP and the objective. Surrounding the objective is an area of thin woods with limited
concealment (brownish in the photo).
Pebble has some crucial decisions to make. He moves south using cover and concealment
and visits the other OP (2), which is from 3rd platoon. The view is not so hot from this point—
a check of the topo map shows that there is a fairly steep wooded slope to the south and east. He
decides to pass the friendly OPL at the northern OP (1). Since it will be daylight, he will move
through the woods directly towards the objective, moving quickly enough to arrive before it is
too dark to see, but carefully enough to avoid detection.
Having determined whether there are Hetzers lurking near the road, the patrol will return on a
route parallel to the light duty road that runs east parallel to the main (red) road. This road is
barely visible on the photo, but clearly marked on the topo map. The patrol will pass friendly
lines at the southern OP (2). As we will see, it’s more complicated than that, but this is the
general plan.
The patrol order. On return, Sergeant Pebble stops by the company CP and briefs the CO on
the general plan, making sure all elements on the MLR (main line of resistance—the front line)
and the OPL know what’s happening. Nothing spoils a successful patrol faster than being lit up
by a friendly MG that didn’t know they were coming.
He then reports to his PL and explains the plan. Pebble is
an old hand; the PL approves the plan.
Pebble than goes off by himself and scratches out the
plan he will brief to the patrol. The patrol order uses the
same general format as any other field order—the five paragraph
FO. Why? Aren’t you making it complicated? You do
it because it assures you “won’t forgit nothin’” as the veteran
Rogers’ Rangers solder played by Walter Brennan put it in
“Northwest Passage.” It makes the patrol leader consider
every aspect of the plan. Don’t get sloppy. The enemy shoots back.
Tips and techniques.
Plan and brief carefully. Losses are common on patrols, and the patrol leader may be terminated,
as we say, with extreme prejudice. Every member of the patrol should be able to take
over if the next guy up in the chain is lost. Don’t just brief your patrol and trust in God—get a
read-back to make sure everybody is clued in.
Inspect the patrol. Make sure they have all the gear they need and that it is rigged properly.
Have each man jump up and down to discover any rattles that can be heard by the enemy. Make
sure camouflage is properly applied.
Maintain head count. People can get lost, particularly at night. At night, the best formation
is a file, Indian-style. Have patrol members pass the count, front to back and back to front. If you
come up a man short, halt and quickly verify a missing man; if somebody is lost, find him. If
somebody messed up the count, caution him or beat the crap out of him for wasting everybody’s
time.
Use rally points. It’s easy for a patrol to get disorganized or scattered, particularly (but not
only) at night. Always designate a marching rally point (if w come under mortar fire or have to
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disperse, we’ll rally 100 yards to the left. For a raid or an ambush patrol, it’s usually important to
have an objective rally point, a designated place with cover and concealment but defensible,
where the patrol can take a break, check gear, etc., and the patrol leader and a couple of soldiers
can scout the objective. After the action is completed, the patrol regroups at the ORP. This is important
because even a small patrol may have to separate into teams—security, assault, fire support—and
regroup quickly after the enemy is awake and looking for revenge.
Be flexible. The patrol order is the best you can do before the fact, but the enemy gets a vote.
You may have to change on the fly. This usually happens on a raid or ambush patrol when the
PL scouts from the ORP and finds that the map really doesn’t match the actual ground. But if
you do change, make sure everybody from the assistant patrol leader to Private Snuffy in the rear
rank knows about it.
Don’t get overloaded. If you’re patrol leader, designate somebody else (somebody reliable!)
to be compass man. The compass man has to be counting his paces, always at night, to judge distance,
and it’s easy to screw that up if you have to perform other tasks.
Choose your patrol route with care. I’m a strong advocate of a ground recon, not just a
map recon (bitter experience). During daylight, use an open formation (see FM 21-75) and move
through areas with good cover and concealment. At night, use a closed formation and move
through open areas (the risk of being spotted in the dark is a lot less than the trials of trying to
move through dense woods when you can’t see more than a few yards ahead).
Rehearse. If you have time (and you always have time at a reenactment), and the patrol has
to pull off something requiring coordinated effort, have a rehearsal on safe ground.. The more
demanding the actions on the objective, the more important it is to do a run-through until everybody
is clued in and confident.
Figure 3: Patrol route and control measures: The patrol departs, leaving the MLR by OP 1 and moving
approximately 500 m on the azimuth shown; when the compass/pace man reports the first waypoint has
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been reached, the azimuth is adjusted (about GRID 112125) and the patrol moves to the objective rally
point at the head of the stream draw (ORP). The scout element (probably the patrol leader and compass
man) move by the most concealed rout to establish an observation point (OP) where the road can be observed,
while the balance of the patrol secures the ORP. Further movements are at the discretion of the
patrol leader. After the presence of the Hetzer has been determined, the scout team returns by the most
secure route to the patrol base and the patrol leader briefs the entire patrol on the results. (If only one
man makes it back, at least he will have the EEI to report!). The patrol then returns by the most secure
route to the specified point for passage of lines (OP 2). Once across, the patrol leader or whoever the
senior survivor of the patrol might be, moves as quickly as possible to the CP to be debriefed by the S-2.
Patrol safety guidelines for reenactors:
1. Never move on night patrol with a round chambered.
2. Day or night, but especially at night, walk the patrol route beforehand. There are placed in our
maneuver areas that are hazardous—deadfall, old barbed wire, holes, fences. Know about them
ahead of time.
3. Before moving into dark areas from lighted areas, allow 15-20 minutes for the eyes to regain
night vision.
4. Have an SOP for emergencies or for any situation that requires instant action. This signal informs
the patrol that they are not on patrol, but on an administrative stand down. This might involve
an injury, a lost patrol member, or some other task that interrupts the patrol. (No, real soldiers
don’t have this option, but real soldiers get pay, allowances, and free health care.)
5. Always have contact with your main unit (usually by FRS or GMRS radio). If somebody is injured,
requiring evacuation, and everybody is running around the woods screaming for help, it’s
because you didn’t plan.
6. Planners: make sure you have predesignated evacuation or pickup points in case of medical
emergency; local EMS has to be able to find an evacuation point easily and without delay. Think
ahead.
7. Know the condition of your patrol members. You need to be aware if Private Schmuckatello
has a heart condition or Corporal Slipschitz has asthma and has an empty nebulizer or T5 Wank has
a deadly allergy to mosquito bites. Think ahead.
8. Make sure somebody is along who has experience. If somebody is going to be lost, scared,
injured, or eaten by a bear, it will be on a patrol. The patrol leader has to be informed, confident,
and must not lose his head in an emergency.
9. Be responsible. If you’re the patrol leader, remember that you’re a leader. Being a leader
means taking responsibility: planning, preparing, and checking—always checking.
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LESSON SUMMARY
1. The tasks of scouting and patrolling are basic infantry skills; every soldier should be
able to perform these tasks without additional training.
2. Scouts are usually designated for a given period in the squad, and move ahead or to
the flanks to observe and report.
3. Patrols are larger, and are detached from a unit to perform a specified mission. A patrol
may be formed for reconnaissance or for combat (for example, a raid, prisoner snatch,
or ambush).
4. Like all trained infantrymen, scouts require extensive training and practice. Skills include,
but are not limited to: map reading and land navigation, tactical movement, use of
camouflage and concealment, communications, range estimation, and sketching.
5. Patrols require a patrol order, a version of the standard five paragraph field order.
6. When given a patrol mission, the patrol leader issues a warning order to the patrol
members so they can prepare while he performs a recon (map or ground, as time and circumstances
permit). The patrol leader must also coordinate with key units to permit safe
and secure passage of lines, establish communications procedures, and other coordination
functions.
7. After preparation, the patrol leader briefs the patrol, performs an inspection, and
forms the patrol at an initial position before departure.
8. Patrols require control measures, including azimuths and distances to be traveled,
traveling and objective rally points, immediate response plan (in case of flares, enemy contact,
mortar or artillery fire, and other unexpected events).
9. SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT IN REENACTOR PATROLS. Familiarize yourself with the safety
rules in this lesson.
Now take the lesson quiz.
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