Lesson-7-scouting-and-patrolling

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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