Tactical and Safety Field Guide

General (Individual, Buddy, Team)

Originally posted by Savage Haggis on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 / 00:18. This post is based on an entertaining and detailed version available at http://300club.net/filepile/How%20to%20Not%20be%20Useless%20when%20Playing%20Soldier.pdf (includes pictures)

Fundamentals

Automatically and always (details follow):

• cross behind other players
• look for and call out enemies (contact reports)
• move so you won't be seen ("I'm up. He sees me. I'm down.")
• shoot so you won't be seen
• follow your leader
• coordinate with and trust your squadmates to cover slices of the 360 degrees around your team
• know your squad's task within the mission
• be aware of team-related responsibilities (see below)

Basics

Minimum knowledge:

• know the rough geography of your area (landmarks, directions, and so on)
• understand clock directions and at least that the 12 o'clock is the way to your objective
• you must flank an enemy to destroy them (send a second group to attack their side or rear)
• keep the enemy busy until the flanking group has destroyed them

Contact Reporting

After you see an enemy, tell your squad:[list]* most important thing to do

• Format: "Contact", direction, identity, distance or landmark
• Example: "Contact northwest. Sniper top of tower."
• remember that some contacts can be left alone and monitored[/list]

Moving to Survive

Especially important:

• Surviving with your team to win your objective is better than killing some random guy through a bunkered-down shootout
• plan ahead your next stop
• move from cover to cover or concealment to concealment
• move in a series of small rushes if you are under fire
• notice all the cover available around you
• concealment includes shadows, brush, objects, depressions, crawling, lying prone
• kneel onto one knee whenever you stop for more than 2 seconds
• lay down or hide whenever you stop for more than 2 minutes
• avoid silhouetting yourself against sky or a contrasting background
• move along ridges 1/3 of the way down the bank
• spread out a little (make it harder for someone to shoot you all at once)

Buddy Teams Improve Your Effectiveness

• smallest combat unit (two players)
• buddies watch out for each other
• stay together (but spread out a little if possible)

Fire Teams Generate Success

• two or three buddy teams together
• fundamental combat unit (usually referred to as a squad in games)
• leader and special roles must be in separate buddy teams
• fire-team leader stays in touch with overall team leader (additional radio or periodic check-ins on overall team radio channel
• smallest unit with separate radio channel is a fire team

Working as Buddies

Automatically and constantly:

• Stick with your buddy: you are more effective together, so you should stay close to them when they move
• Communicate with your buddy: if you plan to move, if you see something, if you need to reload. You should both know the same stuff
• Cover your buddy: if they watch one way, watch the other way; if they cross a danger area, watch for enemies that could shoot them and respond accordingly
• Help your buddy directly or make it easier for others to help your buddy
• Return to your buddy: if you die and respawn, it is your responsibility to hook back up with your buddy; if your buddy is dead, you join the rest of the fireteam until your buddy rejoins you

Covering

• from behind cover or concealment
• keep your weapon ready and your eyes peeled, ready to shoot any enemy that shows up while your buddy moves, medics, or whatever else
• under fire, cover by shooting at the enemy; make them duck down, stop shooting and take cover

Working in a Fire-Team

• Know your FireTeam: who they all are and who leads (follow their lead)
• Know your FireTeam's mission: what your fireteam needs to do for the overall team
• Practice fire and noise discipline: unneeded sound alerts your enemies
• Maintain "situational" awareness: where are your friends? where are your targets? watch for flankers! keep spread out!
• Cover your sector: 360-degree security means that everyone in the fireteam needs to cover a different piece of the surrounding landscape and ensuring that all sides are watched
• Communicate promptly: share any new enemy targets with the team leader before you shoot
• Communicate effectively: be brief and concise, always striving for barest format
• Move using overwatch, including "bounding overwatch" ([url=https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bounding+overwatch]look it up[/url])
• Maintain a working radio
• Talk on the radio in few words using club radio protocol

Example

A member of Fireteam Alpha encounters an enemy squad (notice the contact report, although you probably will not use a compass heading as the direction). They start shooting at each other, and Alpha's leader talks to Bravo's leader on the command channel to let them know what's happening and asks if Bravo can help (by flanking the enemy.)

Bravo's Fireteam Leader agrees and lets Alpha know that Bravo will be coming in from the southwest – so Alpha knows not to shoot at them. While the enemy is being a bunch of bunker noobs, Bravo flanks them and wipes them out from the side or rear in a surprise assault.image