We have been deployed on the outskirts of a village, we must go in, check that everything is in order and if something it is not, destroy it before extraction. Mundane and tedious, but dangerous, and lethal if not done well.
Patrol
There are several options to manage or arrange a patrol, this is just a suggestion, but each situation or team must adapt to their needs and capabilities.
A patrol that will move between buildings (not inside them) and consisting of eight people led by the leading operator, followed by the support operator and the leader. They tend to divide into two teams for operational reasons, both with the same structure. This way the seventh operator will be the second-in-command, which will take command of the second group.
Zigzag Formation
There are several possibilities for the formation of the patrol. In this case the more efficient is the Zigzag Patrol system. The leading operator is more separated from the group. He moves forward with the weapon in auto mode, keeps an eye on everything that he has in front of him in a 180º angle: doors, windows, foreign objects… he is the most experienced man of the patrol. He must identify the potential dangers that threaten the group. This role has the highest chance of being eliminated.
Signs
The most important signs you should be aware of: high, crouch, stand, enemy targets, meet with me.
The rest of the group follows it, each paying attention to their sector, trusting that their colleagues protect him from the threats beyond his range of action.
The eighth man has to take care of the rear. He needs to follow the group, keep advancing, without falling behind, but maintaining a 180º angle vision.
The leader is the driver of the patrol and he have to give the orders: stop, follow, turn, check… Keeping an eye on his men, of the orders, the map, of the radio. He can delegate the radio to the fourth man by naming him radio operator. Crosses are one of the complicated points of these missions.
T-shape crossroads
When the leading man arrives at a T-shape crossing, he notifies the leader and takes cover on the left corner, the second man will take the right.
At this point the leader will call the last man to take the opposite corner to the one chosen by the leader to advance. So the patrol can continue to move forward while maintaining their sectors.
X-shape crossing
When the leading man arrives at a X-shape crossing, he notifies the leader and takes cover on the left corner, the second man will take the right. At this point the leader and the fourth man will cross. As they already have men covering the sides they will focus their attention on the front.
Then, at the leader’s signal, the fifth and sixth operators must cross and take the corners to cover the street being crossed. In the meantime, the seventh and eighth men keep their position and cover the rear.
Now it's the turn of the first and second men. Since all angles of the crossing are covered they will take the front of the patrol.
The last to cross are the seventh and eighth men. And until they warn the fifth and sixth that they are ready and in position, they will stay in their positions providing cover.
It is important to note that the patrol remains static so they have to be specially focused. Once everyone has crossed the patrol will continue moving forward.
Patrolling
The patrol’s pace depends on the mission. A slower pace is used in recon and securing missions, and a quicker pace if they just need to cross the town. In short, you need to move fast enough to prevent being easily ambushed and slow enough so that it does not stretch or split the patrol. Keeping in mind that slowly means smoothly and smoothly means swiftly.
When patrolling a city you can encounter small walls behind which an enemy can be hiding. You need to check them. If you find walls high enough that prevent you from looking over you will have to crouch down to avoid being shot from the other side.
When going through open doors you can find enemies hidden in blind spots. The process is to keep the body protected by the wall or door frame as much as possible and rotate and check both inside angles of the room, while your team mate behind you protects the entire front sector.
Contact
While patrolling we can make contact with the enemy at any time and in multiple ways, but you always have two possibilities: fall back or take them on.
Falling back
You may need to fall back. For various reasons: numerical disadvantage, the mission excluding contact, or that, in order to fulfil your goal contact with the enemy must be avoided. A possible set of actions is as follows:
The leading operator makes contact. He calls it out, empties the first magazine in full auto on the enemy and runs to take the last position in the patrol while changing the magazine. The second operator begins to shoot as soon as he hears the leading operator and then runs to the back of the patrol.
Only then the third and fourth men will open fire, stop, fall back, while reload and join the back of the patrol. The fifth and sixth men will open fire when the third and fourth overtake them.
The retreat will continue until the patrol is secure. Then the leading man will take the front of the patrol and it will continue moving forward.
Attack
If, on the contrary, you decided to deal with the enemy, your strategy would be different.
The leading operator will empty the magazine in full auto and the third man will join so that both can give coverage while the fifth and seventh move towards the contact. On the other side of the street the second and fourth men will be covering the sixth and eighth.
When those operators are about to cross the cover fire they will scream "crossing" so that they are not hit by friendly fire. They will move forward a few meters and cover the progress of their teammates.
Moving forward aggressively towards the enemy, although it may seem a suicidal maneuver, is effective. It just depends on the conviction and the aggressiveness with which you move forward. If you doubt, if you stop, if you do not shoot, you are out.
The most important thing is the attitude. They are shooting, are better positioned, they fired first, they are taking the lead. But we can turn the tables. Returning fire and moving forward, with aggressiveness. Maintaining the rule of he who takes the lead, achieves victory.
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Assault
If the enemy takes refuge in a building and we decided to storm it, this will be the procedure.
Small teams will control the perimeter to prevent anyone from exiting, keeping an eye on doors and windows. Assault teams will enter the building by areas and in order. They should not exceed their respective areas due to friendly fire danger.
All teams must enter at the same timer to catch the enemy off guard, aggressively, to intimidate them. Attitude is key for assault. Always remembering that "slow is smooth, smooth is fast".
It is important not to advance through the building without making sure that everything that you leave behind is clear. If you get stuck advancing you must not lose the initiative, it is necessary to rectify looking for alternative routes entering through windows, using grenades… What you never have to do is stop and hesitate
Ambushes
Perhaps you want to set up an ambush. There are multiple strategies to follow depending on the situation and the objective.
If your goal is to wear down the enemy you will continue follow the wasp’s strategy; hit and run. You won’t need too many operators or special weapons, only to ensure an escape route. This strategy forces the enemy to make a bigger effort repelling ambushes than what it takes you to set up the ambush, which leads to their physical and mental exhaustion.
If your goal is to take put a convoy you will need more man power. The use of mines, grenades, and other explosive material along with support weapons is highly recommended. You must not open fire with the first eye contact, it is preferable to hit the convoy once it has advanced a little.
The sniper or sharp shooters can also play an important role. If they cannot locate the shooters and the fire comes from more than one sector, the enemy will most likely retreat. You can also take down a key objective with a single shot and disappear.
Summary
The key to FIBUA (fight in building urban area) is 80% attitude and personal willingness and 20% preparation. Being focused, acting decisively and with aggressiveness (not to be confused with violence) is essential.
Nor should we forget the 20% of strategy and lines of action, which must be tested until the whole unit knows what, when and how they should act in every situation.