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Lesson 2

Practice Exercise
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Situation: You are the leader of the 2nd platoon, C Company, 32nd Bn, 134th Div Inf (Mech). Your unit is part of a combined German and U.S. force deployed in eastern Germany, at the request of the German government. The combined force's mission is to counter a paramilitary insurgency in Leipzig which has captured and is currently occupying the city. Use this situation to answer the questions in this exercise.
1. Your platoon is dismounted, moving to contact down a street in the business section of the city. You come to a street corner. To determine what is taking place around the corner, you

A. extend the butt of your weapon around the corner to see if it draws fire.
B. press the front of your body to the building and expose your head until one eye can see down the street.
C. extend the muzzle of your weapon around the corner to see if it draws fire.
D. lay flat on the ground with your weapon hidden by the building, and expose your head enough to observe.
Before moving around a corner, you must first find out what is happening beyond it. The most common, and sometimes fatal, mistake a soldier makes in urban combat is to allow his weapon to extend around a building, thus exposing his exact position to the enemy. Never allow an enemy to see you where he expects to -- at normal height. To observe beyond a corner, lay flat on the ground, keep your weapon hidden by the building, and expose only enough of your Kevlar-helmeted head to permit observation.
2. Your platoon is clearing an enemy-held building from the top down. You have secured a foothold and breach point on the building's roof. Two squads will clear rooms from the stairs and two squads will rappel down the building's exterior and enter through windows. You are setting up the rappel site. You make sure the rope is of sufficient length and inspect the anchor point to ensure

A. the rope is securely locked into the greaves.
B. the rope slides smoothly around the anchor.
You first ensure the rappel rope is sufficiently long. If men are rappelling to the ground, the doubled rope should reach the ground. Then you check to make sure the rope slides smoothly around the anchor point. You do not want a situation where the rope would slip over the anchor point. The rappeller would plummet to the ground in mid-rappel. Also, pad any friction points where the rope would rub against the side of the wall.
C. it is wedged firmly into the corner of the roof.
D. rope will easily slide over the anchor point.
3. You are firing at the enemy from a hasty firing position inside a building, using a window as a firing port. You are firing your weapon

A. from the kneeling position, well back into the room.
A window is an excellent hasty firing position. Normally you would want to fire from a kneeling position, well into the room. Firing from the standing position exposes too much of your body to enemy fire. Placing yourself against the rear wall would limit your field of fire. Using the windowsill to steady your weapon is fine, but would result in the weapon's muzzle extending out the window. The resultant firing signature would reveal your location to the enemy, and would likely advance your duty status to "casualty."
B. using the window sill to steady your weapon.
C. from the standing position, against the back wall.
D. from any position, with the muzzle of the weapon extending through the window.
4. You are preparing your platoon for offensive action. Since you will have to get to the enemy before you destroy him, you select the weapons and ordnance for their effects against buildings rather than enemy personnel. The most common type of construction in the world is

A. 30-inch stone walls.
B. 12- to 24-inch brick walls.
Normally you will have to attack the man-made structure before you attack the enemy. So you choose your weapons and demolitions based on their effects on the building rather than on enemy personnel inside them. Worldwide, the most common structure you will encounter is the 12- to 24-inch brick-wall building. Sixty three percent of all construction since World War II is of this type. Thirty-inch-thick stone construction accounts for only 1 percent of the structures, 8- to 10-inch reinforced concrete walls 6.9 percent, and 14-inch steel and concrete (heavy-clad) framed buildings, 2 percent.
C. 14-inch steel and concrete.
D. 8- to 10-inch reinforced concrete.
5. A key requirement for victory in combat in built-up areas and under MOUT conditions, is heavy direct-fire support. This heavy direct-fire support is provided by

A. field artillery.
B. mortars.
C. small arms fire.
D. tank main guns.
The high-velocity 105-mm and 120-mm cannons mounted on the M1, M1A1, M60, and M48 tanks provide one of the key ingredients of victory in built-up areas -- heavy direct-fire support. Although you take the lead role in urban combat, you work closely with tank forces, protecting and guiding them, while they in turn, provide heavy breaching and support fires. The primary role of the tank cannon in combat in built-up areas is to provide heavy direct fire against buildings and strongpoints identified as targets by dismounted infantry.
6. Your platoon has been ordered back on the offensive and is attacking and clearing a building. A squad assault force is in the process of clearing a room when it takes a casualty. You

A. immediately reinforce from the support force.
An assault force for a squad consists of a three-man team carrying only combat equipment and as much ammunition as possible with emphasis on hand grenades. It is backed up by another three-man support force who provides suppressive fire. The key to the operation is momentum. Once momentum is gained, maintain it to prevent the enemy from organizing a more determined resistance. If the squad is understrength or suffers casualties, give priority to keeping the assault force up to strength at the expense of the support force.
B. allow the assault force to continue, unaugmented.
C. withdraw the platoon to reorganize the force.
D. obtain replacements through cross-leveling skills.
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