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Lesson 3
SELECT AND OCCUPY TOW FIRING POSITIONS
OVERVIEW
Lesson Description:
In this lesson, you will learn to select primary, alternate, and supplementary TOW weapon positions, and to conduct the occupation of a TOW firing position.
Terminal Learning Objective:
| Action: | Select primary, alternate, and supplementary TOW weapon positions and conduct the occupation of a TOW firing position. | ||
| Condition: | You will be given information contained in this lesson. | ||
| Standard: | Identify the procedures for selecting primary, alternate, and supplementary TOW weapon positions and for conducting the occupation of a TOW firing position. | ||
| References: | The material contained in this lesson was derived from the following publications:
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INTRODUCTION
Primary, alternate, and supplemental firing positions are of vital importance to carrier-mounted TOW squads, sections, and platoons. This lesson provides instruction in selecting these firing positions with regard to planning considerations; characteristics of good firing positions; night firing requirements; routes into, out of, and between positions; movement between positions; and occupying, covering, concealing, camouflaging, improving, and using firing positions to your best advantage.
SELECT PRIMARY, ALTERNATE, AND SUPPLEMENTARY TOW WEAPON POSITIONS
1. . TOW squads use firing positions when operating in the offense and defense. Due to the fluid nature of offensive operations, TOW firing positions are usually unprepared defilade positions. They are occupied while the TOW squad is en route to an objective. When platoons and sections are moving, their leaders search for covered and concealed firing positions and routes to them. When a visual reconnaissance of the terrain cannot be made, tentative firing positions and routes should be selected from a map reconnaissance. In the defense, firing positions usually have improved frontal and overhead protection. The defender has more time to learn the terrain and, therefore, to increase his protection and concealment. A TOW firing position must provide protection for the weapon system and its crew and still allow target engagement. When selecting firing positions, leaders should realize the ability of their units to engage the enemy from those positions.
2. . In the offense, the TOW is employed on its weapon system carrier (M966, M901, or M113). In the defense, it may be employed mounted or dismounted. In describing how to employ the TOW, a platoon leader must consider several factors. Moving the carrier vehicle into the firing position and concealing its tracks may be impossible or impractical. If so, the TOW system should be dismounted and the vehicle parked in a concealed location to the rear of the firing position. Also, the leader must consider the loss of mobility when the TOW is not mounted.
3. . The greatest danger to TOW squads is indirect fires. For this reason, cover, concealment, camouflage, and the selection of firing positions are crucial. Squads must avoid firing positions that could be easily identified with a map reconnaissance—this is important. Threat artillery and mortar fires supporting an attack normally are fired from a planned schedule. Well-selected positions can help TOW squads avoid much of these fires. However, the Threat has a limited ability to fire on targets of opportunity.
a. . Each squad leader should select firing positions that afford maximum protection while allowing the gunner to engage the targets. Selection of firing positions begins when each section is assigned a mission, a sector of fire or engagement area, and a general location. The section leader designates a general firing position for each of his squads and designates an exact location for the squad he is with. If time is available, the section leader may also designate an exact position for the other squad.
b. . Ideally, each squad's position should provide the following—
(1) Cover to the front, flank, and overhead.
(2) Concealment from ground and aerial observation.
(3) Good observation and fields of fire into the assigned sector of fire or engagement areas.
(4) Covered and concealed routes to and between positions.
(5) Mutual support between squad positions and with other elements.
c. . Positions should be selected below ridgelines and crests, preferably on the sides of hills. Positions and the routes to them should be dry and level. Positions in swampy areas and steep hillsides should be avoided, as should positions on or near prominent terrain features.
| NOTE |
| Too much elevation requires the gunner to track laterally (moving targets in three dimensions at one time), left and right, and up and down, to compensate for range. |
d. . At night, TOW squads should be positioned where they can detect and engage targets. Leaders should not assume that darkness will hide their firing positions. Night vision devices available to Threat forces allow them to see almost as well in darkness as in daylight. Thermal night vision devices can sense the heat emitted by a hot or cooling engine. They also allow the viewer to see through smoke, fog, or even light foliage or camouflage.
e. . Once a position is selected, a unit should strive to improve it for as long as it is occupied. If a unit is to stay in a position for a long time, extensive improvements can be made, especially with engineer assistance.
4. . Each squad should have a primary firing position and as many alternate positions as practical. Depending upon terrain and mission, a supplementary position may also be assigned, as shown in Figure 3-1. Primary and alternate positions are used in the offense and the defense, while the supplementary position is used only in the defense.
Figure 3-1. Primary, Alternate, and Supplementary Firing Positions.
a. . The primary position is the initial firing position from which a squad covers an assigned sector of fire or engagement area. It should be the best location from which to engage vehicles. The platoon leader or the section leader usually designates its general location.
b. . An alternate position must allow a squad to cover the same area as the primary position. The platoon leader or the section leader may designate its location. Given adequate time in the defense, each alternate position should be prepared with as much care as the primary position.
(1) Distance of Alternate Position from Primary Position. If possible, an alternate position should be 300 meters or more from the primary or other alternate position. This lessens the chance of indirect fire from suppressing the primary and alternate positions at the same time. Terrain may not allow for this, but it should always be considered when selecting alternate positions.
(2) Reporting the Location of Alternate Positions. The platoon leader or the section leader usually designates the location of alternate positions. When the squad leader selects the alternate position, he should report each location to the section leader and the platoon leader. During the battle, he should also report when he moves to an alternate position.
c. . The supplementary position covers an area or possible avenue of enemy approach that cannot be covered from the primary or alternate positions. It is usually designated to cover areas or approaches to the flank or rear of a unit. This position should be reconnoitered, and a range card should be prepared. At times, the OPORD will specify that the position is to be prepared. Normally, a supplementary position is occupied only on order.
5. . The Threat considers antitank guided missiles ATGMs (TOWs) to be critical targets. He will be expecting TOW fires and will react immediately to suppress them. Because of this, TOW squads must be prepared to move to their alternate positions as directed by the section leader. However, the platoon leader may reserve the authority to approve the squad leader's request to move. He must coordinate the movement of his sections and squads so that all of the weapons are not moving at once. At least one squad must be in position to cover the assigned sector while the other squads move.
6. . The squad leader must personally reconnoiter all routes to alternate and supplementary positions. If needed, routes are improved to ensure ease of use.
a. . The routes into, out of, and between positions should offer cover and concealment and should avoid areas where the vehicles may raise dust. Routes should allow the squad to enter the firing position opposite the location of the enemy.
b. . When moving between positions, the platoon leader normally moves with one section of the platoon and the platoon sergeant with the other. Dispersion between vehicles and normal security measures are enforced.
7. .
a. When the TOW is assembled for ground emplacement, the tripod must be level to permit the effective operation of the weapon. If the tripod is not level, lateral (azimuth) movement of the traversing unit produces a change in the elevation angle of the launch tube. Therefore, acquiring and tracking the target may be difficult. An unlevel tripod can cause an electronic control error during the final tracking operation, while the command-link wire is guiding the missile to its target.
b. For ground emplacement, the proper adjustment of the tripod legs compensate for uneven ground up to a slope of 30-degrees. Therefore, the firing position must not slope more than 30-degrees. When the tripod legs are properly positioned, the bubble in each level will be between the marks on the level indicator. Do not fire from a position where the traversing unit has a lateral cant of more than 10-degrees. The ideal firing position is as level as possible. However, the missile can be fired from a position where the tripod is canted as much as 30-degrees directly downhill or uphill.
c. Once the site has been selected and the weapon has been emplaced, the squad leader and the gunner make a range card for the position.
8. . Keep the following guidelines in mind when selecting a firing position—
a. . Alternate positions should be at least 300 meters from a primary position. This prevents the fires of an enemy artillery battery, firing on the primary position, from impacting on the alternate position. Terrain restrictions may prevent dispersion, but dispersion should always be a concern when selecting alternate positions.
b. . This long range gives the TOW an advantage at ranges greater than 1,500 meters since the TOW system can engage enemy tanks but be safe from return tank fire. This advantage is due to the standoff achieved when the weapon range is maximized.
(1) . This exploitation of the range optimizes the fires of the weapon and provides protection to the crew from return tank fire.
(2) . More than a 1,500-meter range can be gained by positioning the TOW to the flank, farther to the rear of the line of enemy contact, or farther from its sector of fire.
c. . Mutual support provides some protection for the TOW crew by ensuring continuous coverage of enemy armored vehicles. It consists of two parts—
(1) . Use the TOW section so that its fires interlock with and support each other or other antiarmor weapons. Both TOWs within the section should cover as much of the sector of fire as possible.
(2) . Try to position the TOWs within the section's sector of fire so that they can engage enemy armored vehicles assaulting other TOW positions.
d. . TOW crews by themselves are vulnerable to armor and to dismounted infantry attacks against their positions. Therefore, they should be integrated with nearby infantry whenever possible.
e. . Engage the enemy from the flank, keeping the following facts in mind:
(1) . A launcher so sited seldom lives long. This is particularly true at shorter ranges. When tanks are advancing, their firepower and observation are oriented to the front. This makes it difficult to detect and to retrace a missile launched from the flanks.
(2) . A trailing tank may see the launch signature or crew movement and destroy the weapon or stalk it from the rear. In addition to firing from the flank, the TOW must be sited so that it is in defilade from the direction of the enemy. This means that there must be something between the weapon and the tanks being fired at a parapet, wall, or natural cover. Flank concealment is necessary, but flank defilade, providing cover from fire, is preferred. Concealment of flash, not only from tanks but also from the enemy's observation posts (OPs), is also essential. A weapon seen is a weapon lost.
CONDUCT THE OCCUPATION OF A FIRING POSITION
1. . As it occupies a firing position, a unit should avoid detection. Careless occupation can compromise a well-concealed position. Rapid movement into firing positions should be avoided, especially in dusty areas or where vegetation may be disturbed.
a. . A position should be approached from the rear or flank as terrain-driving techniques are used. The vehicles should be stopped short of the position in a covered and concealed location. Then, section and squad leaders should dismount and move forward to reconnoiter the area. During the reconnaissance, they select exact firing positions, determine how to employ TOWs, and select a route into each position. Both the position and the route selected should limit observation.
b. . Once the leaders have completed their ground reconnaissance, they call the vehicles forward and guide them into position. Section and squad leaders may consider backing the vehicles into position. This permits rapid displacement from the position without moving toward the enemy or using time to turn around. Signs that could be detected by aerial observation, such as vehicle tracks, windshield reflections, and window reflections, must be eliminated.
c. . Platoons and sections must develop an SOP for the occupation of a firing position that includes the sequence of action and the priority of the work. This SOP ensures that all squad members know what is expected of them.
2. . To help the company use time effectively, the commander should establish work priorities. Normally, these are in the SOP, but they can be modified to fit the mission. In most situations, these priorities are as follows:
a. Establish security.
b. Position weapon systems.
c. Prepare range cards.
d. Prepare firing conditions.
e. Emplace obstacles.
f. Establish local communications.
g. Stockpile ammunition, food, and water.
h. Perform maintenance; rest.
i. coordinate between adjacent units.
3. . Observation posts should be established and local patrols conducted to search for enemy stay-behind forces, sensors, mines, or booby traps. Patrols should also reconnoiter any terrain that enemy reconnaissance elements could use to call for and adjust indirect fire or to direct enemy maneuver units. Patrols are used to protect emplaced obstacles, to cover dead space between units, and to cover dismounted avenues of approach. The following guidelines apply to the establishment of security—
a. . Emplace PEWS in dead space or between units to complement the efforts of patrols.
b. . Position chemical detection alarms upwind from the platoon's position. Periodic checks and maintenance must be performed on the alarms. They must be moved if wind direction changes.
c. . The platoon leader positions the improved TOW vehicles (ITVs) or TOW-mounted HMMWVs.
4. . Due to enemy vehicle design, which places the heaviest armor in the frontal 60-degree arc, friendly antiarmor units must try to engage these vehicles from the flank or the rear. Although the angle of engagement is important, targets normally are engaged as they appear. Therefore, leaders must position ITVs where flank engagements are most likely to occur. This means placing fighting positions to the flank of enemy avenues of approach.
a. . Defilade positions are classified as either turret-down or hull-down. A turret-down position uses terrain to mask the ITV, and only the 3X acquisition sight is exposed to the enemy. A hull-down position exposes only as much of the ITV as needed to engage targets.
(1) . Use a hide position when possible. Stay there until the enemy is where the unit plans to kill him. A prone or dug-in observer forward has a much smaller signature than an ITV.
(2) . Have a backdrop, but avoid anything that catches the eye. For example, an ITV positioned near a large boulder or other prominent terrain feature almost certainly will be detected.
(3) . Position to the flank of an enemy approach and behind frontal cover. An attacker can more easily acquire and kill targets to his front than to his flanks or rear.
(4) . Have covered routes into and out of firing positions. Put as much priority on covered routes as on the quality of firing positions. Weapons must be moved carefully to avoid diesel and dust signatures.
(5) . Maintain 300 meters or more between primary and alternate ITV positions. Also, the greater the dispersion (in width and in depth) between vehicles, the less the likelihood that they both will be suppressed and that the detection of one will lead to the detection of the other.
(6) . Berms must be more than 20 feet thick to be effective. Also, they enable the attacker to spot the position more easily.
(7) . Positions that expose weapons to large numbers of enemy systems should be avoided. If many enemy vehicles can detect and engage the defending weapon, that weapons chance of survival is reduced. The weapons should be hidden from most of the enemy formation but should be able to engage one or two of the enemy vehicles at a time. The weapons systems crews must be able to shift their sectors of fire to engage other parts of the enemy's formation. To do this, the weapons are moved around small terrain features, as shown in Figure 3-2. Such fields of fire can be a fire control measure, acting to limit multiple engagement of the same target.
Figure 3-2. Hidden Position with Smaller Fields of Fire.
b. . Battlefield dust, smoke, fog, and darkness normally limit observation and fields of fire. When engagement ranges are reduced, flanking fires, the use of obstacles, and mutual support with infantry and covered and concealed positions increase in importance. Due to battlefield obscuration, weapons must be positioned to fight during limited visibility or to quickly move to limited visibility positions.
5. . Use the following guidelines in reconnoitering a firing position:
a. . Stop the vehicle short of the area in a covered and concealed position, dismount, and reconnoiter the general area for the exact firing position.
b. . This increases the flexibility of the squad by using the least amount of time displacing to new positions.
c. . If the terrain prevents the vehicle from moving to the position or if the vehicle cannot be concealed, the TOW must be dismounted and carried to the firing position.
6. . Occupy a TOW position (such as the one shown in Figure 3-3) that—
a. Allows for flank engagement.
b. Offers concealment of the flash and the weapon's signature.
c. Has the weapon in defilade from the direction of approaching enemy vehicles.
d. Offers concealment to the front.
e. Tries for a flank engagement (especially at ranges of 1,500 to 2,000 meters, where enemy tank guns have a good chance of a first-round hit). An advancing tank's firepower and observation are oriented to the front, making it hard to detect and retrace a TOW launched from its flank. Armor plating on the sides of a tank is thinner, so attacking a side helps ensure a kill.
f. Conceals the flash and signature of the TOW, because a tank trailing the one that is fired upon may sight your launch signature and fire on your position.
Figure 3-3. TOW Positioning.
7. . In occupying the position, observe the following rules:
a. . Covering the squad sector of fire allows you to see and engage targets while avoiding detection. The position selected should have the best shot into the assigned sector of fire (preferably a flank shot). If you have been assigned a sector of fire where there is no position available to see and engage targets, notify your section sergeant immediately. If you have dead space in your sector of fire, ensure that your section sergeant is aware of it. He can arrange the section to best cover the assigned section sector of fire and designate primary and alternate positions.
b. . All terrain has features that can help or hinder mission accomplishments with the TOW. Some terrain features increase chances for success and lessen the possibility of detection. These include
(1) The military crest of hills.
(2) The reverse slope of hills from which to fire at the rear or flank of enemy vehicles.
(3) The edge of a woodline.
c. .
(1) Use the terrain to your advantage for cover from enemy fire and for concealment from enemy ground and aerial observation, as shown in Figure 3-4.
Figure 3-4. Covered and Concealed TOW Positions.
(2) Since ideal cover and concealment will not always be available, priorities must be established. The terrain characteristics you must look for in selecting a position are (in the order of their preference)—
(a) Cover and concealment.
(b) Cover.
| NOTE |
| Concealment of flash and signature is an overall essential factor. |
d. . When analyzing the terrain in your sector, consider the use of high ground. This can gain your crew protection and optimize TOW standoff. In Figure 3-5, the TOW has been positioned far enough back on the high ground so that it can cover its sector of fire but be protected from tank fire that is closer than 1,500-meters because of dead space.
Figure 3-5. Use of High Ground.
e. . You may have to use shadows for concealment, as shown in Figure 3-6. When this happens, vehicles must be moved as the shadows shift. If a vehicle is under a tree, and the shadows and foliage do not give enough concealment from the air, the vehicle should be camouflaged with branches.
| NOTE |
| The range card must reflect the change in vehicle position because of the shift of the vehicle position when the shadows move. |
Figure 3-6. Use of Shadows.
f. . Avoid road junctions, hilltops, a lone building or tree, and other obvious positions. These features attract the enemy's attention; his artillery will probably have registered on them.
g. . Determine the exact location of the firing position, select a concealed route, call the vehicle forward, and guide it into position.
| NOTE |
| You must have communication with the section leader or whoever is controlling your fire. Therefore, the position must allow for radio communication, wire communication, or visual communication. Preferably, the position will allow for a combination of these so that one can be a backup. |
h. . If there is no position within your sector that has natural concealment from ground or aerial observation or if you decide that it is not practical to camouflage the position with artificial materials, the TOW should be positioned in a nearby covered and concealed position—a hide position, such as the one shown in Figure 3-7. The weapon should remain there until it must engage targets from its primary or supplementary firing positions. When the weapon is in a hide position, an observer from the squad remains at the firing position. When targets appear, he calls the TOW forward and points out the target to the gunner. The observer must have binoculars, and he must have communication with the crew. If the observer does not have visual contact with the crew, then a field telephone should be installed between them.
| NOTE |
| When only one TA-312 or TA-1 is available, connect the WD-1 to your audio input on the AM1780/VRC. You may then communicate with the observer using your intercom. |
Figure 3-7. Hide Position.
